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Garden News
Autumn brings such a variety of colour to our gardens and Schramm’s Cottage is no exception.Early camelias are already making their appearance and the Iceberg roses in front of Atkin’s Cottage give it a very homely look.
Recent rainfall has been refreshing for our many plants.
Constant work is required to keep the garden looking its best for our visitors and requires team effort on a regular basis.
Offers of help on any Wednesday morning would be very much appreciated.
Source: Deslea Reynolds writing in 2016-06 DTHS Newsletter
The old world garden
Major alterations have been made to the Old World Garden. A low stone wall, seventy feet long was built behind the lavender walk. This has been back filled with rich soil and further up the slope another short wall makes a second terrace. Plants in the garden are being rerranged and new shrubs added to it.Alongside these is a rose taken from the original plant 7 brought out from England in the 1850's by the Speers family and given to the satiety by Miss Violet Crouch. The work was carried out by Eric Collyer, Claude Symons. Ken Smith, Jack Bartlett and Irvine Green, and two azaleas were donated by Mrs Burgess.
The lawns and gardens at Schramm's Cottage receive many compliments for their well kept appearance. To keep the gardens in good condition we need the help of members. It would be appreciated if members could spend an hour or two weeding the garden when they have spare time.
Source: 1979-08 DTHS Newsletter
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| Schramm Cottage Project Garden Plan - 1975-02 DTHS Newsletter |
The Glory of the Garden
Whilst we listened to the story of the development of the historic Heide garden, we felt that many of our more recent members may not be aware of the history of our own Schramms Cottage garden since its inception in 1975.
During the last phase of the re-erection and refurbishing of the cottage, in 1974-75, the thoughts of many members who were garden lovers turned to the task of setting up a pioneer garden. In the past, most country gardens were planted with vegetables and herbs rather than flowers -- people thinking them more useful and an addition to the family's diet. However after hearing stories about the love of flowers expressed by many of the pioneer wives of Doncaster's orchardists we decided to create a cottage flower and shrub garden using promised cuttings and seedlings from marry members of these families who were still around in the 1970's.
A committee was set up to investigate and plan the garden. The Council set in the curved path at the side of the cottage and the front veranda. These were of hand made bricks from the original position of Schramms cottage when it was sited in Doncaster Road. Local residents donated plants for the garden. Len Hobbs gave us some lovely azaleas and camellias. These are still in place; blooming beautifully every year in their original planting against: the sidewall of the Cottage.
Alterations made to the old garden in 1979, A long, low stone wall was erected behind the lavender walk next to the path.
Further up the slope another terrace was formed. Good rich soil was added and the original flowers and shrubs were re-arranged. A set of stone steps lead into the garden as a focal point to the lovely rose "Cherokee" white with yellow centre with the scent of apples. This rose was given to the Society by Miss Violet Crouch. The work was carried out by some of our present members, Ken Smith and Eric Collyer. The late Claude Symons and Irvine Green as well as Jack Bartlett were also on the garden detail.
Azaleas from the late Mrs Burgess' home were planted and cuttings from other pioneer gardens were added. In later years replacements from local nurseries were put in and some easy care perennials to minimise work, were planted. The original lavender walk still remains as a traditional feature of the. front garden.
This same year saw the building of the well at the rear of Schramm's Cottage. It had been placed in he same general position as the original well at the Cottage when it was in Doncaster Road. Similar wells would have been used in many other pioneer homes in the district.
1979 was a special year for the Schramm's Cottage garden. A gazebo, which had been a feature of the Templestowe Cemetery, was presented to Schramm's Cottage. This hexagonal building had been built at Templestowe in 1900. Many cemeteries used these buildings for visitors' shelters. Some had elaborate fretwork around the openings and used lovely floor tiles. This one had been altered to make an office and a dressing room for the clergyman officiating at funerals. When it arrived at Schramm's Cottage it was erected on the North Lawn by society members and the Rotary Club of Doncaster. It makes an elegant and charming addition to our lawn and a focal point for the eye as people look along the path towards the lawn.
The replica of the Box Hill Doncaster tram, which the Doncaster Templestowe Council had built for the Wurundjeri Parade, found a home in the rear garden Of the Cottage in 1979-80. This attractive vehicle is an accurate reproduction of the original tram, which ran along Tram Road from Box Hill to Doncaster, during the years 1889-1896.
An architect, Mark Wierzbowski designed a tram shed to house the tram in the garden. It has a curved corrugated iron roof and iron piping supports.
Recently in 2010, the tram was refurbished with monies from a Council grant, and remains an important feature of our garden.
In the next year, 1980, yet another feature of interest was added to our garden. An historic horse trough, which came from Warrandyte Road, near Deep Geek, was placed near the main drive at the Cottage. This is of interest historically as a sample of one of the many troughs erected on main roads in Doncaster- Templestowe to serve the many horses used in the orchards and on the roads pulling loads of goods to service the people of our district.
Schramms Cottage. The west verandah of Schramm's Cottage from the cemetery in 1979
Later in 1980, Paddy Green reported that another garden re-organisation was done on the old style garden at the front. It was felt that the soil needed improvement and the late Beatty Beavis spread gypsum and garden loam; and members again reorganised the planting to provide extra colour throughout the year. Members will recognise the names of some of the people who assisted on this occasion. Gwen and. Lawrie Reilly, Shirley and Claude Symons, Mary Plumb and John Bartlett were the group who hurried to complete the job in preparation for a wedding, which was to be celebrated later that afternoon.
A few years later, Charlotte Lack and Shirley Symons were keen to establish a herb garden at the rear of the Schramm's Cottage kitchen. This would have been something that many pioneers had, to assist in the extra flavouring of foods before refrigeration. For a while this was a success, but gardens such as these need continual care and quickly went to seed and later the area was replaced by a low care, more native garden, with some low maintenance perennials.
The Waldau Cemetery had always been a difficult area in which to set up a garden, due to the many pine trees, which had been planted in the 1940's. These soured the ground and leached the soil of moisture, as well as making the area dark, thus preventing much from growing. Many attempts to establish trees had been tried, with a few box hedge plants surviving and some simple bulbs, blooming on the graves in spring. More recently, after paths and headstones had been replaced, quite a few pines were removed in 2003-2005 and this resulted in allowing much more light into the area, and conditions approved. Further changes to the cemetery are envisaged, but it will be necessary to provide an automatic watering system for any future plantings to be successful.
Darren and Miles, a pair of young men interested in the garden, began the rudiments of a simple watering system in the late 1980's. Later, it was decided to install a full watering system in the front and side gardens, so Ron Leaney and Greg Hamilton with advice from Frank Woodward and Eric Collyer. This was done and it certainly made the job of watering during summer drought periods much easier. However it became harder again, when due to the low level of Melbourne's dams, again because of extended drought, automatic watering was not allowed and many members did a wonderful job of watering daily on a roster system.
It had been suggested that to honour late President lrvine Green, a memorial garden be set up on the left of the entrance gate at Schramms Cottage. This area previously had been dominated by some pine trees and was very scrappy and neglected. The Reillys' and Eric Collyer conferred on a plan and a landscape gardener was consulted.
The result was the planting of a perfumed garden with a blue spruce in the centre. and smaller plants on the outside. With a grant from Council and one from the Rotary Club of Doncaster, work was begun and the garden was officially opened on April 28th 2001. Later the Rotarians' assisted with the addition of a further watering system in the Irvine Green garden.
More recently in. 2011, further alterations to this garden were made by Bill Ling and his party of helpers who removed some plants which had grown too big, and a simpler set of lower maintenance plants replaced them.
A smaller garden has been established outside the refurbished implement shed and this is progressing nicely. As can be seen in this continuing story, constant alterations and improvements are needed as plants age, and grow at varying levels, so our members are constantly aware of the changes needed.
Over the last 40 years, many people, some now deceased, have played important roles in the establishment and maintenance of our Cottage Gardens. This will continue into the future and more help is always needed but the pleasure of spending time among other living things never seems to lessen in the minds of our garden enthusiasts. May it long continue!
Schramms Cottage Project. Proposed Garden Development
Source: 2012-03 and 2012-06 DTHS Newsletters
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