By Oliver Lees
A garden containing rare and unusual plants in Macedon is opening to the public later this month.
Stephen Ryan will accept guests to his Tugurium garden on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 25 from 10am to 4.30pm in collaboration with Open Gardens Victoria.
Mr Ryan said opening his one acre garden to the public would help motivate him to keep the space tidy.
“I always enjoy having a challenge and a date to work towards, it pushes me to make sure the garden is in good condition,” he said.
“People tend to only think about gardens in spring and autumn time, so I want to show them you can have a garden that is beautiful all year round.”
Tugurium is a woodland-style garden that includes an array of seasonal flora, including the winter flowering hellebores, brugmansia (or angel’s trumpets) and other winter bulbs.
The garden’s features include an ornamental pond, a vegetable garden, chickens and a small orchard.
But Mr Ryan said his favourite part of the garden is the tropical border wall.
“It’s full of big leafy plants, bamboo and palms, things you wouldn’t expect to be growing here,” he said.
As the owner of Dicksonia Rare Plants, Mr Ryan’s Mt Macedon store has more than 2000 different rare plants, some of which will be available for purchase at the garden.
Botanic artwork by Craig Lidgerwood will also be available for sale.
Entry to the private garden is $10 for adults and free for children under 18.
To book, visit: opengardensvictoria.org.au/Tugurium-2021
