Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
It was a cold, chilly winter’s day in Melbourne yesterday but the sun was shining brightly. The previous few days had been cold and wet so what better thing to do than to get out of the house and go for a walk outdoors.
Of course for a gardener there is no better place to go for a walk than through a garden and for me and my family one of our most favourite gardens is the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The gardens are located just to the east of the city of Melbourne, they are well over 150 years old and are made up of one of the most amazing collections of plants and trees from all over the world. For me though, I would have to say one of the real features are some of the magnificent trees growing there.
Just some of the magnificent trees in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens.
There is nothing more remarkable than a tree that has stood the test of time. These types of trees are irreplaceable and the Melbourne Botanic Gardens are just full of trees from Australia and all around the world. Some are growing by themselves surrounded by lush green lawns while others are growing amongst others in groves that make up small forests and grow tall and narrow as they try to outgrow each other in a quest for sunlight.
One of the other things about the gardens is that they have something for everyone. For children there is no better place than the Children’s Garden.
For me, being a lover of drought tolerant plants, I like the Californian Garden and the arid garden.
There are also groves of bamboo, as well as Camellia and Rhododendron gardens. There really is something for everyone even if you’re not a gardener you really can’t help but be amazed. So if you live in Melbourne and haven’t paid a visit here then you are really missing out or if you ever come to visit then you really need to add it to your schedule. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne really is a wonderful place to visit.
Here’s some more trees I found interesting.
Have you even wondered how large the "bottle trunk" grows on Brachychiton rupestris in 67 years?
Brachychiton rupestris "the Bottle Tree"
This "Grass Tree" didn't have a label but these plants are very, very slow growers, so it must be old. It must have been about 4m tall.
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Melaleuca styphelioides
You can see why Melaleucas are called paper barks.
I will have to return in early summer to see it in flower.
Cockscomb Coral Tree
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Possibly Related Posts:
- Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show
- Californian Garden
- Childrens Garden
- Geelong Botanic Gardens
Childrens Garden
One of the great things about the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is that they have a Children’s Garden.
Children's Garden Entrance.
Children absolutely love this place. For active kids there’s lots of things to climb over, paths that weave their way through bamboo groves and also a winding Melaleuca arbour. There’s also water fountains, a small stream and pond and lots of unusual plants that the kids find interesting.
On a busy day the Children’s garden is full of families with kids playing and enjoying the many places to hide (from their parents).
This Bamboo Grove has a group of Bangalow Palms, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, growing in the middle of it.
Melaleuca quinquenervia grows into a large tree but these have been pruned into a long arbour. What a great idea!
From a gardeners point of view this garden has lots of interesting plants ranging from a vegetable garden with fruit trees, the bamboo grove, Australian native plants and lot’s lot’s more. So if you’ve got kids this is a great place to take them and even if you haven’t then I’m sure you can find something of interest.
Banksia Giant Candles
Brachychiton rupestris
Corymbia ficifolia "Summertime", flowering in mid-winter?
Possibly Related Posts:
- Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show
- Californian Garden
- Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
- Geelong Botanic Gardens
Geelong Botanic Gardens
The Geelong Botanic Gardens is well over one hundred years old. A new addition to the gardens though is a very contemporary water wise garden full of some very drought tolerant plants.
The garden is made of drought tolerant plants from both here in Australia and around the world. These include cactus and succulent species, Agaves and Aloes etc.
Some of the feature plants are some water wise Brachychiton rupestris (bottles trees), a large Dracaena draco, (Dragon Tree) as well as palms, cycads and pine trees.
Many of these plants are nowadays very common in contemporary water wise gardens as they are quite architectural. The only problem is that many of them are slow growers so you either have to be patient or spend the extra money to buy advanced plants.
I have lots of these types of plants growing in my front garden and will write about them in future posts. In the meantime though have a look at some of my photos from the Water Wise Garden at the Geelong Botanic Gardens.
The Geelong Botanic Gardens located at Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
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Possibly Related Posts:
- Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show
- Californian Garden
- Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
- Childrens Garden
