Courtesy of Ulf and Sonja Beckerhoff

   Founded in 1915, Merrilong’s Garden carries more than a century of history. Until the 1960s, when the Edgeworth Family owned the property, it was divided into two distinct areas: one dedicated to vegetables and the other to ornamental planting. The latter included a bed of Gladioli that were used to decorate the house. During the Edgeworth family’s residence, the garden also featured a large cactus, as was the fashion of the time. In the early 2000s the house was extended, which meant the ornamental section had to be moved.

   Bruce and Anne Gorvin-White, who owned Merrilong from 2003 to 2017, incorporated a few of the old fruit trees, a new generation of Gladioli and other plants left by previous tenants into a fresh design that reflected on the garden’s manifold past. They also added further plants to enrich diversity. Last but not least, Bruce planted what has since become Katoomba’s largest Cypress hedge. Together with four other boundary hedges—Silver Sheen, Camellia, Photinia, and Port Wine Magnolia—it shields the property from harsh weather and provides complete privacy.

   The current owners, Sonja and Ulf Beckerhoff, have built on this design, further extending the variety while creating a more defined structure through a continuous band of blue flowers along the borders. They also installed irrigation for the main beds to serve during periods of drought. Up to this day, Merrilong’s garden has always been cared for by its owners, without professional support.