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Welcome to Villa Verde

Villa Verde is a privately owned garden that is now open for your intimate celebrations and tours. Situated in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne, established in 1998, this old, beautifully manicured private garden, spans three acres and includes a Japanese Garden, Enchanted Forest, two lakes with a cascading waterfall, picturesque walks through garden paths housing a variety of plants, flowers and 2000 rose bushes in many varieties and colours.

 

Villa Verde offers an exquisitely pristine landscape for intimate wedding ceremonies, commercial and personal photography and garden tours all year round. Villa Verde are extremely  proud to host annual fundraisers and have done so since 2004. The owners dedicate most of the year to their garden and are happy to open their gates to those who wish to be part of this peaceful and environmentally sustainable garden. Villa Verde has featured in several episodes of Gardening Australia 2010, 2011 and in the Gardening Australia magazine in 2011.

 


 

My Garden

My garden is situated on 6 acres of land and construction commenced in1998. Between 2 and 3 acres are made up of formal gardens which include a waterfall, fountains, a Japanese garden and a bridge connecting the lakes. Further along we have a forest linking the formal and informal garden which includes a vineyard, vegetable garden and a variety of farmyard animals. Each corner offers a new experience.

All water on the property is recycled in an underground water treatment/recycling plant where every re-usable drop is stored, treated and re-used for watering the garden. Plant varieties are placed in appropriate areas to maximise sunlight, the health and growth of the plant. Where possible, ground cover and mulch are used to reduce water loss and retain as much moisture as possible especially in the summer months.

I love my garden and spend a minimum of 5 hours per day and at least 5 days per week maintaining it with the help of part time gardeners who attend the grounds twice a week.

 

 

My Story

The first 50 years of my life were spent working hard teaching Patternmaking and Dressmaking and raising my family, so my passion for gardening exposed itself only in small ways with indoor plants, hanging baskets and a small but neat and colourful front and back yard. And so my dream lay dormant until I could dedicate the time it deserved.

The time finally came, our retirement, where my husband and I could build our dream home on our 6 acres and where, after marrying 3 of 4 children, I was able to dedicate my time, energy and focus to my vision of creating the ‘garden of my dreams'. It has taken 20 years of love, sweat, back and knee pain to make it come true. I still love getting out there in the fresh air, digging around in the dirt and creating new areas. Even weeding my private paradise is a pleasure especially when I am watching my grandchildren running around exploring new areas and having wonderful make- believe adventures.

 

 

 


My Vision

My ongoing vision has always been to create something beautiful from nothing, that would not only give me much joy and pride, but also the opportunity to share it with others and help charities along the way.

To date I have hosted fundraisers for Breast Cancer Research (2004), Children of Vietnam (2006), Prostate Australia (2008), Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria (2010), the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (2011), Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre (2012), Lukas Rosenbaun (2013), Riding For The Disabled Victoria (2014 & 2015), The Good Samaritan Inn (2016) and The Edmund Rice Foundation (2017). Having raised in excess of $55,000 has given my family and I much satisfaction in giving back to the community. There is no better feeling than helping others.

My vision for the future is to continue to share my garden with others through my fundraising efforts.

 

GARDENING IS MY SOUL MATE

THANK YOU,

Villa Verde Owners (2017)