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General |
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Welcome to Orondo Gardens, a grand country garden framed by rugged bushland in a fertile river valley. |
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The construction of the garden commenced more than 15 years ago. Carved from the hillside, the sweeping lawns and the many deciduous and evergreen trees were planted with great foresight. There are some rare and unusual specimens thriving in the Dwellingup conditions that are rarely seen in WA. |
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The border beds of roses, rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, perennials and flowering shrubs are now maturing. The rockery around the house, while high maintenance, continually gives great pleasure. |
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We feel the original goal of producing an abundance of colour from early spring to late autumn has been achieved, and looks really special when mirrored in the magnificent dam against the backdrop of rolling hills. |
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In October 1999, we commenced work on the new section (the backyard). It looks established quite quickly because we had the luxury of moving many trees from other parts of the Farm. The Panorama section has shots of the garden from the roof of the house. |
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In fact almost a hundred trees were transplanted, so we are now experts in moving trees. Trees planted in the future, may be planted on wheels. |
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The new garden contains many of our dream features, including the overview above the large rock wall, the grotto that frames the garden view, meandering watercourses with varying flow rates and sense of quiet or haste. |
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Waterfalls, bridges, ponds and the overall theme of the Augusta golf course with pond, stone bridge, green and bunker, with a backdrop of rhodies, azaleas and dogwoods. |
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Dwellingup has deep rich soils, lots of chill hours in winter, with ample water and sunshine, but unfortunately we also have a few unusual challenges. Wild pigs often invade the garden from the surrounding thick forest searching for worms and bulbs. They can uproot more than 30 roses and expanses of lawn in a single night. Some cows enjoyed the future camellia hedge, and a fox took one of the geese. Each year we lose many conifers, some fully grown, to canker, which is a form of dieback. | ||
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Dwellingup is one of the coldest and wettest towns in Western Australia in winter, but in summer it is hot sunny and dry. So the Gardens are changing constantly. |
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Summer Gallery
Autumn Gallery
Winter Gallery
Spring Gallery|
One of the great pleasures of a garden like Orondo is that it enables you to design and build some playful and interesting garden ornaments. |
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Vital and scarce in Australia, but plentiful at Orondo Gardens. Water is a constant theme in the Murray River wilderness, in adding bubbling life to the Garden, and in the responsible management of the Farm. |
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A magnificent garden requires a team effort. Even though Bill carries most of the burden, Graeme Stone as head of the garden and Gavin provide some little assistance. Bette is the driver of the design and development, and can prune a mean rhododendron. |
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