Open Gardens Victoria - Yamba

Set on approximately three acres in Caramut, Yamba is a passionate plant collector’s garden on a working Western District farm, filled with a variety of perennials, grasses, trees, hedges, and bulbs. Owner Helen Diprose is a dedicated Open Gardens Victoria volunteer and talented flower arranger. Moving to Yamba nearly 20 years ago, she discovered challenging rocky clay soil and no garden. Helen has spent many years enhancing drainage, improving the soil quality, and building raised beds to help the garden survive and thrive.  “I love collecting the rare and unusual—fitting in with my hobby of arranging flowers” says Helen. “Not only flowers; I also like to incorporate stems, grass, berries, seed heads, and foliage into my arrangements.” Helen’s plant selection reflects her desire to pick subject matter all year round and includes stunning cut flowers such as dahlias, delphinium, peony, chrysanthemum, and an array of salvias, heleniums, helianthus, and rudbeckia. Bulbs are planted en masse, with bluebells in profusion under the forty oaks on the property and daffodils in long beds with pencil pines at regular intervals. A striking feature of the garden is its array of beautifully clipped hedges. An avenue of trees and a productive vegetable garden also feature, and visitors will enjoy unexpected encounters with a small flock of much-loved guinea fowl.