Best Gardens in the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges

Best for: cool-climate colour and a first visit to the Dandenongs

One of the region's great cool-climate gardens, Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden is known for its collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, cherries and daffodils.

A network of paths winds through the garden, with the landscape changing noticeably through the seasons. Spring may be its most famous time, but foliage, bark, fragrance and the scale of the garden give you reasons to return throughout the year.

It's an easy garden to combine with time in Olinda and other gardens nearby.

Best for: contemporary Australian garden design

Within Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden you'll find something quite different.

The Chelsea Australian Garden at Olinda was created by landscape designer Phillip Johnson and brings Australian plants, water, stone and sculptural elements together in a distinctly Australian landscape.

More than 15,000 plants representing over 400 Australian species were used in the garden, alongside a waterfall, billabong and its striking Waratah sculpture.

Visit it as part of a wider exploration of Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden rather than treating the two as separate trips.

Best for: garden design, flowers and lingering a little longer

Cloudehill sits high in the Dandenongs at Olinda, where deep volcanic soil and a cool climate have helped create a series of richly planted garden rooms.

Stone walls and hedges divide the garden into distinct spaces, with flowering borders, woodland, bulbs and mature trees creating different experiences as you wander.

Garden lovers can take their time here, then browse the nursery or make lunch part of the visit.

Best for: woodland walks, water and autumn atmosphere

Set beneath towering Mountain Ash on the historic Burnham Beeches estate, Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens feels as much like a woodland walk as a formal garden visit.

Paths descend through the landscape towards the ornamental lake and its much-photographed boathouse, with water features, mature trees and changing foliage along the way.

It's particularly atmospheric in autumn, although the combination of forest, water and garden makes it worth visiting in other seasons too.

Best for: Australian native plants and quiet discovery

Karwarra offers a different expression of the Dandenongs.

Set across two hectares at Kalorama, the garden is devoted to Australian plants, showing just how diverse, colourful and beautiful a native garden can be.

For gardeners looking for ideas to take home, there's also a specialist nursery, making this a particularly rewarding stop for anyone interested in Australian plants.

Best for: variety and garden inspiration

In the heart of the Yarra Valley, Alowyn Gardens brings together a series of distinct garden spaces across seven acres.

Nine different garden areas and changing seasonal displays mean there's plenty to explore, while the nursery makes it easy to turn inspiration into something for your own garden.

With a café on site, it's also a garden where you can comfortably slow down rather than rush through.

Best for: summer colour and water gardens

Blue Lotus Water Garden is one of the region's most distinctive seasonal experiences.

The garden comes alive over summer with lakes, lotus flowers and waterlilies creating a landscape quite unlike the cool-climate gardens of the Dandenongs.

Unlike many gardens on this list, Blue Lotus has a defined opening season, generally from late December into autumn, so check opening dates before making the trip.

Its Yarra Junction location also makes it a natural addition to a day exploring Warburton Valley.

Best for: garden history combined with food and wine

Once home to Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, Coombe brings garden history together with one of the other great pleasures of the Yarra Valley: food and wine.

The property offers an opportunity to explore the garden and its history while making lunch, wine and the wider estate part of the experience.

Choose Coombe when you'd like your garden visit to become part of a longer Yarra Valley day rather than the sole reason for the trip.