The creation of Riverdale Farm has been 20 years in the making by the owners, Helen and Jim Leighton.
Together, the couple have established the expansive garden that surrounds their house and separate two-bedroom cottage, Riverdale 1898 — available to book as accommodation.
When Helen and Jim purchased the 100 acre property in 2004, the site contained 60 acres of pasture and 40 acres of uncleared Marri/Jarrah woodland adjacent to the Kalgan River — but zero garden.
Helen had previously completed a few landscape design units at university and studied garden design at London’s Inchbald School of Design, but she was disenchanted with the computer-heavy profession. ‘It took me away from the garden where I longed to be,’ she explains.
The purchase of their new property in Kalgan (about 20 minutes from Albany, on the south coast of Western Australia) provided an opportunity to return to what she really loved — being out in the garden — paired with her recent interest in floral design.
Helen and Jim designed their garden to cater to its climate inclusive of hot summers, wet winters, occasional frosts, and summer easterlies in the bushfire risk area.
At its core, they wanted a garden their whole family could enjoy, featuring plants they love to ‘grow, cook, eat and arrange with.’
The resulting garden is extensive, covering at least two acres with 350 roses, a vegetable garden, orchard, cutting garden for flowers, native plantings, deciduous trees for blossom and autumn colour, and a small pinot vineyard.
The design balances attracting local wildlife (birds, bees, frogs and insects), while allowing plants to thrive, which has largely been achieved through trial and error. ‘It is in giving things a go that much knowledge of gardening is gained. Books are never quite going to have the exact information for your specific area — they are a useful guide,’ says Helen.
‘Working and living seasonally in tune with nature is the sweet spot.’
Jim has built several structures across the property both for wind protection and entertainment use. Granite terraces tie in with the naturally occurring granite outcrops on the property, while weathered timber and corten steel windbreaks reference the Marri and Jarrah woodlands.
The foundation of Riverdale Farm has been a huge undertaking. Helen tends to the garden almost every day, in addition to running her floral studio, and Jim joins her on the weekends.
‘It has been a wonderful collaboration between Jim and me. Fortunately, we make a great team, and don’t mind hard work … He is extremely resourceful and a great asset for managing the water supply/reticulation problems which crop up not infrequently,’ says Helen.
‘I love the flowers and Jim loves the edible productive plants. He particularly enjoys making preserves and bottling with the excess fruits from the orchard.’
It’s a big job, but Riverdale Farm is Helen and Jim’s passion that keeps them mentally stimulated and physically active.
‘Curiosity and hard work are essential tools for a creative life,’ Helen says. ‘There is always something to learn and the garden is never finished. It is continually evolving.’
