Adam and Eve only got to see one Garden of Eden, so local residents should count themselves lucky after having the chance to tour six of them over the weekend.
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Around 170 people visited the gardens as part of the annual Eden & District Open Gardens Festival on Saturday, with another 200 following suit despite overcast conditions on Sunday.
Festival coordinator Sandra Symonds said the event was a resounding success.
“Everyone just had a magnificent time and we were so pleased with the turnout,” she said.
“We had some people who were on holidays from Sydney, and others came from Bombala and Cooma.
“A number of people who went out on the Cat Balou saw the Lambourns’ garden from the water, and came up to have a closer look later on as well.
“We’ve raised quite a bit of money – we’ve got at least $3000 already between ticket sales and the raffle.”
The annual festival is the major fundraising event for the Eden Lioness Club, which supports a variety of local organisations and causes.
Ms Symonds said the club has recently donated to both Anglicare and St Vincent de Paul, and has pledged money for encouragement awards for three local schools – Eden Public School, Eden Marine High School and Towamba Public School.
The club is also hoping to donate to the new South East Regional Hospital for its carers’ accommodation program, and has previously put money towards the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter, Nullica Lodge, Essci, the Eden Men’s Shed and other community activities.
“It’s all worth it – the money all stays in town, and that’s why we do it,” Ms Symonds said.
“It goes towards good causes, and it’s a really fun weekend for everyone who visits and for the people who open up their gardens.
“It’s not a competition – it’s really about showing the gardens we have around here, because they’re all so different.
“Next year we’re hoping to have even more gardens.”
Robert and Robyn Bain's property, Survey Point, was a newcomer to the festival this year, but enjoyed immediate success.
"We really had no idea how many people to expect, but we were glad to see so many come through," Robert said on Saturday.
Government Road gardener Carolyn Schofield also reported good numbers.
"Our garden has been featured every year since the festival began about 10 or 12 years ago," she said.
"We often get the comment that, 'Oh, we've seen that garden before', but the thing is that it's always changing.
"Depending on the weather, you'll see different things from the previous year.
"We had a lot of people here on Saturday morning, and even though it tailed off a little bit in the afternoon there were still always people here."
John and Jan Polak's Yule Street garden, bordering the Pacific Ocean, is also an old favourite of local gardeners.
Jan said the festival has increased in popularity over recent years.
"Going back 10 or 20 years, people would think, 'A garden, why would I want to go and look at a garden?'," she said.
"These days, people are a lot more interested in gardening and can pick up different tips and things to do.
"It's been a lot of work over the years to get the garden up to where it is now, but I just love it."
Jan and John Polak’s 25-year-old ocean view garden is an old favourite of local gardeners.
Meandering from the nature strip to the cliff edge, delicate camellias, azaleas and daises are sheltered by fully grown pittosporums, conifers, banksias and palms.
Ample birdlife also come to enjoy the bottlebrush, with melaleucas framing the cliff edge of the Eagle’s Claw National Park.
For more photos of this garden, check out pictures 3-61 in the gallery at the top of this story.
Heading up towards Eden Cove, you’ll find the Schofield family’s residence on Government Road.
Carolyn and Al moved to the one-and-a-quarter acre property in 1999 with their three sons, and have been tending to their ever-growing garden ever since.
Recent rain has seen the garden thrive, and the changing conditions give way for an ever-changing range of flora.
Dubbed ‘Serendipitous Wandering’, it is a mix of cottage garden, Australian plants, ornamental trees, seats and quirky statues – there are nice surprises in every pocket.
For more photos of this garden, check out pictures 1 and 62-102 in the gallery at the top of this story.
A short drive from Eden, Robert and Robyn Bain’s ‘Survey Point’ is the second new addition to the festival this year.
The Bains purchased the Hardakers Road property in Pambula, 8.5km north of Eden, in 2001.
Overlooking the beautiful Broadwater Lake, the couple spent nearly six years tidying it up while still living in Canberra.
The home eventually built on the site is spectacular to behold, and Tony Gordon and Hotondo Homes’ craftsmanship saw it awarded HIA Country Home of the Year in NSW and the ACT in 2009.
Over the 13 years, nearly 5000 native and non-native plants have been put in, and a large vegetable garden now feeds the Bain family and their friends, with the excess sold at Sprout Eden.
For more photos of this garden, check out pictures 2 and 102-133 in the gallery at the top of this story.
Ron and Julie Lambourn's garden features all things nautical, with anchors, heavy chains, portholes, bollards, ship’s capstan, binnacles, telegraph, steering wheels and the like strategically placed throughout.
Everywhere you turn, there’s another spectacular view, whether it’s from the rooftop, seaside deckchairs or carefully landscaped entertainment areas, which are bordered by bollards.
From the water, it has been mistaken by many a mariner for a resort!
If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of a whale as they head down the humpback highway on their southern migration.
Click on the video above to take a virtual tour of this garden. For photos , click here and check out pictures 1-60 in the gallery at the top of the story.
A new addition to the Open Gardens Festival this year is Vicki Telfer’s Lakeside Drive backyard.
Less than two years old, the rear garden has progressed significantly and is fast becoming a favourite of the local birds and lizards.
It’s a low-maintenance space that has helped solve a drainage problem by doing away with grass and mowing, with the dry creek bed its most eye-catching feature.
For photos of this garden, click here and check out pictures 82-99 in the gallery at the top of the page.
Though it has been featured before, the Star of the Sea Church garden on Calle Calle Street is brimming with new flora.
Take a look around the garden, and as an added perk, pop into the Mary McKillop Hall for a cuppa while checking out a display of blankets made by the ‘Wrap with Love’ knitting group.
For photos of this garden, click here and check out pictures 61-81 in the gallery at the top of the page.