33 Devonshire Lane, Mount Macedon, Vic 3441

Under Instruction from the Executor of the Estate of Mollie Dodge
Garden lovers are expected to be out in force when one of Mount Macedon’s finest horticultural treasure troves goes under the hammer.
Lime Tree House, nestled among some of the Mount’s most iconic historical gardens on Devonshire Lane and once part of the impressive Penrith estate, is being auctioned on Saturday, December 13.
Lime Tree House is described by rare plants specialist and former Gardening Australia TV host Stephen Ryan as “a unique collection of interesting and exotic plants in a beautiful garden in layout, form and character in one of Mt Macedon’s most beautiful laneways”.
It is named after the stunning entry avenue of lime trees overhanging equally striking carpets of English-style bulbs including bluebells, snowdrops and crocus.
Moderately sized at a little over one hectare, Lime Tree House offers all the style and rare plants variance of bigger Mt Macedon gardens nearby yet on a smaller, more manageable canvas.
With a three-bedroom 1980s brick veneer home, it is considered a dream buy for gardeners or garden lovers.
Created by well known local garden identities the late Alan and Mollie Dodge from the 1950s in what were Penrith’s cow paddocks, it has won several Garden of the Year awards and featured in a Burke’s Backyard TV program in which the host described its extensive hand-clipped box hedging as being the best he had ever seen.
Rich in azaleas and rhododendrons (some higher than the house itself), this mountain beauty is being sold by the Executor.
Reminiscent of an English country garden in the Cotswolds, it is highlighted by bricked paths meandering through verdant glades under century-old trees, a charming rustic entry arch to the garden itself, rock walls, snaking climbing clematis and roses, standard flowering cherry, hollies, camellias, viburnums and wild strawberries.
Out in the garden can still be found a rill and remains of an old watermill used by sawmillers in the mid-1800s when Mt Macedon was the source of much timber for Melbourne’s early buildings.
Here the sounds of silence are broken only by the amazing array of birdlife.
Nearly all rooms of the 14-square house come with views to the breathtaking garden. The main bedroom includes an ensuite while the kitchen/family area, living and dining room all boast a country coziness.
A split heating/cooling system plus a woodheater ensure year-round comfort.
There is undercover parking for two cars and a delightfully rustic outbuilding once used as a milking shed when the property was part of Penrith is now used as a wood shed.
On two titles, Lime Tree House is being auctioned at 2pm on Saturday, December 13,