The stunning native garden, Candlebark, at Limestone is open on November 5 and 6.
Open Gardens Victoria will open the stunning Australian native garden, Candlebark, on November 5 and 6, the same weekend as the Yea Rotary Open Gardens program
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Candlebark emerged from a bare paddock in Limestone due to the hard work and passion of owners Vicki Bowden and Steven Townsend.
Bounded on its western side by Limestone Creek, the garden takes its name from the giant candlebark gum that grew on the property many years ago.
Seed collected from the original tree has now grown into the many mature candlebarks on the property today.
The 2ha garden is a mix of exotics and natives. The main garden at the front of the house was initially conceived as a cottage-style garden.
The 2007 drought caused the owners to rethink their garden strategy, as only the natives survived.
Since that time, only natives have been planted in the front, with the prostrate acacia baileyana being a focus.
The north side of the house features mass plantings of callistemons, banksias, grevilleas and wattles.
The orchard on the western side and a kitchen garden to the north-east, keep the owners in a good supply of fruit and vegetables.
Candlebark continues to grow and develop as a sustainable haven for wildlife, with the garden area expanded in the past four years, including an array of ponds and an extensive wetland area.
The 2ha garden is a mix of exotics and natives.
Visitors can enjoy a circuit walk around the main dam with a boardwalk across the wetlands.
COVID-19 lockdowns gave the owners the opportunity to start a number of exciting garden projects.
Three new native beds have been established towards the main dam, one with melaleucas, one with prostrate correas and wattles and the other with grevilleas.
In 2020, the paddock north of the driveway was planted out in 28 circles, each with eight species of long-lived native trees including bunya pines, kurrajongs, white cedars, bottle trees and other varieties.
Below the main dam, an area is currently being prepared for a micro-trufflery — rotary-hoed and limed to bring it to the right pH for the truffle oaks.
A 300m walk has also been created through the bush area, fenced off 30 years ago for re-establishment.
A percentage of proceeds from the opening of Candlebark will support the Steve Waugh Foundation.
Candlebark is at 179 Langs Rd, Limestone. It is open on Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, from 10am to 5pm.
Tickets are: adults $10, students $6 and under-18s free. Tickets are available at the gate or via Trybooking
Note: Candlebark is opening with Open Gardens Victoria and is separate to the eight gardens opening for the Yea Rotary Open Gardens program on the same weekend.
GATES ARE OPEN WIDE
The Yea Rotary Open Gardens program showcases town and country gardens found in Yea and the surrounding areas within the Murrindindi Shire.
Eight gardens are available to visit this year and visitors to any garden will have the opportunity to speak to the owners, experience a wide range of individual and inspiring garden designs and enjoy the environs of Yea and surrounds.
In addition, the Yea Garden Club holds a plant sale, which has the reputation of providing many varied and unusual plants at very reasonable prices.
The gardens are open on November 5 and 6. Tickets are cash-only sales at each garden gate ($8 rural, $5 town or $40 all-garden pass) or you can purchase a $40 all-garden ticket from TryBooking.
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