Open Gardens SA is delighted to present the September program of open gardens for 2023. Open Gardens SA is a not-for-profit organisation opening privately owned gardens to the public.
All gardens open from 10am until 4.30pm on the dates listed.
General entry to each garden is $10, and $8 for Open Gardens SA Members and for those with a Commonwealth Government Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card. Under 18 receive free entry. Visitors are encouraged to bring cash as EFTPOS facilities are not always available.
SEPTEMBER 2023
2 - 3 September (also opening a second time on the October long weekend)
Avondale – 146 Avondale Road, Rhynie (near Clare) first opening
Avondale is a relaxed, informal country garden where each spring, thousands of beautiful bulbs in a myriad of different shades burst into flower adding a pop of living colour to the surrounding green hills. The bulbs were first planted decades ago by the mother of the current owner and have been encouraged to multiply and naturalise over the years.
A joyous, cheerful garden in which to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Extra activities: Morning and afternoon tea will be offered; bulbs may be ordered for later delivery, with proceeds to charity.
Size: 2 acres, 0.8 ha.
Please note: There are ponds and an unfenced dam some distance from the house.
Charity: Leprosy Mission and Christian Blind Mission.
10 September (SUNDAY ONLY)
Wilkinson Garden – 83 Robinson Street, Whyalla Jenkins. Please note opening SUNDAY only.
Located in the developing suburb of Whyalla Jenkins, the Wilkinsons’ garden was first established eight years ago around what was then their newly built home on a bare block of land. Starting from scratch meant the garden could be carefully planned to include features that are the envy of most keen gardeners.
The front garden is rock-mulched and planted with easily maintained thuja and golden diosma. However, it is the back garden that is a gardeners’ wonderland! A fire pit and pergola are centrally placed features, there is a tiny, raised pond containing aquatic plants and garden ornaments. Around a well-kept lawn are wicking beds filled with lush vegetables. Wide garden beds along the fence lines are filled with diverse mixed plantings of both natives and exotics.
Extra activities: Morning and afternoon tea. Plant sales.
Size: 0.1 ha, 0.24 acres.
Please note: This garden is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs; there is a small pond.
Charity: RFDS.
17 September (SUNDAY ONLY)
Beaumont House - 631 Glynburn Road, Beaumont. Please note opening SUNDAY only.
This lovely large, heritage-listed Mediterranean garden is maintained by volunteers and provides many examples of tough, heat loving shrubs and perennials. In September, almonds, pears and quince are in blossom and the verandas are draped with a fragrant mauve haze from the wisteria. The beds are filled with the purple blooms of wigandia, ageratum and limonium with iris, and a host of other hardy Mediterranean bulbs, perennials and shrubs.
The garden and grounds at Beaumont House provide a fascinating glimpse into colonial life in SA. The property was donated to the National Trust in 1969 and is managed and maintained by the Trust.
Extra activities: Morning and afternoon teas. Guided walks at 11.30am and 1.30pm. Beaumont House olive oil for sale
Size: 1 ha, 2.5 acres.
Please note: While the property is easily accessible to wheelchairs and prams, the gravel paths and lawns may make it difficult.
Charity: National Trust of SA Garden Restoration Fund.
23 September (Saturday ONLY)
Urumbula - Mary Ellie Street, Pt Pirie. Please note opening SATURDAY only.
Urumbula is the Nukunu name given to the native plant garden at the John Pirie Secondary School in Pt Pirie. A retired teacher, Bruce Mules, started the project in 2018 working with Aboriginal students to transform a bare piece of land to an attractive and flourishing garden that demonstrates and celebrates the cultural significance and many traditional uses of indigenous plants.
Urumbula is a peaceful, bush-like garden. Beneath the canopies of eucalypts, she-oaks and other Australian trees, paths closely edged with shrubs and grasses meander through the garden. The garden doubles as an outdoor classroom - students learn to recognise plants and how in Aboriginal culture they are used for food, medicine, as dyes, in fire making, hunting and as tools. The bulk of the work in establishing the garden, including its layout and construction was by students, teaching them skills in landscaping, gardening, leadership and teamwork.
Extra activities: Tasting of bush foods. Guided tours hosted by students. Morning and afternoon teas. Lunches. Plant sales.
Size: 0.4ha, 1 acre.
Charity: John Price Secondary School.
23 - 24 September
Iron Knob Community Garden - Dickinson Street, Iron Knob.
The small town of Iron Knob with a meagre 230mm (9 inch) average annual rainfall is classed as being in an arid environment, a classification not usually suited to productive gardening! The Iron Knob Community Garden produces a range of fresh vegetables.
The half-acre sized garden has a colourful history, beginning as a zoo for kangaroos and emus.
Extra activities: Workshops and information on biochar production and composting. Vegetable produce for sale. Free tours of the town for garden visitors - Saturday only.
Size: 0.2ha, 0.5 acres.
Charity: Iron Knob Progress Association.
23 - 24 September
Paul's Plants - 16 Vinali Drive, Port Elliot.
The front garden with a large lawn and a neat shrub border along one side gives no hint as to what is behind the house! A large circular garden bed in the back lawn planted with a variety of roses and annuals makes a pretty centrepiece. To the side, a leafy tunnel formed by a series of arches is covered by climbing roses with espaliered pears at one end.
This back area is fenced but through a gate and further into the block is a complete surprise - although there are flowers, shrubs, succulents, fruit and nut trees, grape vines and vegetable beds, for the most part this area is used for propagation rather than being purely ornamental. There are several polytunnels, shade houses and propagating beds crammed with thousands of potted plants.
Extra activities: Devonshire teas. BBQ. Plant sales.
Size: 0.6ha, 1.5 acres.
Please note: Not suitable for wheelchairs.
Charity: Australian Lutheran World Service.
24 September (Sunday ONLY)
Marybank Farm - 404 Montacute Road, Rostrevor. Please note opening SUNDAY only.
Marybank Farm sits on the hills face with views through massive old red gums to Adelaide. Both the picturesque Georgian style house built in 1842 and the very old garden are historic and heritage listed. The property still operates as a working farm. There is also a vineyard where wine is made on the premises.
A large lawn and traditional garden beds surround the house with meandering informal walks leading through another five acres. Roses and perennials lead to the vineyard. There are several very old trees; a Port Jackson fig, also several Picconia excelsa, an attractive and very rare tree related to the olive and now endangered in its homeland, the Canary Islands.
Extra activities: Morning and afternoon teas by Uraidla CWA. Wine tasting. Historical video of the property.
Size: 6 acres, 2.5ha.
Please note: This garden has a beehive, steps, slopes and some uneven paths and is not suitable for wheelchairs.
Charity: Rostrevor College Foundation.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2023
30 September – 2 October (October long weekend – open 3 days)
Avondale – 146 Avondale Road, Rhynie (near Clare) second opening.
Opening for a second time this season, the early bulbs have finished and now the later flowering varieties make a different but equally lovely show of colour.
Several pink azaleas and an old rugosa rose are underplanted with masses of bluebells that have colonised and now appear as a sea of beautiful blue. There are potted cymbidium orchids, sundial garden with a dozen clumps of the delicate frilly edged ‘Lemon Lace’ tulips will be in flower. Several ponds edged with mossy rocks and linked with little waterfalls are home to a large family of goldfish.
Extra activities: Morning and afternoon tea. Bulbs can be ordered, with proceeds to charity.
Please note: There are ponds and an unfenced dam some distance from the house.
Size: 2 acres, 0.8ha.
Charities: Leprosy Mission and Christian Blind Mission.
30 September – 1 October
Pam White’s Garden - 48 Bevington Road Glenunga.
Pam White and her husband have created a green refuge on the large block surrounding their 1913 sandstone house. Organically gardened with a focus on climate compatible and productive plants, it is a sanctuary for the owners and welcoming environment for birds, small fauna and insects. Maintaining biodiversity, an environmentally sustainable ecosystem and a minimal carbon footprint is a priority, and the garden shows how this can be achieved in an attractive setting.
Healthy home-grown produce is important to the family and a range of edible plants thrive in wicking beds or are popped in the ground wherever space allows, as well as a variety of herbs and many fruit and nut trees.
Extra activities: Teas, plant sales, an opportunity to pot your own succulents and an exhibition of basketry items.
Size: 2640m2.
Please note: The garden has a fenced pool and a beehive.
More information
Click here to visit the website for more information about open gardens. Please visit the website regularly for updates to the program.
Website: http://opengardensa.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/opengardensa/