Signs of the season

August always feels like a month caught between seasons. Winter still has a firm grip, yet subtle signs of change are already underway for those who take the time to notice. The first flashes of gold from wattles, the early purple flowers of hardenbergia weaving through the garden, the swelling buds of peaches and nectarines, the emerging green shoots of spring bulbs, and the rich fragrance of daphne and boronia at their peak all hint that the landscape is quietly preparing for spring.

For the Traditional Owners of much of central Victoria, this is Guling – the Orchid Season. One of many Indigenous seasonal cycles across Victoria, Guling is marked not by dates on a calendar but by careful observation of Country. Native orchids begin to flower, the silver wattles come into bloom and bush birds begin nest building.

Gardeners have always understood this way of noticing. We are attuned to the small shifts that signal change and to what the garden is telling us. Perhaps that is the invitation August provides: to spend a little time wandering our own patch, noticing the signs that connect us more deeply to our gardens and the first clues that the season is turning. A reminder, too, that the passing of seasons is best understood through the landscape itself.

For Open Gardens Victoria, August is a month of anticipation. Before the excitement of the open garden season begins in September, it offers an opportunity to spend time in our own gardens, appreciating the quiet awakening taking place. Soon enough, these signs of renewal will gather momentum and unfold across gardens throughout Victoria as we come together to celebrate another season of open gardens.

In this month’s newsletter, the countdown is well and truly underway for our 2026 spring opening season. We’ve added eight new gardens to our must-visit list, along with a final reminder to capture some of those seasonal changes in your own garden and enter our Winter Competition before entries close on 15 August.

Happy gardening,
The OGV Team

Spring program nearly complete

With just one month until spring, our program of garden openings is nearly complete. We’ve added more gardens to the website in recent weeks in regional Victoria and inner Melbourne and we have another couple to add to the program. Here’s a snapshot of what we have planned for spring - follow the link below to find out more and book your tickets.

Enter our winter competition!

There are just two weeks until our winter competition closes. We’ve received some fabulous entries and we’d love to see your photos.

Share your winter garden photos with us and you could win an OGV merchandise prize pack. From soft light and dewy petals, to bare trees and pops of winter colour, we’d love to see what is happening in your winter garden or a garden near you. Send us your high-resolution photos by 15 August and we’ll announce our winners in the September newsletter.

More winter colour

We love these snapshots of winter colour from local gardens – from delicate winter roses and the graceful silver foliage of the Silver Princess eucalypt, to bold citrus and spring bulbs quietly filling spaces throughout the garden. These seasonal highlights, set against the rich greens of winter, create a beautiful display and remind us there is always something to discover in the garden.

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