Winter blooms at Vaucluse House

Most people think that winter would be a dull and boring time to visit gardens; however, the vivid display of colours at Vaucluse House is anything but boring and continues to surprise me year after year. Winter has quickly become one of my favourite seasons as there is such a large variety of plants in bloom or just waiting to burst open; this is largely due to Sydney’s rather mild winters and lack of frost compared to other regions and countries.

Vaucluse House has large variety of very early introduced and rare Camellias (japonica and sasanqua) which are all currently blooming in a range of pinks and whites. Camellias never used to interest me very much but last year after a visit from the Camellia Ark I gained much a much higher level of respect for them, especially their ability to send out so many different blooms from the one plant (or sports).

Come and take a stroll through the Pleasure Garden and discover what else might be in bloom; make your way to our Kitchen Garden and see which tasty winter fruits and vegetables are currently growing; then follow your senses to the herb garden before ending up in front of the toasty stove fire in the servants’ kitchen.

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Steve Halliday

Steve Halliday

Horticulturist

Steven is one of the horticulturists who takes care of MHNSW’s green spaces and gardens. Straight out of school, he jumped into an apprenticeship in landscaping and from there his love for gardening grew. Since 2009, Steven has played a role in keeping the MHNSW properties looking their best; you might catch him completing a variety of tasks from hedging at Rouse Hill House & Farm to mowing lawns at Vaucluse House.

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