The garden at Ariah Park was started by Pat Rennie in 1949. After three quarters of a century of love and care, the garden is still nurtured by Pat’s daughter Marian.

The garden covering approximately 2.5 hectares, is set on the deep, rich alluvial soil of the Goulburn River flats, cradled in the valley and stunningly referenced by Mount Cathedral to the south.

Majestic River Red Gums line the nearby Old River while maturing riverbank revegetation planted by Marian’s father John lines the Breakaway River. Well-fed cattle on lush pastures complete a bucolic frame.

The garden itself is an intricate series of trees and shrubs which form lawn rooms framed by shapes, colours and dappled shade. It exhibits a pleasing tension between disorder and order, between youthful exuberance and old growth stateliness. In terms of species, the dogwoods are exceptional.

The garden comes into its own during Spring when the dogwoods, magnolias, rhododendrons and many other shrubs burst into bloom and numerous bulbs emerge, creating a riot of colour.

Marian is an artist and a standout feature of the garden is the way it blends sculptures with living plants. Marian hosts an annual sculpture exhibition in the garden, which attracts entries from Australia and Internationally.

On Sunday from 1pm, Marian will be hosting 'Ways to the Future' with guest speakers in sustainability. Costa Georgiadis host from ABC's Gardening Australia Show, Joost Bakker - Future Food Systems, and Peter Burgess Co-Founder from Rainbow Bee Easter.

Also on Sunday afternoon, Marian is encouraging people to join in and parade around the garden in wearable floral creations with prizes for the most creative entries.  You can also sit back and relax to the tunes of Solomon and Lacey who will be providing music during the afternoon.

Over the weekend, there will be licensed cafe with Little River Wines and On Point Brewery.