Landscape designer Rick Eckersley's Musk Cottage on Mornington Peninsula listed

Landscape designer Rick Eckersley has listed Musk Cottage at Flinders on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula through RT Edgar.

It is Eckersley's 12-year labour of love on Musk Creek Road, having paid $2 million in 2006.

Rick, who grew up on a cattle and wool grazing property in Macarthur, in the Western District, studied at Burnley Horticultural College as a mature-age student.

He worked for Berwick City Council for three weeks, before leaving to start his own landscaping business.

The four hectare weekender was bought when it was almost entirely mown lawn with Eckersley wanting the garden "to look like a Fred Williams painting".

Using mostly Australian plants, it is a low-maintenance private garden, but also the test bed for his business, with Scott Leung and Myles Broad having shared credit for the garden's design.

Open Gardens Victoria's spring season of events launched last weekend with the opening of the garden at Musk Cottage.

The four-hectare spread includes dramatic sweeps of contrasting plants - think black-trunked ironbarks under-planted with wave-pruned privet and linden trees juxtaposed with lomandra.

it is both the private garden of leading designer Rick Eckersley and the test bed for his Melbourne practice.

In establishing Musk Cottage in 2008, the aim was a sustainable, low-maintenance, quintessentially Australian.

Scott Leung, who with Eckersley and Myles Broad, shares credit for the garden's design.

This article first appeared in The Weekend Australian.