A BURRAWANG garden has been listed among the world’s most beautiful by well-known horticulturalist and author Holly Kerr Forsyth.
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Bruce Rosenberg’s garden at “Yarrawa” features with celebrating gardens from around the world such as Sissinghurst Castle (UK) and Monticello, the home of the third United States president, Thomas Jefferson, in Dr Kerr Forsyth’s book, Gardens of Eden: The World’s Most Beautiful Gardens.
At the launch of the Australian Open Garden Scheme 2009/10 season for the Sydney region yesterday, Dr Kerr Forsyth praised the “Yarrawa” garden for capturing a “spirit of place”.
“The gardens I love best all possess a clear sense of place and are true to the landscape, the history and the culture in which they are set,” she said.
When Mr Rosenberg began the garden 15 years ago, the land was denuded of its native rainforest, known as “Yarrawa Brush”, she said.
Mr Rosenberg has since reinstated rainforest species at the entrance to the 1.8 hectare (4.5 acre) “Yarrawa” garden, including lilly pilly, sally wattle, coachwood and sassafras.
Swathes of hellebores and spring flowering bulbs, maple, birch, dogwood and magnolia trees, a vegetable garden and even citrus trees have been nurtured by Burrawang’s “deep, chocolate rich soil” and 1500mm a year of rain, Dr Kerr Forsyth said.
Sculptures are dotted around the garden, including a rainforest spider-web created by a 14-year-old sculptor.
Australia’s Open Garden Scheme CEO, Neil Robertson, described Mr Rosenberg’s garden as “a tour de force”.
But Mr Rosenberg was modest about his achievement, telling guests that he was worried about the “rough edges and weeds” until he realised that the visitors would be fellow gardeners who would understand.
“No one would mistake Yarrawa for Sissinghurst,” he said.
Mr Rosenberg has opened his garden to the public as part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme for many years.
The not-for-profit scheme promotes knowledge of and pleasure in gardens and gardening by opening Australia’s most inspiring private gardens to the public.
Since the scheme began in 1997, more than 4 million adults have visited open gardens in all states of Australia and the scheme has raised $4.5 million for charities chosen by the garden owners.
Mr Robertston said following floods in Northern NSW and Queensland and bushfires in Victoria, AOG had established a National Garden Renewal fund which will to help gardeners to maintain their gardens through tough times. AOG has also donated $80,000 to Victorian bushfire victims, with the help of a successful Mother’s Day open day at Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s Cruden Farm.
For more information about Australia’s Open Gardens visit www.opengarden.org.au.