Six local gardeners are busily preparing their gardens for Springtime on the Mountain 2024 Open Gardens Trail.
On Friday and Saturday September 27 and 28, visitors can wander through and enjoy six beautiful, private mountain gardens.
Pam and Peter Glucina are opening their garden for the very first time.
Over the past ten years they have created their little gem, Petite Bijou, a jewel on the Mountain.
Stroll along winding pathways taking you to secret alcoves. The artistry will surprise and inspire you. These little spaces are packed with blooms reminiscent of Pam and Peter’s fondest childhood memories- poppies, ranunculus, foxgloves, delphiniums, sweet peas and roses ablaze with colour.
Further down the road, Rolf Rekort is looking forward to welcoming you to his garden, Dingle Dell.
This garden has rooms and open vistas, ponds, water fountains, ornaments, walkways and benches, the latter allowing you to rest quietly, observe nature and reflect on life. The flowering bushes and trees attract a variety of birdlife, including black cockatoos who feast on banksia cones in the early winter months and a bower bird who has taken up permanent residence. A sundial in the garden has this insightful inscription: “Grow old along with me, the best is still to be.”
Meanwhile in another garden at Eagle Heights, Larraine and Ray Bilbie are again opening their cottage garden, The Haven.
It’s been a while since we last visited this collectors’ paradise with rare specimen trees like the Handkerchief tree (Davidia Invocrulata) and the Silky Camellia (Stewartia Malacodendron).
Established Japanese maples, camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons adorn the terraced garden providing seasonal colour while annuals create a tapestry bursting with colour carpeting the ground.
Petite Bijou, Dingle Dell and The Haven are three of the six splendid gardens open on this year’s Open Gardens Trail. While at Eagle Heights call in at the Botanic Gardens for plant sales and their sausage sizzle. Cross the Mountain, stopping at the Anglican Church for a Devonshire tea or lunch at one of our local cafes or the Showgrounds before visiting Beinn Bield and Harmony Gardens at the southern end of the Mountain, then onto Mandalay, just down The Goat Track on the way to Canungra.
Local choir groups will be performing at some of the gardens and there will be opportunities to buy plants as well.
Tickets are $20 to access all six gardens. They can be purchased online at tamborinemountaingardenclub.org.au, at the garden gates or by using the QR code on the Springtime on the Mountain brochures which are available at Tourist Information Centres and businesses across the Mountain. If you prefer, pay $5 (cash appreciated) at each gate.
The locations of the Open Gardens, plant sales and toilet stops are clearly marked on the Trail Map in the brochure.
Mark September 27 and 28 in your diary to come and celebrate the joy of Spring.
