Garden 1:
'Maybole'
399 Maintongoon Rd, Alexandra
Louise and Bob Flowers

Maybole is set in the secluded and serene Johnson's Creek valley with Mount Misery a dominant feature of the landscape. The intent of this garden has been to highlight and enhance the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, so whilst the garden is quite expansive it is not intensive in terms of plantings and features.
Early owners left a wonderful legacy of large trees including oak, elm, cedar, cotton wood and liquid amber, as well as some smaller ornamentals such as flowering pears, paulonias and horse chestnut. However storms in recent years have brought down several large trees, including a very old mulberry, but this has provided us with the opportunity for some new plantings and structural changes. The new trees have quickly established themselves in the lovely wet conditions of the last eighteen months.
The hedges of photinia, sweet myrtle, privet and vibernum are now mature and provide privacy for the houses and protection from the winds. They also help to divide the garden into sections which creates more interest as you walk around.
This is a garden for people to enjoy, for flowers to pick for the house and cottage, and for quinces, chestnuts, olives and figs to eat.