Take a stroll with us around the gardens of Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa with Michael of Turf 2 Trees Horticulture, who are undertaking amazing work in this historic Southern Highlands Garden.
Beloved Southern Highlands beauty Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa came into the hands of new owners in March of 2023. And although the grounds are renowned nationally, the owners are determined to bring them back to their heyday charm.
They knew that this was going to take a lot of skill, planning and genuine love for this majestic garden so, obvs they had to bring in local legends Turf 2 Trees Horticulture.
We wandered through the gardens of Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa with Michael of Turf 2 Trees to walk and talk through the work that has already been done on the gardens and the plans for the next stage of this spectacular facelift.
Before we begin, hark yourself way back to the year 1910, when a local man about town Anthony Horden purchased the property, which was actually known as Mansfield’s Farm. Anthony decided to change the name when he spotted the word “Milton” on the spine of a copy of Paradise Lost. Inspired by this literary moment, he got right to work, planting Cypress and Pine trees to create shelter belts that would shield his estate from those pesky westerly winds…
And thus, this dreamy garden was born.
The gardens have since grown into a thing of beauty but as time has worn on and the Southern Highlands has experienced some pretty epic weather events, the garden has sadly taken a few hits.
But never fear, Michael and the team at Turf 2 Trees Horticulture are here.
“We began with quite a bit of remediation work,” says Michael.
“We want to bring it back up to a standard that the owners are happy with before we make any other changes. We’ve just been going through all the gardens, cleaning them up, pruning and weeding.”
“Next, we’re going to start on the lawns. We want to give them that fresh cricket pitch look and we know the owners want that too.”
We can bet that a job like this is gonna have some pretty unique challenges, is that right Michael?
“It’s a very big and very old garden. There are a lot of heritage-listed trees that require very special care. It takes a lot of careful consideration and horticultural expertise.”
“Many of the trees are considered to be the oldest of that kind outside of Europe, so they’re not only beautiful but also require a thoughtful touch.”
“The owners care about the garden and they want to keep developing it but also making sure every decision they make is in the best interest of the garden. It’s amazing to work with owners who support their gardens because it is a phenomenal place.”
Michael told us that although he loves every aspect of the garden the old Oaks, Elms, Beeches, Maples and Rhododendrons hold a special place in his heart.
“When we first started, we did a tree audit, I think we lost count at 400. There are so many trees and they are such a huge asset to the garden.”
“I haven’t seen trees of that stature anywhere outside of England, it’s the quality and age, you don’t get trees like that in Australia unless they’re really looked after like the owners have here.”
We can totes see why anyone would want to book a getaway here just to take time to explore the gardens.
“It is a five-star hotel with a five-star garden” Michael adds.
We’re super curious about the level of work that goes into maintaining and developing a garden like this and Michael gives us some insight into his process.
“We have to take a holistic approach to the care of the property. That means auditing, yearly planning and plenty of sequencing. Everything needs to be in a certain routine, if things are done out of order or not at the right time, it can be quite detrimental to the garden, especially an older one like this.”
“Restoration alone can take a long time, and with every plant you have to wait until the time is right.”
“But already there are so many amazing changes happening to the garden and with Spring now in full bloom, I reckon it’s a good time to book a stay and check it out.”
We reckon so too, just look at these pics!
This is just a stunning property, and the task at hand is no small feat for Michael and the Turf 2 Trees Horticulture team. We’re super impressed with what we’ve seen so far and just cannot wait for all the new developments to come.
Thanks so much for sharing it with us today Michael, we hope you guys loved it too!
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