Down memory lane..

Last week my family took a journey back to Tilba Tilba on the south coast of New South Wales..to a garden which we first visited 20 years ago.



I was keen to see how it had matured over the years...this pear arch was just in it's infancy when we last saw it.

There were more "formal" things to see this time.

 This is the entry to the 31/2 acres of garden.

We found a lovely cool building to rest in whilst looking at the pond and watching the ducks.

 I really enjoyed coming across the dove house which was nestled in a very lush section of ferns and semi-tropical plantings.

The "kids" found a shady pond teeming with tadpoles and goldfish to keep them entertained for a while.



 I loved this rickety old gate which used to lead down to what was known as "Grandpa's Garden".

This is the area I most wanted to see again..but sadly it's all changed :-(

When we were here all those years ago, the original owners had planted it out with beautiful cottage flowers and purple buddleia hedges and mass plantings of foxgloves, from which the whole garden got it's name - Foxgloves Spires.

But there was not a foxglove to be found this time...not even the hint of there ever being any!

Such a pity and disappointment :-(

At least the "ruin" was still standing - yay!

I would've been very upset to find it gone..this is where my hubby had gone down on one knee and "proposed" to me again, lol!

It is much more ivy-clad now and as I approached it from the opposite side of this photo, the extra cover hid it so well it took quite some moments before I finally spotted it.

It was like meeting a dear old friend again...

 Hydrangeas were blooming prettily...

 and roses in abundance spread gorgeous colour and fragrance throughout the walkways.

 Large expanses of lawn and formal beds were punctuated by metal arches and arbors.

 I loved the pretty colour of this cottage and picket fence...it perfectly matched the young pittosporum hedge :-)

All in all, it was a lovely place to re-visit and spend a leisurely few hours reminiscing and observing the effects of 20 years on the layout and growth of what we'd seen in the baby-stages of the designers dream.

I recommend it for anyone who enjoys "rambling" cottage gardens filled with roses, fruit trees, gravel paths and ponds..set against the green backdrop of high rolling hills and open country skies.

A little piece of dove heaven!