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Edna Walling

(1895–1973)

Visionary Australian Landscape Architect

“Nature is our greatest teacher” — Edna Walling

Born in 1895 in Bickleigh, Devon, England, Edna Walling’s early love for nature was nurtured by her surroundings and family. Her passion for gardening became the foundation of her career as a pioneering landscape designer in Australia. In a male-dominated field, Edna broke barriers with her commitment to sustainability, her use of native plants, and her visionary designs that emphasised harmony with nature. Known for her practical and grounded approach to life, Edna’s distinctive style included cropped hair, jodhpurs, shirt, and hat. Throughout her career, she crafted over 300 gardens, leaving an enduring mark on Australian horticulture.

In 1914, Edna’s family relocated to Victoria, Australia, after a brief stay in New Zealand. Encouraged by her mother to pursue horticulture, Edna enrolled at Burnley Horticultural College in 1916, becoming one of the few women to do so. After graduating in 1917, she worked as a gardener, quickly gaining recognition for her talent and work ethic.

Her niece Barbara Barnes recalled,

‘She was physically strong and had a lot of physical energy, so digging and carting things in wheelbarrows and heavy loads were quite normal for her.’[1]

In 1921, Edna purchased land in Mooroolbark and built her home, “Sonning,” where she established a nursery and designed the English-style village of Bickleigh Vale. By the early 1920s, she was a sought-after landscape designer, known for creating gardens that seamlessly integrated with the natural environment.

Her designs, characterised by rugged stone walls and naturalistic layouts, were a departure from the formal garden styles of the time. In 1936, a fire destroyed “Sonning,” but Edna resiliently re-designed and rebuilt her home.

Edna’s Arts and Craft-style gardens were celebrated for their simplicity and natural beauty. She avoided unnecessary ornamentation, focusing instead on thoughtful plant and material selection.

Long before environmental consciousness became mainstream, Edna’s designs incorporated water conservation techniques and local native flora. Her sensitivity to Australia’s unique climate and plant life enabled her to create gardens that integrated native species, celebrating the natural beauty of the Australian landscape. Her approach laid the foundation for modern eco-friendly garden design.

Notable projects include Mawarra Gardens and Bickleigh Vale Village, where her vision for community-centred living took shape. Her clientele included prominent figures such as Dame Nellie Melba and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, solidifying her reputation as one of Australia’s leading landscape designers.

Beyond her design work, Edna shared her knowledge through extensive writing. From 1925 to 1940, she contributed a popular column to Home Beautiful. She also wrote articles for Australian Women’s Mirror and The Australian Home Builder. Her books, Gardens in Australia (1943), Cottage and Garden in Australia (1947), A Gardener’s Log and Country Roads: The Australian Roadside (1952), further cemented her status as an authority on Australian garden design. On the Trail of Australian Wildflowers (1985) and The Happiest Days of My Life (2008) were published posthumously, inspiring new generations of gardeners.

By the mid-1930s, Edna had become a passionate and accomplished photographer, using a Rolleiflex camera and developing her photos in her darkroom at Bickleigh Vale. Her artistic images illustrated her books and articles. The State Library holds about 4,500 of her photographs, over 300 watercolour garden plans, and a collection of her manuscripts. Edna also mentored young garden designers, ensuring that her principles of sustainability and natural beauty would influence future generations.[2]

Edna continued to design gardens and write until her death in 1973 at the age of 77. She shared much of her later life with her lifelong friend, poet Lorna Fielden, who assisted her with her books. Edna’s ashes were buried beneath a tree at Buderim Memorial Gardens, and Lorna was buried beside her in 1977.

Edna Walling’s gardens, writings, and philosophies continue to inspire both professional landscape architects and home gardeners. Many of her original gardens, including Mawarra and Bickleigh Vale, are heritage-listed and continue to be enjoyed by the public, serving as a lasting legacy of her vision.

Commemoration: Edna Walling Cottage

Set on three acres in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, the 1936 Edna Walling Cottage was originally built as a full-sized dolls’ house and is located amidst Edna Walling’s ‘greatest achievement’, Mawarra described by Edna herself as ‘a symphony in steps and beautiful trees’.

The magnificent Mawarra Manor was built in 1932.
Email: bookings@ednawalling.net.au

Acknowledgement: This Biography was written by Her Place Women’s Museum in consultation with playwright, Author and Scriptwriting Lecturer Tee O’Neill and property owner, Alan Jager.

Profile Photograph –  Edna Walling as a Student at Burnley, 1917, 1917-1990, Victorian Collections – Accessed 6 Nov 2024

Further Resources:

Books by Edna Walling

  • Walling, E. (1943). Gardens in Australia. Oxford University Press.
  • Walling, E. (1947). Cottage and garden in Australia. Oxford University Press.
  • Walling, E. (1952). A gardener’s log and country roads: The Australian roadside. Oxford University Press.
  • Walling, E. (1985). On the trail of Australian wildflowers. Kangaroo Press.
  • Walling, E. (2000). Letters to garden lovers. New Holland Publishers.
  • Walling, E. (2008). The happiest days of my life. Bloomings Books.

Books about Edna Walling

  • McDonald, S. (2005). The Gardens of Edna Walling. Bloomings Books.
  • Hardy, S. (2005). The Unusual Life of Edna Walling. Allen and Unwin
  • Walling, E, Dixon, T., & Churchill, J. (1988). The vision of Edna Walling: Garden plans 1920-1951. Bloomings Books
  • Watts, P. (1981). Edna Walling and Her Gardens, Florilegium

Online Resources

  • Edna Walling website Tantamount Productions, ABC, & State Library Victoria. (2001)  This site includes personal letters from Edna and a list of Walling gardens that are still intact. This list is compiled from “The Vision of Edna Walling” 
  • Edna Walling | State Library Victoria collections – photographs, manuscripts, writings and garden  plans.
  • Bickleigh Vale Website – Edna’s legacy lives on in The Place, The Heritage and The Community that is Bickleigh Vale village today.

Articles

Audio 

Film

 

 

[1] Barbara Barnes, interview by Daryl Dellora and Jo Wellington, September 11, 2000 for Tantatmount Productions Person:Overview  accessed October 10 2024

[2] Edna Walling | State Library Victoria collections (nd)-photographs, manuscripts, writings and garden  plans, accessed October 10 2024