An afternoon in the gardens

A sparkling spring day in the mountains drew me to visit some open gardens in the Leura open gardens festival.

Ilion and Waitangi

 

Ilion is a layered garden which sweeps the street front with a magnificent New Dawn rose hedge.  The Waitangi garden took seven years to restore! The garden includes a secret garden, a walled vegetable garden and stately cedrus deodar trees.

Blue Mist

At Blue Mist, Paul Sorensen established a magical garden, full of visual delights and surprises.

The entrance is through a peaceful woodland, with mature birch, cedars and conifers shading a moss lawn and a weeping golden elm near a small pond.  Once past the cottage, sweeping views of the Jamieson Valley and the escarpment appear, along with a spectacular view of the Wentworth Falls.

There is a splendid display of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, interspersed with dogwood and maples.  A bed of lilly-of-the-valley fills the air with its perfume.