Open Gardens Victoria - The Stones

The Stones, an ever-evolving tough climate garden, created around an 1850s stone farmhouse in Clydesdale (central Victoria), celebrates its first autumn opening with Open Gardens Victoria. Visitors will discover a charming and eclectic garden filled with seasonal shades of amber and crimson. Owners Jeremy Valentine and Grant Francis purchased the historic property over a decade ago and were faced with waist-high grass and a sea of weeds. The property's tough utilitarian past meant there was little in the way of a garden and much work to be done in a region known for its savage winter frosts and searing dry summer heat. The pair slowly expanded the garden's repertoire of plants, concentrating on doing their own landscaping and building many of the stone walls and steps on the property historically appropriate style. The garden rambles with surprises at each turn, including the bold architecture of the cold climate cactus garden, off set by the soft whimsy of grasses. In late April, visitors will discover a garden in transition, with summer growth fading and the hot, dry conditions mellowing. Jeremy describes it as a "romantically shabby scene of spent seed heads and new autumn growth" set against the backdrop of the wonderful colours of autumn leaves. A CWA-inspired morning/afternoon tea will be served and Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens Nursery will run a plant sale. Entry Cost All tickets $6 - Adults $10, Students $6, under 18 free