Open Garden at Carinya

"Nestled in the Mt Lofty Ranges between Willunga and Clarendon, and following a water course at the base of McLeods Hill is the property we named "Carinya." This means "Happy Home." The 20 acres of gully with magnificent river red gum trees and a winter-running creek is our place of paradise ... when we stop working on it and really enjoy it!"

So begins the brochure for Carinya, a garden jewel set among vineyards and paddocks at McLaren Flat, adjacent to Mclaren Vale, South Australia. This visit to an "open garden" event marks a first for Dave and myself -- we never did this before, and really enjoyed it.

Something like five or seven acres of the property's 20 aces have been intensively landscaped around a dam and winter creek, and of course any visit to a major garden -- especially in spring! -- will be a celebration of flowers, shrubs and trees; to which Carinya adds the occasional quirky, charming sculpture or metal art, and some colonial antiques, such as the wagon which welcomes visitors to the property, on the lower lawn:

The stroll around the gardens is so quiet and pleasant, one could spend a whole afternoon there. It's little wonder the early settlers fell in love with this spot: "In the early-mid 1900s this area was used as a resting and water stop for stock. There are remnants of an old shepherd's hut up the gully. Locals have informed us that seasonal fruit pickers used to camp here. A family with five children lived in a very small hut on the other side of the dam." (From the brochure text.)

Today, the property is surrounded by vineyards which, alas, tend to pump the winter creek dry, causing the dam's water levels to fall dramatically in summer. Carinya falls back on the capacious tanks one sees on the other side of the creek -- and this will be a thirsty property, if the lawns are to remain green in summer and the more delicate shrubs and flowers to survive:

For Dave and myself -- both rather avid gardeners only awaiting the day we have a suitable garden to work on, and in -- the stroll around the property was nothing short of a joy; and you always wonder where one would start on a project such as this. The brochure tells the story of owners Sue and Dave Wagner, who bought the 20 acres in 1987 for a sum which, today, we would consider the proverbial "song." But Carinya didn't evolve from the paddock with the winter creek into the lavish, park-like garden overnight. It took many years of extremely hard work...

One of the greatest pleasures of the garden is its variety, and the charm with which the design has evolved across the decades. The local soil is very clay-rich, according to the brochure; gypsum was used to break down the clay, and lawn clippings were mulched in with a mix of horse, cow and chicken manure. The result is very rich, very fertile soil which will literally grow anything.

In particular, the roses were glorious ... and also carefully pruned two or three months ago, to bring them all into bloom at just the right time, and the same time. The garden is open over the weekend of November 5 and 6, so the detailed planning for this event goes back to at least to August. And the results...

Naturally, I took about 200 photographs (as one would...) and the job of culling them down to a couple of dozen for this photo essay was tough. Carinya is so photogenic, images are everywhere. Difficult to imagine a time when nothing was there save the gully and dam, and the first projects for the Wagner family were a dirt access road, and a 20' x 30' garage, which was the family home for some considerable time!

Part of me is saying, "Ooooh, I wish my had my time over again...!" But it also takes a lot of courage and vision to start absolutely from scratch ... plus close to 30 years before the vision can be said to have taken shape. For example, work on the creek area began only in 2015, so the Carinya "vision" is still taking shape. One can only imagine what another decade will bring...

After an hour rambling around the gardens (and in my case, taking the equivalent of eight rolls of film, as we used to know it in days long gone by!) we headed back up to the vast lawns at the front of the house, which step down from the family home to the dam in wide "terraces." There's a fairy door set into the roots of the big tree there -- and a child's swing, which visiting children were delighted to use. For Dave and myself, slightly more mature  amusements were in mind --

The tables were set for tea. Yes, please. Tea, coffee and cake. The whole event was in benefit of charity, and organized by "Open Gardens South Australia Inc, a not for profit organization opening private gardens to the general public. The purpose of Open Gardens SA is to educate and promote the enjoyment, knowledge and benefits of gardens and gardening in South Australia and the build strong public support for the development of gardens." (From the brochure.)

We'd have to say -- mission accomplished! Now -- what about that tea and cake...?