Wander around the gardens of Montrose House with Michael of Turf 2 Trees Horticulture, the company tasked with maintaining this historic Southern Highlands garden.
When the new owners of Montrose House bought this property in Sutton Forest [formerly known as Montrose Berry Farm] three years ago, there was a LOT of work to do.
It was overgrown, the drought hadn’t helped matters and when the drought was closely followed by a couple of years of wet weather, it became quite the task to deal with.
So, the owners brought in local experts, Turf 2 Trees Horticulture to help them with the overwhelming task of reinvigorating the gardens of Montrose House – all 32 acres of them! – and giving the historic property [both the gardens and the homestead are heritage listed] a new look and a new purpose.
We wandered through the gardens of Montrose House – now a popular and stunning wedding venue – with Michael of Turf 2 Trees to walk and talk through the past few years of what it took to bring the gardens back to life.
Built in 1861 by the Badgery family to be used as their summer retreat, the gardens surrounding the homestead and now wedding and event locations like Badgery Hall, are just as historic.
The large Monterey Pine and Monterey Cyprus pines in front of the homestead actually date back to the 19th Century!
And in 1927, a tree was planted to commemorate the opening of [what is now known as] Old Parliament House by the Duke and Duchess of York [that’s Queen Elizabeth II’s parents] while they were in Australia.
Amazing….
The property is green and lush but it wasn’t always that way.
“I called this project Sleeping Beauty,” says Michael.
“I knew that when we could clear it and ‘wake it up’ it would be this beautiful. It took two years of clearing and discovering plants and trees and finding random things, like the two acres of asparagus that popped up!”
It’s also been a difficult two years of wet weather which makes for plenty of mud, making trimming and growing difficult.
But the Turf 2 Trees Horticulture team soldiered on….
Michael loves the old, mature trees dotted around the property which not only gives shade but a sense of majesty to the property.
“The mature trees are definitely my favourite part of this garden. It’s the garden’s biggest asset,” he says.
“Montrose House has the biggest weeping elm tree I’ve ever seen. It was originally grafted and it’s rare to see one so large in Australia.”
The garden also boats an array of rare and historic varieties of roses.
“There are Pope John Paul II roses in a sunken garden and some old peony varieties and new varieties which we’ve discovered around the garden,” Michael says.
And the team are adding more.
“There’s over 50 varieties of roses here and 95 Camellia Sasquana Pure Silk plants line the ceremony aisle now.”
Over 30 acres of property means there is plenty of space for a variety of plants, trees and ‘outdoor rooms’.
“There are beautiful pockets of gardens everywhere you turn here,” Michael points out.
“There is an acre of heritage gardens, apple tree alley, an arboretum, pine forest, hazelnut trees, sunken rose garden, an orchard and a walking trail that winds you through all around the gardens.”
Each season comes alive with a mix of hydrangeas, camellias and rhododendrons planted throughout the garden.
“There is also a row of 60 cherry trees with five varieties of cherry blossoms,” Michael says.
“It all blends in beautifully with the homestead, the pathways, driveways and other buildings on the property.”
And of course, we’re suckers for walls covered in beautiful greenery and ornamental vines!
There’s a few quirky elements too, like the English letterbox and the phone booth!
“The English phone booth was brought over from the UK when British Telecom decommissioned them. It weighs a tonne!” laughs Michael.
Very cool!
There’s also life sized chess in the gardens and plenty of wedding parties have a hit of cricket when they’re celebrating…love it!
It really is a stunning property and while it’s a huge job for Michael and the Turf 2 Trees Horticulture team to first of all discover, rejuvenate and then maintain, what a stunning ‘office’ for the team.
No wonder Michael called it The Sleeping Beauty project…it’s well and truly awake and living now!
Nice one, guys!
Turf 2 Trees is a Landscape and Estate Management business specialising in acreage, formal gardens and show gardens with over ten years of horticulture and turf management experience. A local business who has mastered the art of their craft in the unique Highlands climate, the team at Turf 2 Trees Horticulture focus on efficient and high-quality property maintenance.
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