Open Gardens Victoria - Sam Cox: Wattle Glen Garden
Sam Cox: Wattle Glen Garden
Over 25 years, landscape designer Sam Cox and partner Lisa Hatfield have transformed a bare paddock in Wattle Glen into a remarkable 1.5-acre Australian bush garden. Sam was the last apprentice of influential landscape designer Gordon Ford, and his legacy is evident in a garden that sits so naturally within its setting, it is hard to imagine it was ever anything else.
Inspired by Australian naturalistic design, Sam has used earth shaping, rockwork and layered native planting to create a landscape that feels effortless, though every element has been carefully considered. Mounds and basalt outcrops give way to winding mulched paths that echo wallaby tracks, while broad plantings reveal changing light, texture and seasonal colour.
At the heart of the garden, Sam's handcrafted mudbrick house extends the landscape indoors, blurring the distinction between home and garden. Water is another defining element, with a winding watercourse leading to a large basalt-lined pond that provides habitat for frogs, birds and wildlife. A waterfall on the opposite side of the house brings the movement and sound of water into the family living space.
Visitors can discover a casuarina forest, olive grove, native grassland, Sam's design studio, Gordo's much-loved Land Rover and the 'patch in the paddock'. Garden talks and question and answer sessions with Sam Cox will be on both days. Visit the website for timings.
