Open Garden 2025: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Ruth Irving

A Garden of Legacy: Honouring Ruth Irving at Al Ru Farm’s Open Garden

Join us on Sunday, 21st September, for Al Ru Farm’s annual Open Garden, a special day to wander through the vibrant beauty of our grounds. This year, we also come together to honour the life and legacy of Ruth Irving, the extraordinary woman who lovingly created these gardens and who sadly passed away on 11th August.

Ruth Irving - Saltbush Photography

Ruth was not only the heart of Al Ru Farm, but the hands, vision, and spirit behind every garden bed, winding path, and blooming flower. Over the past four decades, she transformed what was once a bare paddock into one of South Australia’s most enchanting gardens, a tapestry of colour, structure, and soul that reflects both creativity and care.

When Ruth and her husband, Dr Alan Irving, bought the property 45 years ago, she told him she wanted to start a garden. Alan’s surprised reply was, ‘You want to do what!?’ But little by little, Ruth began extending the boundary fences, making room for her ever-growing vision. ‘She could already see where the pathways would go, they were the blueprint for the whole garden,’ Alan recalls.

Every corner of Al Ru Farm tells a story: The White wedding garden, created to host the family weddings, the woodland path, where dappled light filters through trees she lovingly nurtured from saplings.

The beautiful Barn, inspired by Ruth’s love of antiques created for her own shop, pays tribute to the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles, with each stunning mirror carefully sourced from France.

The formal garden was originally intended as a rose garden, but Alan was determined to have no roses. That changed when Ruth took him to the Veale Gardens in Adelaide. Inspired by what he saw, Alan returned home brimming with enthusiasm and immediately began pegging out the ground for their very own rose garden.

Her spirit lives on in every path, flower bed, and open space, and so do her beloved animals. You may spot Blossom the cow, Polly the lamb, Ruby the dog, or Peewee the noisy guinea fowl, who still roam the property she tended with such love. Ruth’s deep connection with animals, nature, and people spreads throughout the property in quiet, beautiful ways.

Ruth believed that gardens are for people, not just to look at, but to walk through, to feel, to celebrate in. That belief lives on in every event we host, and this Open Garden will be no different - a day full of life, laughter, and connection.

We’ll have delicious food provided by the One Tree Hill Uniting Church, market stalls, plants, and garden treasures to explore. Entry and parking will be managed by our wonderful One Tree Hill CFS, with all proceeds going to support their essential work and the Open Garden Scheme.

This year, we open our gates not just to share the beauty of the gardens, but to remember the woman who created them. Ruth poured her heart into everything she did, especially Al Ru, which was not just her home but her canvas, her sanctuary, and the living embodiment of her creativity. She was a whirlwind of passion, always dreaming, planting, building, and nurturing, not just plants, but the people around her too.

Ruth’s vision continues to inspire us, and we look forward to welcoming you to walk the paths she once walked and to enjoy the haven she so lovingly built.

Save the date: Sunday 21st September, 10 am - 4 pm

Al Ru Farm - A garden grown with love.