Bundanoon, home to the Garden Ramble, is the ‘Quintessential Southern Highlands Experience’ and the perfect village alternative to the larger towns of Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale…the perfect place to relax and unwind. With a population of just under 3000, our delightful village is a gateway to Morton National Park where you can walk for miles and take in the breathtaking scenery.

Garden 1 (Viewland St)

Originally a timber cutter’s cottage dating back to 1906, the cottage was in place before the road was built.

Planned as low maintenance, with floral colour splashed about, the garden design has a circular pattern starting and finishing at two brick walls, incorporating a wisteria pergola. Lawn is gradually being replaced by dichondra which is growing well.

There are many large, established trees, such as Japanese maple, prunus, hornbeam, liquidambar, and claret ash. Other trees planted more recently include Magnolia grandiflora ‘Exmouth’, Malus floribunda and Bradford pears. There is a delightful woodland area, a rose arbour, a spruce bed and wisteria walk.

Garden 2 (Panorama St)

Originally built around the 1930s, this fragment of an older garden feels like a forest clearing.

A large pond reflects the sky and countless emerald shades, the dark water sustains the trees and encourages diverse microclimates. Elements like sandstone retaining walls, a timber pergola, grass terraces and granite boulders are unassuming additions to the graceful landscape.

Dwarf conifers, maples, camelias and magnolias together with old roses and dry shade species enrich the original plantings. Perennials, self-seeders, and bulbs bring seasonal interest.

Filled with birdsong, frogs, and the buzz of insects, the garden is a treasured haven.

Garden 3 (Blue Wren Cottage)

An eclectic mix of natives and exotics nestle amongst the mulch in a modern cottage-style garden. Beneath a white weeping cherry, camellia and Japanese maples grows a variety of groundcovers, small shrubs and a multitude of bulbs including hyacinth and lilies. In the shadiest section, stepping stones define the path with cliveas abounding alongside a variety of perennials.

Three distinct rooms in the back garden, create seating areas for all weather; the paved courtyard enjoys full sun, behind, a grassed area has mottled light while large pines at the back of the property provide shade on a hot summer’s day.

The old chicken coop is repurposed as a shade house filled with pots. Raised beds to the side have vegetables and exotics.

Garden 4 (Glen Mist)

The present owners became caretakers of this lovely octogenarian three years ago. The garden’s form and plant species have changed but the trees planted long ago still provide shade and shelter for the youngsters below. The older trees and shrubs consist of crab apples, cherry, maples, rose and camellias. Hydrangeas feature strongly under old plum and apple trees, with a terrace providing a shady spot to sit and rest on hot summer days.

The back lawn flows past flowering plants and paths with long curving spade edges, leading to the old vegetable garden and an impressive potting shed.

Brick-edged gravel paths in the front garden wander through massed azaleas and other white-flowering shrubs, with newer plantings in a rainbow of colours.

Garden 5 (Evelyn)

Set on a steep slope, ‘Evelyn’ is a tranquil shaded garden created as a series of rooms and vantage points. Encircled by towering eucalypts and a grandfather pine, it is hushed yet thrums with life. Mature Japanese maples, cherry, crab-apple, elms and other specimen trees create an idyllic micro climate for the many native birds.

At the heart of the garden are a wisteria arbour, summer house and bush-stone pond. Winding gravel paths weave through a maze of terraced blue-stone garden beds overflowing with perennials and bulbs. There is a nod to the garden’s history as a geranium nursery with bright plantings. A disused fire-pit has been reclaimed to create a woodland hollow lined with banks of azaleas, hydrangeas, maples and forest floor plantings.

Garden 6 (Gwendoline)

Established in the early 1900s when the house was built, this garden nestles at the top of a tree-filled gully full of huge eucalypts. Over the past 15 years, the current owner has re-designed the garden so it is more in keeping with the style of the house. Classic sandstone walls, built from Bundanoon Sandstone, add interest, and contain the garden beds. Steps down from the main garden lead to a terraced walkway with tree ferns, in keeping with the rain forest feel of the property.

A profusion of salvias, exotics, natives and perennials gives an eclectic feel, while showcasing several rare plants. Grasses like Dianella, Lomandra and Ghania grow well and are scattered throughout.

Garden 7 (closed)

Nine huge cedars lead visitors down the garden path before the garden opens out and descends in railway-sleepered levels to discrete contrasting spaces. Seating takes advantage each season, the filtered spring sunshine of the prunus in full flower, or the full sun of winter in a sheltered corner.

A magnificent Italianate fountain takes pride of place in a courtyard. Beyond a Japanese-style garden where Maples, ferns and potted bamboo thrive, protected by a great oak. A path flanked by eight ‘Shimidsu Sakura’ prunus leads down to a tea-house, where the sun’s first and last rays penetrate at low angles.

A frog-pond, lying beneath a willow and a purple magnolia, is the perfect place for enjoying a cool drink beside the water on a summer’s evening.

Garden 8 (The Old Orchard)

An expansive, five-acre garden ‘The Old Orchard’ invites visitors to explore its many beautiful features. From the large duck pond edged with shrubs and perennials, to sculptures placed around the grounds, arbours covered in flowers, or wandering paths tucked into a hidden corner beyond a wooden bridge over a stream.

Tall, well-established London plane trees line the driveway. Roses, perennials and shrubs of rhododendron, camellia and azalea form a more formal aspect of the garden. A semi-enclosed courtyard with a beautiful stone wall offsets a spectacular display of climbing roses.

One corner of the property houses a large, covered vegetable garden with fruit trees inside and out.