Meet: Catriona Rowntree, TV presenter

Photo - Petrina Tinslay

In her 15 years hosting ‘Getaway’ for Channel 7, Catriona Rowntree visited some sensational gardens and talked with their inspiring creators. She’s using all she learned now that she is making her own rose garden in the middle of a Victorian sheep farm. Linda Ross caught up with her.

Where did you learn to garden?

I grew up on Sydney’s north shore and spent weekends just sitting in the flowers at Parkers Nursery and Camellia Grove Nursery, and in winter wandering around Eryldene in Gordon with my mother and grandmother. Every time we had a party at home I was given the job of doing the flowers.

Where do you garden now?

I live with my husband on his parent’s farm, one hour from Melbourne in the western districts of Victoria. There is a historic bluestone homestead and a very exposed sheep farm. Life is very different now, different soils and strong winds and I have my two boys - a three-year-old and a one-year-old - to look after too.

Catriona's country garden. Photo - Petrina Tinslay

How did the garden develop?

I was keen to get straight into it and started doing what I was used to doing. Of course I bought all the wrong plants. My husband joked that I was just bringing plants home to die. It was so exposed and I was trying to recreate the north shore. So the garden has grown slowly! I find pictures of what I like and then slowly try to make it happen. I have battled between the practical and the pretty.

Have you had some help?

Definitely. I call this the garden that friendship built. I read a book by Paul Bangay and just loved his style; so I rang his office to declare my love for him and to ask where he had sourced some cane recliner chairs that I saw in his book. He rang back to say he had found the chairs in an antique store in France. He later sent the chairs over to us as a surprise wedding gift!! Whenever he has leftover roses or perennials he sends them my way!

Paul gave me the best piece of advice yet, he said I should stop thinking like a north shore gardener and start thinking of plants that like the Mediterranean – that’s the climate I have to deal with now. When we catch up at his place or mine I follow him around with a pen and notebook and a large basket of muffins – that’s his payment!

A basket of David Austin pink roses. Photo - Petrina Tinslay

You grow plenty of roses. Do you play favourites?

I like ‘Golden Celebrations’, which is one of David Austin’s gorgeous old-fashioned yellow roses. One of my favourite fragrant rich-pink roses is another Austin rose called ‘Portmeirion’. I also love ‘Heritage’. Paul called this one the ’promise-even-you-can’t-kill-it! rose’. My husband planted 200 ‘Iceberg’ roses in two hours (typical man!). I was horrified as I thought it was the most boring rose, but I realise now it’s a surefire winner. My husband is a most practical man and this is the most practical rose.

My favourite climber was another wedding gift, this time from Ruth Irvine from Al-Ru farm in South Australia. She sent me the rose ‘Wedding Day’, which is a rip snorter of a rose with abundant white flowers.

What’s your best tip for rural gardeners?

Don’t worry about not having a local nursery. You can find everything online and through catalogues. When plants arrive in the post, it’s so exciting! 

Text: Linda Ross