Something Old, Something New
The revamped garden at a historic NSW property honours the past and sets up a magnificent future.
The decision to overhaul an established garden is never easy, especially when it has been in the same family for generations and is widely admired. Sally-Ann and John Cottle certainly didn’t make the decision lightly. They’d lived at their heritage property, Shirley, near Nimmitabel in the Monaro region of south-eastern NSW, for the better part of two decades before venturing to make changes.
The couple had moved their family from Melbourne to the 1375ha site in 1989 to manage John’s family farm, living first in a cottage on the property and moving into the homestead in 1997. “We were not natural farmers,” says Sally-Ann, who previously worked as an interior decorator, while John was in management consultancy. But they have no regrets abo ut leaving the city to graze Merino and crossbred sheep and Angus cattle. They love the property and feel it was the perfect place to raise their children, Georgie and Harrison, now both in their twenties.
John’s ancestors have farmed in the area since the 1860s, although the gracious single-storey homestead at Shirley, designed by architect Henry Budden, wasn’t built until 1908. The garden was laid out in 1939 for John’s grandparents, George and Anne Taylor, by renowned plantsman Claude Crowe.
“John’s grandfather was mad about trees and wanted a garden of conifers and deciduous trees,” says Sally-Ann. As well as planting trees, George also created the large lake that’s still at the heart of the 2.4ha garden, literally and figuratively. “Water is a real issue in the Monaro and people can struggle to establish plants,” says Sally-Ann. “Here, with it readily available in the lake, George was able to create an oasis of trees, choosing many that are rare or unusual in this area.”
John’s mother, Joy, continued the family’s passion for the garden when she and her English husband, Geoffrey, took over in 1966. “Under Joy’s stewardship, the garden took on more of a park-like feel. She simplified plantings to make it easier for her to care for the garden without a gardener,” says Sally-Ann.
For their part, Sally-Ann and John were keen to introduce more formality, inspired by gardens they had visited in France and
Italy. The couple felt they needed professional help to do this and so, in 2006, Sally-Ann enlisted leading garden designer Paul Bangay to usher in the new phase.
“When I came to the garden, I found it overplanted and slightly confused in form,” says Paul. “This is often the case with gardens that have been in the same family for generations. Trees are nearly always planted too close at the beginning of a garden’s life and, as they mature, owners are reluctant to remove them.”
His first job, therefore, was to edit. Dead and dying trees were removed, along with those planted too close to each other. Garden beds were rationalised: some were removed, others restored. A rarely used tennis court was replaced with a parterre of boxedged beds full of roses, lavender and catmint. “It has become an important focal point for the garden,” says Sally-Ann.
Paul also redesigned the vehicle entry to the property, creating a forecourt with a central pond at the end of the drive. “Now the arrival features something of beauty instead of a humble machinery shed,” he says.
Adhering to Paul’s plan, John and Sally-Ann carried out much of the work themselves, apart from the major excavation and stone work. It was a lot of labour, but the rewards are evident. “It used to feel as if the house perched on the edge of the garden; now it feels like the house is part of the garden,” says Sally-Ann.
For most of the year greens dominate this garden, but in April it takes on vibrant autumnal tones, evident from the curving 1.5km driveway lined with rare conifers and deciduous trees. Poplars, pin oaks and liquidambars put on a display of gold and red, in vivid contrast to the deep evergreen of the conifers, which include cedar, cryptomeria, pine, spruce, fir, cypress and sequoia.
Despite the garden’s size, Sally-Ann says it’s relatively easy to maintain now that it’s well established. She and John manage most of the day-to-day work, with occasional help from a local gardener. “John does all the hedging, and he has armed himself with the right tools to make the task as easy as it can be,” she explains. “He even says he’d like to be a full-time gardener and give up running the stock.”
Now that son Harrison has moved back to Shirley and taken over the stock, John’s dream may be a step closer to reality.