Flowers and ferns fusion

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
THE Upper Yarra opened its gardens to the public over the weekend with an array of blooming flowers, ferns and features.
Five members from the Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club opened their gardens in East Warburton, Warburton, Hoddles Creek, and Yarra Junction, with half the proceeds going equally towards Upper Yarra SES and Warburton CFA.
East Warburton couple Sunil and Shanthi Wickramasurya purchased their Woods Point Road property three years ago, and have worked tirelessly to restore the grand old garden.
They have introduced bromeliads, elkhorns and staghorns, canna lilies and more roses.
“Plants have been moved as we found the sun-loving plants were now under the shade of trees,” they said.
Kathleen and Robert Shelden have been long-time gardeners at Christabel Park in Yarra Junction.
They purchased the three-hectare site in 1993 and started the garden two years later as a retirement project.
They took into consideration the need for hardy plants from frost and drought, and began planting with Australian and introduced shrubs and perennials.
They said most of the plants were self-propagated, with “the Cecil Brunner rose hedge grown from cuttings taken from an old bush known to have been planted in 1946”.
Their latest planting is a Knot Garden using Buxus. However, this is expected to take several years to show full effect.
Both gardens have a vegetable patch and are abundant with fruit trees.
The Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club meets on the third Monday of the month at 8pm at Warburton’s Senior Citizens Hall in Dammans Road, with guest speakers, flower shows and outings.