Visit Glenmore House: A garden in full bloom

Flowerbeds erupting in colour, kitchen gardens brimming with produce and a heavy scent of jasmine in the air – there's so much to love about spring. It's the season to get amongst the flowers and foliage, as Mickey Robertson of Glenmore House well knows.

Glenmore House is a colonial farm estate nestled in the foothills of Razorback Range in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales. Almost thirty years ago, avid gardeners Larry and Mickey Robertson restored the property and have nurtured it into an inspiring working garden, open for Kitchen Gardening Days and other special events.

This 15 and 16 October 2016, Mickey and Larry are welcoming all to explore the earthly delights of their property for Glenmore House’s Spring Open Garden Weekend.

What can visitors expect from your upcoming Open Garden weekend?¨

Mother Nature willing, the garden will be at its floriferous best – a haze of pink peony poppies in the Borders, malus blossom in the Barn Garden, cardoons, artichokes, sweet peas and other joys all around.

There will be plant stalls, twig furniture and tinkered hardware on the Croquet Lawn, a pop-up lunch with Martin Boetz in the Hayshed, Ovvio Tea and delicious cakes as well as a fabulous flower shop in the Dairy.ˆ

It will be all the makings of a delightful day out with seasonal food and produce to enjoy in a country landscape – all just an hour from Sydney.

"Spring begins in late winter at Glenmore, heralded by the first blossom on the almond trees and Manchurian pears."

How does spring arrive at Glenmore House?

Spring begins in late winter at Glenmore, heralded by the first blossom on the almond trees and Manchurian pears, soon followed by fresh green leaves on deciduous trees, then the highly perfumed flowers of sweet jasmine, with wisteria hot on her heels.ˆThe herbaceous perennials come next, filling out in mounds of luxuriant growth before budding and bursting into a riot of flowers.ˆ

The Kitchen Garden hits peak produce in late winter and early spring, with peas, then broad beans reaching a glut by mid-October. ˆIt’s then that it must all be pulled out to make way for the summer season, so I’m not sure how I’ll deal with it for our Open Garden this year – depending on the weather, it will either be a chaotic vision of veg going to seed, or a clean slate ready for planting. Either way, it will be lovely to see and provide much to learn from!

Top tips for discovering the delights of the garden this spring?

• Be sure to have companion plants in flower around blossoming fruit trees to encourage bees for pollination.
• Get out in the garden and be active – kitchen gardens need a major overhaul in spring so it’s a time of huge activity and exercise.
• Pulling out the old, composting, barrowing and building structures – it's those who work the garden who gain the greatest pleasure (and it’s so much more fun than visiting a gym).
• Harvest your bounty and reap the rewards of your hard work – I hope people have veg and flowers aplenty to fill their houses and kitchens with intoxicating beauty.ˆ

Find out more about Glenmore House.