Mediterranean Magic

Blessed with space and fertile soils, this hardy hilltop garden in the Adelaide Hills is a textural triumph in luminous colour.

- Gretel Sneath

The grassy slopes of this property, known as Murdoch Hill, are patchworked with different tones of green, their verdant peaks dotted with contented cows contemplating the hike to the distant dam. Owners Phoebe and Simon Brown were captivated by this bucolic vista when they bought the 100ha property, in the Adelaide Hills district, in 2007. It was the beginning of a new chapter for the couple and their four daughters, Annabelle, now 13, Winnie, 12, Matilda, nine, and Ruby, six.

With plenty of acreage to play with on this working property, each family member had items on the wish list. Ponies, a pool and a Provincial-style home topped the list, while Phoebe was also set on a sprawling country garden. As demolition of the tired 1970s dwelling began, Phoebe determinedly salvaged some of the existing plants. “The original garden was actually very beautiful and quaint, and I managed to transplant some of the established roses, bulbs, agapanthus and lilies to a spot beside the driveway,” says Phoebe. “It was my first attempt at gardening, and I had to ask our farm manager how to dig a hole and plant a shrub, much to his amusement. It was a bit all over the place, but it was a start.”