merry garth garden

Merry Garth is a 2.5 hectare garden that has been a 35 year labour of love for owners Libby and Keith Raines. We have visited here many times and on every occasion, no matter what season, are in awe of the serenity of the place. The garden is at its best, obviously, in Spring but there is beauty to be found here at any time of the year. This is our favourite garden after wandering many, many gardens in Australasia, Asia and Europe. The knowledge, personal care and dedication that has made this place as well as its sheer beauty, is what sets it apart. The spectacular backdrop of much of the garden stretches across a huge valley towards Katoomba. The natural rainforest area has been carefully managed over the years and presents the original landscape even in the face of destructive storms and fires. This area of the garden is worth a visit in itself but the cold climate gardens are simply magnificent. The rhododendrons, numbering in the hundreds, are a world class display. Many are no longer available. When in flower, the scores of herbaceous and tree peonies throughout the garden are superb. There are many rare and extremely rare plants to be found here and a number of visits in various seasons would be needed to view them all. There are numerous wonderful specimen trees forming the centre piece of the garden rooms. My absolute favourites are the scores of very specialised Japanese maples interspersed amongst the rock gardens. Add to this hundreds of Himalayan magnolias, wisterias, azaleas, camellias, dogwoods and ground covers. There is a small fee to enter the garden but the visitor is rewarded many times over. There is a nursery where many of the plants on show are for sale and have been propagated on site. Access to most areas of the garden is quite easy. The owners have an encyclopaedic knowledge of their plants. If you are a gardener or seeking peace and beauty in an idyllic setting, do yourself a favour.