Open Gardens Victoria - Binchy's Garden

Binchy’s Garden in seaside-Dalyston is a grevillea lover's dream, with a collection of nearly 200 hand-grafted rare and endangered species gathered over two decades by garden owner and horticulturalist David Binch.

“If you are obsessed with grevilleas and Australian gardens created for habitat, you should enjoy this garden” says David.

Five years ago, David and Cathie Binch purchased two small blocks of land in a recent subdivision, with the plan to build the house on one block and dedicate the entire 500-square-metre bock next door to create a garden. David started the garden first, to get the plants in the ground and growing. Today, the earthy green house is complete, with all windows on the west side facing out to the garden, allowing year-round views of the different plants and the perfect vantage point for watching the many birds that visit the garden.

The majority of grevilleas in David’s collection are from Western Australia, species that struggle to grow in southern Victoria. He is also growing grevilleas from all over Australia, two from New Caledonia as well as the odd hybrid, and two grevilleas that are extinct in the wild.

More recently he has added eucalyptus and banksia species to grow as an upper canopy for birds, giving a natural look and blocking out other houses in the estate.