Gardens of the Macedon Ranges Private Day Tour

When it comes to beautiful gardens, one of the most glorious is Tieve Tara. The garden is pure visual delight, marking the arrival and passing of each season in style. In winter, it turns crispy white under frost and snow; in spring it comes alive in a blaze of colour as the flowering cherries burst into bloom. Summer is a celebration in green, as some 200 different trees – fir, hornbeam, poplar, birch, pin oak, gingko, linden and ash – fill out their shade canopies. And it is these very same trees that steal the scene in autumn, in a blur of brilliant reds, oranges and yellows.

Forest Glade is a historic private garden that is acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in Australia. It embraces a mixture of landscaping styles taking inspiration from English, Italian and woodland traditions.

There are four distinct themes:

• The large English section with its huge exotic trees
• The delightful Japanese section complete with bonsai house
• The beautiful woodland area displaying masses of shade-loving plants
• The cool fern gully

There are no bad times to visit Forest Glade Gardens – in autumn the various maples are a riot of colour, while in spring the rhododendrons, azaleas and peonies are a sight to see. Both summer and winter bring their own very special treats for garden lovers.

The Garden of St Erth is a secluded getaway not far from Daylesford and Ballarat.

Each season has something to offer the visitor, including carpets of daffodils in spring, long flowering flower borders in summer and magnificent autumn garden colour.

Stroll around the Diggers Garden Shop and shop for a wide range of incredible edibles, hardy perennials and shrubs and stock up on seeds for the vegetable and flower garden.

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens have always been a place of great enchantment. Established in the 1860s by Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller (also responsible for Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens), the remarkable surrounding 10.4 hectares are regarded as one of Victoria’s finest regional destination gardens. Many spots provide wonderful views over Daylesford and the surrounding countryside. Prized for their beauty and tranquillity, the gardens retain their gracious 19th-century character.

The botanical garden contains an outstanding collection of rare and notable specimens, many of which are included in the National Trust Register of Significant Trees. During spring and autumn, the Begonia House carries a magnificent display of prize blooms.