This lovely large, heritage-listed Mediterranean garden is lovingly maintained by volunteers and provides many examples of tough, heat-loving shrubs and perennials

In September, almonds, pears and quince are in blossom and the verandahs are draped with a fragrant mauve haze from the wisteria. The beds are filled with the purple blooms of wigandia, ageratum and limonium with iris, and a host of other hardy Mediterranean bulbs, perennials and shrubs.

The garden and grounds at Beaumont House provide a fascinating glimpse into colonial life in SA. The land was purchased by Samuel Davenport in 1846 but leased to Augustus Short, the first Anglican bishop of Adelaide, who in 1849 built a small cottage and lived there until 1856 when Davenport and his wife Margaret moved in.

Davenport was an enthusiastic and enterprising farmer and experimented with growing olives, wine grapes, fragrant plants to make perfume, and mulberry trees to raise silkworms. Many of the trees Davenport planted are still standing - the heritage-listed olive grove, huge stone pines, pencil pines, palms, almonds, pears and fig trees.

After Davenport’s death in 1906, Major Vincent purchased the house and added three front rooms and the arched verandahs.

The property was donated to the National Trust in 1969 and is managed and maintained by the Trust. Beaumont House became its state headquarters in 2009 and since that time, a dedicated group of volunteer gardeners, led by horticultural consultant Merilyn Kuchel, has worked hard to redevelop the gardens. Old outbuildings and an aviary have been restored and a fountain installed. The heritage-listed olive grove has been rejuvenated and the old trees are now producing a quality olive oil which will be for sale at the open garden.