About The Oaks

Dating from the 1870s, The Oaks has been my family’s home for two decades. We stumbled across the old homestead, surrounded by enormous elm, oak and maple trees in the Adelaide Hills, after leaving Sydney with our young sons for a tree change. We knew not a jot about gardening, and it was a steep learning curve, but over the years, gardening has become an all-consuming passion. We grow vegetables, keep geese, sheep, chooks and bees and live a life that revolves around the Hills’ four seasons.

The eight-acre garden and stone homestead at The Oaks remains a work in progress, for a garden is never finished and the restoration of a historic house never ends. I’ve established The Oaks Trading Company to share my garden, and the beautiful Adelaide Hills, with others. English flower farmer and florist Rebecca Starling leads workshops in our studio in the Autumn and Spring. An online shop will follow soon.

Christine McCabe

Our cut flower workshops, led by English flower grower and florist Rebecca Starling and inspired by similar events in England and the US, are available in the spring and autumn with occasional winter classes. Discover just how easy it is to establish your own cutting garden, providing flowers for the house year-round. You'll come away from these workshops inspired, with gorgeous home-grown flowers to take home and a raft of new skills.

 
 

Follow Christine’s Adventures

Wonderful couple of days with Rebecca (@starlingflowers_ ) launching our new book, Secrets From The Flower Farm. Firstly at @matilda_bookshop, then @barrowandbenchmitre10 . At both events we were surrounded by the most gorgeous garden lovers (yet to
Stunning dried flower installation at Santa Maria Novella HQ in Florence. Making me excited, as I prepare to head home, for the release of Secrets From the Flower Farm later this week with @starlingflowers_ And workshops on growing, harvesting, arra
⏪️ Cafe culture. #rome #florence #cafes #cafeculture
Porcini time in Rome. In every market. On every restaurant countertop. Like a delicious still life. #rome #markets #mushrooms #porcini #italy
Faces and feet. Galleria Borghese. #galleriaborghese🎨 #rome #beauty
Rome. A postcard prospect around every corner. #italy #rome #mooching
Good morning Rome. #rome
Another moment from last week’s garden tour with @renaissancetours This one from the historical and quite magical Anlaby sheep station north of the Barossa Valley. Love the way the garden art follows the tree’s lean. #renaissancetours #ga
⏪️ Some images from a wonderful early spring tour I am leading of South Australian gardens for Renaissance Tours. Great group, gorgeous gardens. Spring sunshine and the scent of wisteria. Heaven. Swipe for some spring inspiration. #renaissancetours
⏪️ Is there such a thing as Victorian cottagecore? Found it at the enchanting Lumiere Lodge(lumierelodge) in Hobart, an exquisite little time machine decorated with wit and whimsy. Read more soon in @travelandluxury #lumierelodge #hobart #vintagechi
Garden aspirations. Rather fancy a mammoth for the back lawn. This one roams the mountains of Sapa. #topiary #woolymammoth #sapa #vietnam #gardensoftheworld