Emeri De Bortoli in her garden. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
De Bortoli Winery family matriarch Emeri De Bortoli will open her spectacular 14-acre (5.6-hectare) private garden to the general public during the Griffith Spring Fest, an annual celebration of food, wine, music and citrus sculptures in the town.
The garden, opposite the winery site in the village of Bilbul, will be one of eight open for exploration between Friday, 14 October, and Sunday, 16 October. During the weekend, landscape architect and TV presenter Costa Georgiadis will be doing the rounds of the gardens and giving talks. He stops by the De Bortoli garden at 2pm on Saturday, 15 October.
What Mrs De Bortoli calls her garden is actually an oasis featuring a vast manicured lawn, specimen plants, sculptures, dry river beds, lagoons, billabongs, a waterfall, a Venetian bridge, narrow walkways, dry-stone walls, a wooden teepee and a folly. The 84-year-old continues to garden every day, and is focused on getting everything in order before the festival.
“To me, gardening is the best therapy. Where you’re in the garden, you are concentrating on the plants, not anything else,” she said.
“I get my ideas from visiting other gardens [like in] Rome and Venice … I still do a lot of the trimming but leave the big jobs to our gardeners.”
Emeri with her brother David. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
It was two decades ago that Mrs De Bortoli transformed a large plot of dirt into a memorial garden dedicated to her late husband, Deen. Her “labour of love” has survived two major floods and two droughts, but thanks to meticulous care the family has been able to expand it and add new features.
Deen was the son of Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli, Italian immigrants who founded the winery in 1928. Emeri’s son is Darren De Bortoli, the current managing director, who is also known for his popular and provocative Facebook page.
Emeri’s appreciation of nature began at an early age.
“As a child, I loved the outdoors … I lived near Westend [in Griffith], which at that time was all bush. I’d go shrimping in the main canal there and climb the trees. I was a bit of a tomboy,” she said.
“I wasn’t really into gardening until my mother-in-law got me into it. I took over her garden.”
Margot De Bortoli. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Olive, one of Emeri’s 13 grandchildren, visited her Nonna’s garden on Tuesday, 4 October.
“Have you come over to help me in the garden?” Emeri asked.
“No, I’ve come over to play in the garden,” Olive responded.
Emeri is particularly proud of her gingko, native to China and one of the longest-living tree species in the world.
“I’ve planted the tree but I won’t get to see it fully grown … they call it the jurassic tree because it survives for so long.
“The wattles are also blooming and lovely at the moment.”
Emeri’s gingko tree. Photo: Emeri De Bortoli.
Emeri’s garden is at 1 De Bortoli Rd, Bilbul, and will be open for public visits between 9 am and 5 pm from 14-16 October.
Entry costs $8 a person, which is paid at the gate. A dinner with Costa Georgiadis is offered at the garden at 5:30 pm on Saturday, 15 October. Tickets cost $120 and should be purchased in advance from the De Bortoli website.
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