Ramble through the past

Take inspiration from the classical style and stunning details of this historic garden

with their elegant design and romantic plantings, traditional Victorian gardens are gorgeous places to wander, while you take in a whole range of wonderful ideas. From patterned formality to blowsy garden beds, they take you on a journey overflowing with abundance and colour – and there’s something to delight the eye at every turn. So inspire your passion for the past with a tour through Corinda, a lovingly restored historic house and garden in Hobart, where you can also stay. And start planning a few classical garden touches of your own.

history a house with

Originally built in the 1880s for Alfred Crisp, a timber merchant and former lord mayor of Hobart, Corinda has passed through various owners in the intervening 140 years. Now, in a fabulous twist of fate, the ownership has come full circle – current owner Julian Roberts is the great-great grandson of the original owner. Together with his wife Chaxi, they have opened Corinda as a boutique hotel with a beautiful garden to explore and relax in. Even the original outbuildings have been preserved and turned into accommodation – the servant’s quarters, coach house and gardener’s cottage are all available to stay in.

Wander in your imagination or visit the garden in real life!

garden about the

Corinda’s garden still retains much of its original structure and layout – quite an achievement for a property this old! The garden was lovingly restored in the 1990s by its previous owners (Wilmar Bouman and Matthew Ryan), and today offers a beautiful experience across every season. One of its signature features is the formal parterre, with its patterned swirls of clipped boxwood in perfect Victorian style, intersected by gravel paths. There’s also a whimsical collection of animal topiaries, sprouting playfully from the top of a hedge at the back of the garden – native hens, ringtail possums, Tasmanian devils and wombats all come to life in clipped foliage form. Sunny flower beds, shady sidewalks and some seriously historic trees add to the ambience – the latter includes a 100-year-old magnolia and a yew tree that pre-dates the house itself. A U-shaped walk of pleached linden trees completes the scene.

1 Be inspired by the essential elements of Victorian-garden style: wide, flower-filled beds arranged around lush lawns, with formal topiaries used as highlights.

2 Plant for breathtaking spring scenes by including clumps of bulbs, such as bluebells and daffodils, in prominent garden spots. PS, this is the original gardener’s cottage!

3 It’s all done with boxwood and gravel – elegant parterre gardens create just as much impact today as in their heyday.

5 How’s this for a quirky 5 way to incorporate topiaries into a garden – carve them into the top of a hedge! This cute wombat and native hen are part of a parade of trimmed animal shapes captured in foliage form.

4 Create gorgeous garden scenes out of every hidden corner. Here, a rose-covered arch frames a low window, bordered by a collection of striking succulents, including Agave attenuata and blue chalk sticks(Senecio sp.). 46 A feature tree isguaranteed to grab attention in a garden – this gorgeous flamingo maple (Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’) lights up a side path with its amazing pink leaves in spring.

7 The little vignettesin a garden add greatly to its charms. Do as the Victorians did and bury statuary among the foliage, to delight the passer-by.