140 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
R
od and Jan live on the NSW South
Coast,inadelightfulpicture-
perfect Georgian farmhouse,
built circa 1848. Their property,
ParkMount,closetohalfa
hectareinsize,issituatedjustbelowthe
crestofahillwithdreamyviewsover
dramatic,grassyundulations–dotted
with dairy cows – to the Great Dividing
Rangesouthandwest,fromwherewild
winterwindsblow.Turnnorthtothe
sun and you can catch sight of the blue
Pacific Ocean.
In 2003, when we initially spoke about
Rod and Jan’s aspirations for the garden,
Jan sent me a single black-and-white
photograph, dated 1898, showing the
house and part of the garden inside a
neatly painted picket fence. The garden
displayed mainly young exotic plants.
Interestingly, I noticed a sprinkling of
native rainforest species that must have
been gathered from the wild. The planting
is profuse, barely restrained, within what
looks to be low box hedging.It was never our intention to replicate
the garden in the old photograph. Rather,
we aimed to create a garden of our time
and way of life that would be appropriate
for the old home.
When it came to selecting the right
trees, among a host of things we had to
consider were the strength of the winds
and the neighbours’ views to the sea. But
above all, we wanted trees that belonged
to an old home. Hoop pines and bunya
bunyas were ideal as they come from
the Australian north coast and were
planted from Victorian times on country
properties as standalone specimens.
Located along the driveway is the most
enormous Illawarra fig I have ever seen.
There are three of these extraordinary
endemic trees within the garden but this
one, the largest, commands instant
respect. Its massive buttress roots spread
as wide as some houses. Its trunk is
elephant grey and, if you were to cup your
ear near its base, you could easily imagine
hearing a heartbeat. >ABOVEPark Mount offers sweeping views
over the garden to neighbouring farmland
and distant hills. A hedge ofElaeagnuspungens,
Berberis thunbergii‘Atropurpurea’,Juniperus
chinensis‘Spartan’ and a Norfolk pine flank
the gateway leading to paddocks.
OPPOSITEclockwise from top leftAhedgeof
Elaeagnusxebbingeipartially protects the garden
from ferocious winds. The once-common shrub
Philadelphus coronariuspairs beautifully with the
white flowers of orange-blossom scentedSalvia
somaliensis.Rosa rugosa‘Sarah Van Fleet’.Punica
granatum‘Legrelliae’, a double-flowering
ornamental pomegranate. Blaze, one of Jan
and Rod’s Burmese cats, in the toolshed. This
stately Illawarra fig (Ficus obliqua) is a reminder
of the rainforest that once covered this fertile
grazing country.Rosa ‘Climbing Pinkie’.‘Thisgardenfeelsvery
loved—atonewiththe
pasturelandontheother
sideofthefence,theviews
of the mountain range and
themoreintimatespaces
closer to home.’Michael Cooke