Gravel paths leading to secluded leafy glades, clipped hedges and rambling rose bushes are all hallmarks of a classic country garden. So are the elegantly wisteria-draped pergolas, vine-covered walls, and mature trees growing wild amid swaying ornamental grasses. And while the style continues to endure in country estates across the country, these days, country gardens have moved away from the classic English style for something more suited to the Australian climate and landscape.

In an era of global warming and with people living busier and hectic lifestyles, the idea is to weave together low-maintenance, fire-resistant, and drought-tolerant landscape design principles. Below we’ve curated a list of some of the dreamiest country gardens to inspire your own botanical designs.

This rambling country garden in Boorowa is a real delight. Created by owner Joseph Corkhill as a venue for large gatherings and also to provide opportunities for a secluded getaway. Here, the family enjoys afternoon tea under the 100-year-old radiata pine.

Photography: Brigid Arnott

Though previously left by the wayside, this country garden got a stunning transformation thanks to recently graduated landscape designer Sam Crawford, who lives on the attached property, nicknamed the Oak House. “I decided to use the Oak House garden as my experimental site, where I could test plants, my passion, and develop my landscape ideas and philosophies,” he says.

Photography: Simon Griffiths

In this Georgian sandstone cottage, a lovely country garden filled with mint, English box hedge, ‘Capital’ pear trees and Daphne odora ‘Alba’ blooms in the front yard.

Photography: Natasha Mulhall

Home to a variety of drought-resistant plants selected by its owner, Nicholas Scott, this garden is the perfect balance of wild and formal. Though contained within allocated garden beds, the wild and climbing plants play into the home’s country setting.

Photography: Simon Griffiths

At this country house in Wamberal, NSW, Bradford pears line the gravel-laden driveway to the house. In the rest of the garden, texture plays a starring role, with a mature Chinese tallow tree, marsh sage, delicate blue sage, pink Lamarque Tea Noisette, and a sizable bird of paradise.

Photography: Brigid Arnott

Leisa Rossignol’s riotous and colorful cottage-style garden (pictured) positively blooms in every possible way. Fueled by her love of all things vintage, the garden has an incredibly picturesque feel, with delicate flowers, vegetables, and herbs grown year-round.

Photography: Hannah Puechmarin

This beautiful country garden, belonging to the restored house of the colonial painter John Glover , is pure sunshine. Along with the redevelopment of the house came a redevelopment of the surrounding landscape, including a planting plan designed by Hobart landscape designer Catherine Shields.

Photography: Marnie Hawkson

It takes two to three days of pruning each month to keep this topiary garden in central Victoria looking perfect. Cypresses have been trained into everything from corkscrew shapes to domes and pyramids. Photo: Simon Griffiths

Sable the dog disappears into the rose bushes and other tall perennials. This sprawling garden is the brainchild of Tom Lyons and Fraser Young, who were inspired to create a garden in northern Tasmania after attending a seminar by gardening author Susan Irvine. Photo: Mark Roper

Unsurprisingly, the endless blooms of ‘something blue’ have made this garden, filled with blooming hydrangeas and violets, a popular setting for weddings. Here, the central courtyard is framed by Wisteria sinensis. Pat Poynter started the garden from scratch in 1997 and is passing down his passion for gardening to his grandchildren. Photo: Claire Takacs

En 2011, Tony y Karen Heggarty compraron una estación de 5000 hectáreas, el sitio del pueblo abandonado de Goonoo Goonoo . El diseñador de jardines Adam Eurell, quien fue llamado para trabajar en la propiedad, admite: “Fue abrumador cuando llegué. Había malezas y árboles retoñando en algunos de los edificios”. Hoy, sin embargo, los impresionantes resultados hablan por sí mismos. Foto: Brigid Arnott

Cuando una gran parte de Brackenhurst fue destruida por un incendio forestal en 2011, los propietarios Anthony y Ruth Edgerton-Warburton no pensaron demasiado en su pérdida. En cambio, la pareja, y sus amistosos vecinos, se dedicaron a plantar árboles resistentes al fuego, restaurar el perímetro del jardín y devolverle la vida a la propiedad. Foto: Claire Takacs

Ubicado en la frondosa Arcadia, NSW, este idílico santuario es un pedazo de paraíso, en más de un sentido. Este jardín estilo cabaña inglesa llamado Chanticleer , por las hileras de perales Chanticleer, Pyrus calleryana ‘Glen’s Form’, plantados en el patio formal, también sirve como lugar para bodas.

Foto: Brígida Arnott

La diseñadora de jardines Kathleen Murphy ha creado un oasis de ahorro de agua en su casa en Gisborne, Central Victoria, donde los clientes pueden ver su trabajo de primera mano. Las opciones de plantas de Kathleen van desde la imponente Beschorneria yuccoides vertical con espigas de flores de color rojo brillante que brotan de un nido de hojas grises y las agujas amarillas de flores verbascum sobre hojas plateadas.

Foto: Marnie Hawson

Brenton Roberts, gerente de ventas, se mudó a Ray Brodie Cottage en 2012 y desde entonces ha estado cultivando el jardín de sus sueños. La prueba y el error, junto con un poco de ingenio, han hecho de este jardín campestre lo que es hoy: una maravilla de plantas tolerantes a la sequía cultivadas casi en su totalidad a partir de esquejes. Foto: Claire Takacs

Cada centímetro de este jardín delantero con una variedad de plantas suculentas ha sido diseñado para hacer una declaración. Las esculturales hojas de agave y aloe están sombreadas por palmeras datileras, mientras que los troncos de los imponentes eucaliptos se han podado para que parezcan aún más altos de lo que realmente son. Agregue cactus en flor y las flores amarillas de Verbascum y el resultado final es un jardín tropical muy cautivador. Foto: Claire Takacs

“Suelto y divagante”, es la forma en que la artista y florista Morgan Allender describe su inspirador jardín de Adelaida . “El tema en el que trabajo es el paisaje y los temas botánicos, y el lugar donde vives afecta tu vida”, explica. Foto: Mark Roper

The grand façade of this Queen-Anne-style house in North Bundaleer, South Australia, once again bursts with life. When a Sydney couple looking for a tree makeover bought the property more than two decades ago, restoring the derelict front lawn was at the top of their priority list. Photo: Michael Wee

A ‘fruhlingsgold’ rose sprawls over an antique statue in a manicured country garden in Newlyn, Victoria. The stunning garden of ornamental herbs, climbing roses and perennials is bordered by an immaculately trimmed boxwood border. Photo: Claire Takacs

Nooroo Garden on Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains is famous for its many varieties of wisteria, including a ‘Macrobotrys’ floribunda wisteria that is over 90 years old. Here, purple flowers are placed atop a pergola at the rear of the house, bringing color and shade to the outside area. Photo: Michael Wee

Mac Barry had always wanted to be a farmer, but it wasn’t until his grandmother suggested growing peonies (a flower neither of them knew much about) that his dream came true. Every year during November, Spring Hill Peony Farm produces 10,000 romantic blooms. Photo: Sharyn Cairns