Today was a beautiful day with little wind, no rain and a relatively warm temperature of 17 degrees after the last few weeks of wintery weather.
It was a perfect day to take advantage of the Open Garden Organisation’s open day at Cruden Farm. This is a wonderful garden, set around a grand historic house, and owned by the equally wonderful Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
This is perhaps one of the best known gardens in Australia. Its origins date back to the late 1920’s when Mr Keith Murdoch bought the farm for his new wife as a wedding present. Most of the garden design is a result of Dame Elisabeth’s influence and direct work. She has supervised its construction and care since she was 19 years of age.
One of the stand-out features is the grove of Lemon Scented Gums along the curved driveway. Another, at least at this time of the year, is the swathes of daffodils in the grass area around the lakes behind the house.
This garden is one that you would want to see at several times during the year. The bulbs are spectacular at this time in Spring. in Summer, the herbaceous borders would be striking and in Autumn, the colours of the deciduous trees would be stunning.
