Leura Gardens Festival, Blue Mountains Spring Gardens

TANGLEWOOD

Tanglewood 109 Craigend Street Leura
Courtesy  Corrie and Stephen Kennedy

A little bit on the wild side is what Tanglewood will always be.  Nevertheless, in a way, this adds to the ever changing scenery.  The street view is of Japanese cherries in a raised bed of bulbs with lawn in front of a variegated pittosporum.  The front garden, surrounded on three sides by a pittosporum hedge, contains many and varied azaleas, rhododendrons, mollis azaleas, white trunked birches, maples, weeping cherry, a huge viburnum plicatum, camellias, bottle brushes, and a large liquidamber.

On the eatern side garden are, magnolias, pink dogwoods, climbing clematis and bulbs. A path between the dogwoods, agapanthus and various shrubs leads to the formal garden at the rear of the house, with a lawn terrace surrounded by stately trees including maples, prunuses, golden elm and robinias, creating a haven of lime green leaves in complete contrast to the many azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias on the next level, above an extended stone wall.

From the lawn terrace  a path on the left leads into a woodland walk containing mature camellias, rhododendron trees, waratahs, maples and a yellow dogwood, the to a viewing platform which overlooks the whole rear garden, including a wishing well and a bridge over the rock garden.

There are seats dotted around this park-like garden where you can relax and observe the immense diversity of trees, shrubs, colourful flowers and bird life.  Covered arches will take you from one area to another, with many surprises  along the way.