Uccello LaneThe Daffodils are out and the chooks are eating their greens – Spring 21 (COVID)
The daffodils are blooming and making the Birch Forest look alive. The chooks are pumping out 8 eggs a day – and they love their greens.
Spring Rain – September 2021 (COVID Time)
The garden looks so fresh and new after 3 days of “spring rain”. The bulbs are out and the wisteria looks ready to burst. The Louis Van Houte Elm tree has it’s blossoms out and getting ready to shade the Secret Garden. The chooks are laying seven eggs a day – and are not very quiet about it!
Pandemic Autumn – one year on
Summer never really happened so it was no surprise that the leaves on the apple tree which is our indicator that Autumn is here in 2021 – suddenly turn red overnight (or so it seemed.) Everything was lush and had great summer growth. The woodland flourished and salvias grew over a metre tall in a few short months. But most splendid of all was…
Pandemic Winter
There has been lots of rain, some snow and the camellias have never been better! A strange time at Uccello Lane but the garden has been such an escape from real life of COVID and lockdown – the birches with the hellebore (another star this winter) underneath. The lawns are lush and there is growth everywhere – even now blossoms are starting. The artichokes…
Pandemic Summer
2021 Summer bought with it rain followed by warm days – followed by rain. Growth has been amazing – it was only in early January that we could feel the heat and the grass is drying off. The roses have been magnificent. We planted Lambs Ears with an artichoke border around the Rosa di Pergolato -plus geraniums and carnations just for more color. The…
Pandemic Spring
2020 Spring has arrived – the wisteria and cherry blossoms have never looked better – they don’t care about pandemics! The Silver Birches really are the tree that keeps on giving no matter what the season or if we are in lockdown. During winter and emerging into spring with no leaves just that creamy bark with black branches. It is time for the bulbs…
The “Welcome Beds” – via Protea Avenue
The “Welcome Beds” – as you drive up the Lane you will pass through two garden beds which includes Protea Avenue. There are mainly natives with protea, leucadendrons, banksias, waratah and Stuart desert pea ground cover going over the rocks. There are bird baths & houses – and some wooden mushrooms.
Winter at the Lane
Winter at the Lane is a special time – autumn has meant leaves have fallen and the great structure of the trees and plants are revealed. It is really striking to see as the days get longer and colder. The Wisteria Colonnade is bare and the Elm over looking the Secret Garden turns to yellow and then drops its leaves over just two days….
Seats, Statues and a giant Apple
In the garden there are bird houses, baths, a giant apple, emu, concrete koala and angel – and mushrooms… Seating is always close by – and helps to make sure everyone is well rested while walking around.
Kitchen Garden with a Willow Fence
I first saw a kitchen garden with a willow fence at Stonefields with cane cloche’s over the plants………and thought at one point I could in fact make one myself. However Tim who sometimes gardens at Uccello Lane (and many other things as well) not only could make one BUT knew where to get the willow – so the willow fence with a small gate…
“Red Garden” – with the Westringa Balls
At the back once you get past the native garden and the Wisteria Colonnade – you will find the “Red Garden” – this marks the boundary of Uccello Lane – with a row of Claret Ash, some grasses, Red Hot pokers and the red Fire Bush plant! The Westringa balls with their grey foliage provide a great contrast – with the tall gums signalling…
Secret Garden – outside the wall
One side of the Secret Garden wall looked up to the Birch Forest and the Wisteria Colonnade where we had done a lot of work and was shaded by the wonderful elm tree. The other side was really just a dumping ground for garden rubbish and had a very steep slope. Initially it was also dark as a row of Cyprus trees from next…
Natives Garden – beside the back gate…
Past the edibles and through the gate is the native garden – wattle to the right and then Correa and native plants mixed in with some sedum “Summer Joy”. The soil here was terrible – tee trees had made planting difficult and the only plants that survived were natives. Before Firstly we cleared the scrubby trees and weeds, put down some soil and compost…
Edibles – and the chooks are back!
Next to “The Bank” is the Edibles area. Before When we first came there were only roses and lots of random plants including Agapantha’s and a huge hedge of Seaside daisies After We built raised garden beds, and a large chook pen area called Casa di Paola with a Rosemary herb wall. We are constantly changing the plants seeing what works – sage ended…
Orchard and Fruit trees
We planted an “orchard” next to Il Pergolato Di Rosa with mainly apples and pears. It has been slow growing in size but every year there are cherries, apples and plums – and some great blossoms. Crab apples were a favorite of Edna Wallings and Paul Bangay has them in his white garden at Stonefields – he calls them “2 week wonders” but for…
Abutilons – Chinese Lanterns
Abutilon or Chinese lanterns many different colors and so easy to look after. They come in many colors and can be cut back hard and will reflower quickly. There is a Flea Beatle which seems to feast on the leaves – so we have been spraying with some oil and also digging up around roots – sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t.
Poppies
Poppies are amazing. A handful of seeds and you are rewarded by a blaze of color year after year. The Scarlet poppy is the most striking and resilient. We planted a whole raised garden bed of Poppies on our way to the Chook Pen – it was a daily treat.
The Secret Garden settles into the Lane
The Secret Garden settled into the Garden and is a wonderful escape from everything. We changed to Hobbit Door to some wrought iron leaves so you could peep through and see what was growing. Every season we plant something new – this year lots of bulbs for that early spring color. You can see the walls from everywhere in the garden but it is…
Roses
Roses are a must in any garden – there is a place for them anywhere even if it is just a pot! We built the Il Pergolato Di Rosa as the main feature but all around Uccello Lane there are roses – so we always have flowers somewhere.
Salvia
Our love of the Salvia knows no bounds – rugged, forgiving and just keeps flowering – often when other parts of the garden are having a rest. Planted next to Hebe they look great and both plants seem to be able to even survive the frosts. The Argentia Salvia looks like an alien with big fluffy silver leaves. Salvias also compliment plants like Loropetalum,…
Stonefields by Paul Bangay
Recently open to the public Stonefields was described as: Previous visitors will get a first-hand look at the growth of the garden and new additions made since 2013. New visitors can look forward to a day of indulging in Pauls’ incredible private garden, rarely open to the public. Expect 4.6 acres of enchanting elegance, delightful detail and just a touch of wicked whimsy, all…
Cloudehill
A must see garden made at the top of The Dandenongs where a maze of stone walls and jewel like garden rooms are set within woodlands of magnificent and historic, cool climate trees. Some 20 garden compartments are threaded through glorious 80 year old European beech, magnolias, maples and a collection of fabulous Himalayan tree rhododendrons, all beautifully grown and a testament to the…
Beleura
Erected in 1863 Beleura at Mornington retain elements of an earlier pre 1900 garden. Commencing in 1952 Jack Morton Tallis overlaid his parents garden with a romantic, idiosyncratic version of an Italian garden. It is the intention of the Trustees appointed by Jack Morton Tallis to maintain this condition of things and to make Beleura and its gardens and contents available to the people…
Heronswood
Located on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, Heronswood Gardens, Nursery and Restaurant offer an idyllic location to escape to crowds, relax and shop for a huge range of plants, heirloom seeds and garden hardware. Wander through the gardens of The Diggers Club featuring seasonal plantings of heirloom vegetables, fruit trees and glorious flowering annuals and perennials.
Alowyn Gardens
“Alowyn Garden is designed along strong symmetrical lines that become blurred by the softness of the spaces and the grace of the trees, within an area of approximately 4 acres. There are 5 clearly defined areas within the gardens, a perennial border, designed to display colour from Spring to Autumn, a silver birch forest, an edible garden of generous proportions, a parterre garden and…
The Secret Garden – Mary-Lou Pittard Tiles
We have loved the work of Mary-Lou Pittard forever at Uccello Lane. Her Teapots and bowls, vases are bright and natural. So she made us tiles for the Wisteria Colonnade and the walls of the Secret Garden – they are unique and perfect! Capturing the love of birds and the color of the render blending into the native bush. Mary-Lou (and Chris) came out…
Before and After at the Lane
We moved into Uccello Lane in 2012 – it was a mudbrick house on a lane that led to the Yarra River – with a garden that was very natural and overgrown but all the hard landscaping and rock work had been done. The first thing we noticed were the birds – they were every where so that is why we decided to name…
Mawarra by Edna Walling
Mawarra is an example of Edna Walling when given a blank canvas and a gentle slope at Sherbrooke in the Dandenongs in Victoria. It is 3 acres with a large “manor” house built in 1932. Originally known as “The Grove” – is recognised as Edna Walling’s most famous garden. The galleries below show the garden in mid-April in the most wonderful autumn colors- have…
Bickleigh Vale by Edna Walling
Bickleigh Vale is the epitome of Edna Walling, where she not only designed the garden, but the houses also. Design elements of Bickleigh Vale include: a series of outside rooms. sensitivity to site – quite relaxed, informal and romantic. mass planting to frame the lawn that spreads through the garden, leading the eye. English cottage plants such as hellebore, azalea, Daphne, dogwood and viburnum. also Camelia’s…
“The Bank”
Before In July 2013 we decided to remove everything from the bank and start again. There was nothing really growing and the soil was very poor. First we had to clear away the existing trees and weeds. Trav’s Trees came with their chainsaws and this was the first of many visits to maintain and manage trees at Uccello Lane. After By late spring in…
Shirley Minster – Creswick
As part of the Open Garden for Creswick we went to Shirley Minster beautiful rose garden. It is a rather romantic garden in very difficult conditions fighting rabbits, a hard clay soil and a very limited water supply. The Smoke bush is amazing but the heroines are the Roses.
A Boardwalk and a Dry Stone Wall
A stone wall is part of any Garden that is influenced by Edna Walling. We knew there had to be one but not where. The pathway had continued after the Secret Garden to where we wanted to make a “woodland” – it became clear this is where it should be. Before Firstly we had to build the “connector” which was a boardwalk that would…
Birch Forest
“Walling’s style was demonstrated with her magical method of placing silver birch trees in subtle harmony with one another, she took five potatoes from a bucket, threw them all in the same general direction and said “There!” It was no more haphazard than nature’s way.” The Birch trees are now in their 7th year – they are not quite a forest yet but soon….
Ghost Gum
Eucalyptus, commonly known as gum trees, form an integral part of the Australian identity with the bush. The Ghost Gum “Corymbia aparrerinja” is especially majestic and there are about 10 at Uccello Lane all many metres high From the children’s song Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree through to the distinctive smell of eucalyptus to iconic paintings and photographs, eucalyptus are an essential…
‘Louis Van Houtte’ Elm
There are over 100 trees at Uccello Lane – magnificent Ghosts Gums, wattles, banksia, olives, fruit, birch – with the Ulmus procera ‘Louis Van Houtte’ Elm being the King of the Hill!. As you drive up to the Secret Garden it is standing there with the almost citrus green foliage and this year after it’s Elm Tree Beetle injection it has grown an extra metre…