Case Study - Coming home

Fülling and Adams native garden, Eltham

Water works: A small pond is an attractive feature among the native trees and plants, winding paths, rocks and boulders.

If Australians were more inspired about their natural surroundings, there would be more properties like the Fülling and Adams garden in Eltham, north-east of Melbourne.

But this is more than a garden; it’s an environment. The earthy expanse of native plants and trees, with its winding paths and hundreds of rocks and boulders, is a masterpiece of harmony and tranquillity.

Pioneering landscape designer Gordon Ford, who bought the former orchard in 1948, developed the garden for more than 50 years, with an emphasis on water-wise planting. Since his death in 1999, his wife Gwen has continued working with the same principles.

He also designed a natural-style garden and pools for neighbour Neri Adams and her family on an adjacent block that they bought in the 1970s from the Fords.

Neither garden is noted for its symmetry or outrageous colours. Form and texture and a multi-tiered approach, in which massive eucalypts, medium-sized shrubs and native grasses all have their place, makes enough of a statement.

A home among the gum trees: Gwen Ford (left) and Neri Adams soak up the peaceful environment of their garden.

One frequent criticism of native gardens is that they become unkempt. Gwen Ford scoffs at this, saying that even people become unkempt if they are not maintained. She criticises those nurseries that consistently showcase plants less suited to the Australian environment.

The Fülling and Adams garden attracts up to 1600 visitors during weekends in the Australian Open Garden Scheme. It also attracts a range of native bird and animal life, including kookaburras, wattlebirds, scrub wrens, pardalotes and currawongs, as well as owls, possums and, unfortunately, foxes. Kangaroos have also visited the property’s ponds.

Both gardens use water sparingly. A combination of drippers and soaker hoses made from recycled tyres and regular heavy mulching helps conserve water.

And by definition, natives are at home in the dry Australian environment. In this garden, Australians cannot help but feel that they have come home.

If you would like to visit Fülling and Adams garden, please contact the Open Garden Scheme.