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The Peaceful Land of Joy Gardens
The beautiful 10-acre gardens are a haven of tranquility for all who visit the Tibetan Buddhist Society. With hundreds of rose bushes in many varieties,
this garden is also home to one of Victoria’s largest and most successful examples of rose companion planting without pesticides or herbicides.
The gardens have been continuously nurtured and expanded by volunteers under the careful guidance of the Society’s Spiritual Head, the Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden.
As a refugee from Tibet who first came to Australia in 1976, Geshe Loden says the gardens and the Society’s traditional Tibetan temple reflect his gratitude for the support and shelter he has received in Australia over the past 29 years.
The gardens are open to the community four times each year - at the Tibetan New Year festival, the Buddhist Spring festival and the two Rose Garden Open Day weekends.
The next Rose Garden Open Days will be on the weekend of 24 and 25 March 2012 and 1 and 2 December 2012.
Tours are conducted throughout the Tibetan New Year Festival, Buddhist Spring Festival and Rose Garden Open Weekends.
Details for the Open Days can be found here:  Rose Garden Open Days
An abundant rose garden
The garden is chemical free with no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers used for its maintenance. This not only supports the environment but also leads to an abundance of healthy colourful roses.
Roses were selected for the garden because they offer such a range of form, fragrance and colour and they flower repeatedly throughout the season.
Five tips for a healthy chemical free rose garden:
Choose strong varieties that resist disease
Plant one metre apart
Replenish soil with lots of clean organic matter and vary the composts and organic fertilisers
Water in the morning without wetting the foliage and dead head regularly
Use companion planting to attract insects away from the roses, especially with calendulas
The roses are surrounded by lakes, sweeping lawns, sunny courtyards and 2500 trees including 32 golden robinias, 22 Californian redwoods, 31 olives, weeping elms, willows and mulberries, cedars, Japanese maples, flowering cherries and blue spruce.
The most recent addition to the garden is the brightly coloured Alyogyne West Coast Gem (Satin Hibiscus), a drought tolerate native Australian flower.
The Tibetan Buddhist Society has also invested in water recycling equipment so that rainfall and water from the property can be used to maintain the garden.
Experience the tranquility and tour the gardens
Sitting by the lake watching the bird life, relaxing under a tree and admiring the roses around the traditional Tibetan temple can help visitors recharge and develop a calm approach to the challenges of a busy life.
The two annual Rose Garden Open Day weekends are held in March and November three weeks after the Tibetan New Year Festival and the Buddhist Spring Festival respectively when the roses are at their best.
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