Spring Garden Tour
Chinese Magnolia Magnolia Soulangeana
Garden Tour Destinations and Organisers 1999
2000
2001
Private Gardens in North Croydon,
Organised by Ann Willcock
Cloudehill Gardens, Olinda and
Coldstream and Wonga Park.
Mont De Lancey, Wandin.
Organised by Ann Willcock
Organised by Lyndy Macqueen
2005
2006
2007
Pirianda Gardens,
Private Gardens in Warrandyte,
Yering Station, Alowyn
Olinda, Gaythorpe
Park Orchards, and Warrandyte,
Gardens, Domaine
Private Garden, and Cloudehill Gardens.
as well as Kellybrook Winery.
Chandon and Niuewesteeg Rose Nursery.
Organised by Cynthia Scott
Organised by Cynthia Scott
Organised by Rebecca Walsh
2011
2012
2013
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
The Garden Vineyard, Moorooduc.
Private Gardens in Heathmont, North
Organised by Rebecca Walsh
Organised by Rebecca Walsh
Ringwood and Kilsyth. Organised by Rebecca Walsh
2017
2018
2019
Broughton Hall Garden
Vecchio’s Private Garden, Como Gardens,
Mornington Botanical
and a private garden, Barambah,
The Basin and the Dandenong Ranges
Rose Garden and Heronswood House
both in Jindivick, Gippsland.
Botanic Gardens.
and Gardens. Organised by the Tintern
Organised by Lisa Vecchio
Organised by Lisa Vecchio
Community Relations Team
2002
2003
2004
Big Bouquet
Woodlands Historic Park and Homestead
Bickleigh Vale, Mooroolbark,
Gerbera Farm, Healesville and the
at Oaklands Junction and Heidi Modern
Katandra Gardens, Wandin and
Singing Gardens, Toolangi.
Museum and Garden, Bulleen
Waratina Lavender Farm
Organised by Lyndy Macqueen
Organised by Lyndy Macqueen
Organised by Cynthia Scott
2008
2009
2010
Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne.
Heronswood House and Gardens.
Earimil Gardens and
Organised by Rebecca Walsh
Organised by Rebecca Walsh
Morningstar Estate. Organised by Rebecca Walsh
2014
2015
2016
Coombe Cottage,
Alowyn Gardens, Yarra Glen and
National Gallery of Victoria, tour of Private
Yarra Glen and a
Cloudehill Garden.
Gardens, and Como House and Gardens,
Private Garden.
Organised by Lisa Vecchio
South Yarra.
Organised by Rebecca Walsh
Organised by Lisa Vecchio
2020
2021 and beyond
Virtual Garden Tour.
Where would you like to go next? Share your ideas with us: communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au
Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata
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Tintern Grammar Spring Garden Tours Images from 2014 to 2019
Click to Play
Cynthia Scott Tour Coordinator 2004 to 2006 I went on my first Tintern Spring Garden Tour in 2001, the year our daughter, Clare, started at the school, in Year 7, and I joined the Parents’ Association. I haven’t missed a tour since then, and am a little bit disappointed that my 20th tour is not going to happen in 2020! I took over the role of Co-ordinator for the annual tours in 2004, and looked after the 2005 and 2006 tours, after which Clare finished Year 12 and I left the Parents’ Association. The tours have been a high note in my year, and I hope I will be attending them for years to come. They are a wonderful Outreach program for the school. In 2003, the day of the Tour was extremely hot, and Lyndie McQueen had arranged for us to visit Woodlands, an historic estate near Melbourne Airport, so a long drive from Ringwood. Not so many people were booked to go, so we travelled in a minibus, very hot and uncomfortable. So I was determined, in 2004, that we would travel in comfort in a big bus – so I had to get the numbers up. I invited several of my garden-loving friends, and also advertised the tour at my church, Ringwood Uniting, and it worked! And quite a few of these people are still coming on the tours, fourteen years later. Thanks to Tintern’s Community Relations Office, we all still receive invitations. In the three years I was Co-ordinator, I found I invariably underestimated the time we needed at each of the gardens on the itinerary. It was so hard to have to hurry people back onto the bus so we could keep to the tight schedule – especially the deadline to be back in East Ringwood! (I did get better at this.) The cheerful (and noisy) atmosphere on the bus always makes me so happy – the sense of anticipation for an entertaining day out, and the opportunity to catch up with like-minded people.
One of my favourite gardens, which we visited in 2004, was the Katandra Garden in Wandin North. Created on the area’s rich soils, an elderly couple (whose names I have forgotten) were so proud of their magnificent 8-acre garden of predominantly Australian native shrubs and trees. I was smitten by their spectacular range of peonie roses. I was delighted to hear, a few months later, that these hospitable gardeners were presented with the ABCTV’s Gardening Australia’s top award for this garden. A couple of years ago, however, I drove by, and felt sad to see it had been neglected – the old couple had died and their family were not interested in maintaining it. Such a shame. I found the seeking out of suitable gardens to include in the tour itineraries was a pleasurable task. I sought ideas from friends, and took note of gardens Jane Edmanson visited in her ABCTV role. The timing and venues had to be appropriate for the important Morning Teas and Luncheons. However, I recall in particular the complications that I dealt with when we visited Pirianda Gardens in Olinda. We needed to take the makings for our Morning Tea with us – thermoses for the hot drinks, food, and furniture (supplied by the school). It was fun, though, as everyone pitched in to help set up and pack away. However lunch at CloudeHill later didn’t go so well, as they had incorrectly written down the numbers in our group, so the serves were meagre and we were very cramped in the dining area; on top of that, our bus driver lined up for lunch as well, so my table shared our serves with him! (I made sure the bus company were made aware of this and it didn’t happen to me again.) We have certainly dined in style on some of the tours over the years – at Coombe, the Healesville RACV Club, and more recently, in the Reception Room at CloudeHill. I will be forever grateful to Tintern for many reasons, and one of them is providing the opportunity to visit some of the beautiful gardens in our city. You know what, though? In the nineteen years, I have not once won a raffle prize. But one can live in hope …..
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Canadian Maple Acer rubrum “October Glory”
Rebecca Walsh
Coordinator 2007 to 2014
The month of October marks the start of Term 4, longer days, the promise of warmer weather and (usually) the Tintern Spring Garden Tour. I was surprised when Di Lacey told me I’d ‘organised’ eight tours (2007-2014) during the time my three children were at Tintern - it didn’t seem like that many, but that must have been because Community Relations did all the actual work! Before I took over, I’d been on several garden tours organised by the previous incumbent, Cynthia Scott, who was a hard act to follow & gave me lots of advice & suggestions for gardens we could visit. Heronswood in Dromana is always a favourite, as was the Kilsyth garden of designer Sandra McMahon of Gardenscape Design. Over the years, the annual garden tour has been an opportunity to have some time out to catch up with friends, have a delicious lunch, admire some beautiful gardens & be inspired as to what we might be able to create in our own patch.
Roshini Higgins -Previous Attendee and Tintern Parents Group Secretary
The Spring Garden Tour was a very relaxing and enjoyable day, away from the usual routines. We felt like we were in another world. The sights were truly magnificent, the company, entertainment, games and refreshments were all first class. Highly recommend.
Trish Marchetti Previous Attendee
What a lovely day out it was on the Spring Garden Tour. Really enjoyed the various locations we got to see. They were all so beautiful and different, like nothing I have ever seen before. Would absolutely not hesitate to attend another one. It was very well organised and run, well done to the Committee.
Tintern Rose
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Japanese Maple Acer Palmatum
Golden Wattle Acacia Pycnantha
Lisa Vecchio Tour Coordinator 2015 to 2018 ‘As a past coordinator and attendee of the Tintern annual garden tour I have so very many wonderful memories to carry me through this horrific lockdown and pandemic. The gardens have been amazing and I think of them daily as I walk through my own garden. So much variety, beauty and creativity in the gardens we have seen over the years which have served as inspiration for all who were lucky enough to attend. My personal favourite was the year that we went to Toorak and got a glimpse of not only the magnificent nurtured gardens but also the lives of the rich and famous. They were spectacular and had been planned by the best landscapers known to have worked in the state of Victoria. What they were able to do with some smaller sections of their land was nothing short of remarkable and I have employed a few of their tactics in my own garden since that visit. I look forward to the venues and settings chosen to eat each year from relaxed outdoor picnics to sophisticated luncheons at Melba’s after hearing the secrets of the hedges and seeing the pool Charlie Chaplain swam in. Most of all I recall the fun of the days. I have made many friends throughout these tours and enjoyed every moment of them. Everyone is relaxed and we feel happy after the day together in the beautiful settings. I love the fun and talking in the coach, the raffles, the food partaken, the laughter and even the chance just to walk around and enjoy nature with a group of fellow plant enthusiasts many of whom are incredibly interesting to talk to. The variety of the adventures far and wide we have gone will never be forgotten and greatly appreciated. These days have served as some of my best memories and I count myself lucky to have been a part of them.’
Camellia Camellia sasanqua “Setsugekka”
Pencil Pine Cupressis sempervirens “Stricta”
Courtya 9 r a rd Ye
Silver Birch Betula pendula
Lomandra Lomandra longifolia “Tanika”
Amanda McKenzie
Attendee 2005 to 2019
I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in the garden tour for many years since 2005. It has always been a lovely day out, a break from the frantic life of employee, volunteer, mother, wife and a chance to spend the day in nature with all our creature comforts taken care of. I have also made it somewhat of a tradition in our family, inviting my mother and mother-in-law along, and more recently my newly graduated Tintern daughter also joined us. We look forward to spending a day amongst the beauty, literally taking time ‘to smell the roses’, while creating shared memories with many members of our wonderful Tintern community. Some of my favourite memories include walking through private gardens that are rarely open to the public, learning tips and tricks from horticultural experts, and dreaming of ways that I could incorporate some of the clever planting ideas around my own home. Towering trees have overseen our wanderings, and beautiful buds have popped up to greet us. Birds often serenade us as we explore intriguing pathways, and owners occasionally tell interesting anecdotes about the creation of their masterpieces. We are all reminded of the beauty and diversity of nature, and come away freshly inspired each time. Having volunteered in a number of different ways throughout our Tintern journey, I have met many wonderful families, both through the garden tour and a myriad of other community events over the years. The garden tour is often a great way to get to know our fellow community members in a relaxed setting, and when you have the chance to come back again and again, you start to recognise many familiar faces. The best way to build new friendships is with shared experiences, and the Tintern Garden Tour is just one of the great opportunities in the Tintern community calendar that normally runs in a non-Covid year. See you next year!
Maidenhair Tree Ginkgo biloba
Cercis Cercis canadensis “Forest Pansy”
Science Cen e l g a tre Spe
Gymea Lily Doryanthes excelsa & Lomandra Lomandra longifolia “Tanika”
Golden Everlasting Chrysocephalum apiculatum “Desert Flame” & Dahlia Dahlia pinnata “Delaya Shari”
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens was established in 1846 by Lieutenant Governor Charles La Trobe. Over the next 60 years this swampy site was transformed into the world-famous landscape we know today. In 1958, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the ‘Royal’ prefix on the Gardens.
Located on the lands of the Cadigal Peoples, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is Australia’s oldest scientific institution and one of the oldest botanic gardens in the Southern Hemisphere.
Today, the Gardens is a much expanded organisation to the one first founded in 1846 on its inner-city Melbourne site and incorporates a number of distinct locations and functions. In June 2015, the Gardens embarked on another chapter of this rich history and sought to bring together the elements of this much expanded organisation under one name: it is now known as Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, incorporating Melbourne Gardens, Cranbourne Gardens and the National Herbarium of Victoria.
Explore the plants and animals, the scientific work and horticulture of the Garden with their immersive virtual tours. Source: https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Learn/Living-Learning/Virtual-Tours
Source: https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-story
arden To G l a u t VSierlect image to view the touurrs
Red Flowering Gum Corymbia ficifolia
Mexican Bush Sage Salvia leucantha
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Red Angel’s Trumpet Brugmansia sanguinea
Perennial Dianthus Dianthus spp.
UK National Trust's Hidcote
Highgrove House and Gardens
Take a 360-degree tour around the old garden, plant house and spectacular red borders of the National Trust’s Hidcote Manor Gardens in Gloucestershire. The Art & Craft-inspired garden, created in 1907, is known for its intimate garden rooms as well as the Fuchsia Garden and Bathing Pool Garden.
Highgrove House in Gloucestershire is the private residence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess Of Cornwall. Originally built in a Georgian Neoclassical style between 1796 and 1798, Highgrove has been home to The Prince since 1980.
The garden is divided into a series of ‘outdoor rooms’, each with its own character. The formality of the ‘rooms’ melts away as you move through the garden away from the house.
During that time, His Royal Highness has made extensive changes to both the house and garden.
Plant hunting trips around the world made sure that Hidcote had variety, colour and scent throughout the garden. Lawrence Johnston created the garden and was passionate about plants. He went to endless trouble and expense to find unusual varieties that would bring colour, scent, shape and texture to the garden.
On The Prince’s arrival at Highgrove, the garden boasted little more than a neglected kitchen garden, an overgrown copse, some pastureland and a few hollow oaks. Today, the gardens at Highgrove are widely considered some of the most inspiring and innovative in the UK - and are full of personal touches dreamed up by The Prince himself. Source: https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Learn/Living-Learning/Virtual-Tours
Source: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
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Sunflower Helianthus
ern Farm t n i T
Garden Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus Cav.
Feijoa Tree Acca sellowiana
Arundel Castle
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK
There are nearly 1,000 years of history at this great castle, situated in magnificent grounds overlooking the River Arun in West Sussex and built at the end of the 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel.
Discover the world of science behind our botanical collections, with over 50,000 living plants to be found across our UNESCO World Heritage site.
A wonderful variety of landscapes and environments, from the quirky Stumpery to the formal Collector Earl’s garden to the warmth of the Glasshouses, there are explosions of colour, delicate aromas and structural designs to delight you.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is in Richmond on the outskirts of London, and is one of the most amazing gardens in the world. It has an extraordinary diversity of plants, over 14,000 trees and it is all set within a vast and beautiful landscape layered with history and heritage. Source: https://www.kew.org/
Source: https://www.arundelcastle.org/
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Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea
Northern Blue Flag Iris versicolor
ern Farm t n i T
Mauve Honey Myrtle Melaleuca nesophila
Mottlecah Eucalyptus macrocarpa
Claude Monet’s Garden, Giverny, France
The Gardens of Versailles, Paris, France
Monet’s Water Lilies, a series of 250 paintings, were all inspired by his beautiful garden in Giverny, Normandy.
Escape the hordes of tourists who usually crowd the paths of the most iconic French garden in the world. In 1661 André Le Nôtre was commissioned by Louis XIV to tame the woods and marshes into a masterpiece of bioengineering and a tribute to order and symmetry that took 40-years to complete.
There are in fact two parts to Monet’s garden: a flower garden called Clos Normand which sits in front of the house, and the Japanese-inspired Water Garden on the other side of the road. Both are exquisitely beautiful, and contrast and complement one another. Monet and his family settled in Giverny in 1883, but it wasn’t until 10 years later in 1893 that he bought the piece of land neighbouring his property on the other side of the railway, where the water garden now lies. As arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art, Claude Monet himself once said he owed his painting ‘to flowers’.
Creating the gardens was a monumental task. Large amounts of soil had to be shifted to level the ground, create parterres, build the Orangery and dig out the fountains and Canal in places previously occupied solely by meadows and marshes. Trees were brought in from different regions of France. Thousands of men, sometimes even entire regiments, took part in this immense project. Source: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/gardens
Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/g31913008/best-virtual-tours-garden/
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Globe Artichoke Cynara scolymus
Pomegranate Punica granatum
ern Farm t n i T
Bird’s-foot Trefoil Lotus suavelolens
Common Fringe Lily Thysanotus tuberosus
Waddesdon Manor, Waddesdon UK A Rothschild family home since the late 1800s and a National Trust property, the utterly majestic Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance château, built in the 19th century, and filled with royal treasures and an extensive art collection. The gardens are an exceptional example of late Victorian garden design, and were first conceived by Ferdinand de Rothschild and extended by Alice de Rothschild. Lined with beautiful blooms, tall trees and elegant sculptures and fountains, the gardens are looked after by 19 horticulturists plus a team of dedicated volunteers. Take a tour of the interiors here, and the gardens below. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyYuxTfdtKo
arden T tuctaiml G r age to view the ours i tour VSele
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Memories: Roshini Higgins Trish Marchetti Amanda McKenzie Cynthia Scott Lisa Vecchio Rebecca Walsh Video: Matt Collens Senior AV Technician Tintern Grounds Plant Lables: Gary Rutherford Maintenance and Grounds Photos: Gavin Wall Farm Manager School Photo Archives Community Relations Team: Di Lacey Alumni and Community Relations Manager Tegan Martin Community Relations Administration Assistant
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