The Red Centre Garden
Feb. 1st, 2014 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calissaI am fortunate to have some fascinating friends. One of them is a landscape architect. We like to geek out about nature together and have been working on catching up more often to do things like visit national parks and go on nature walks.
Last weekend was the Australia Day long weekend and since neither of us eat meat we decided to forgo the traditional barbeque and celebrate in a different way. The Australian National Botanic Gardens had recently opened a new section they have dubbed the Red Centre Garden which features flowers from some of the more arid parts of the country. My friend was keen to visit and proposed that afterward we have a picnic dinner on the Eucalypt Lawn where a live jazz band would be playing as part of the Garden's Summer Sounds program. Needless to say, he didn't have to ask me twice!
Of course I packed my camera--so a warning: there are lots of photos ahead. Like about 15.
This lovely eucalypt greeted us at the entrance. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to catch what species it was. That was the case for a number of flowers I saw, so next time I am determined to make more of an effort to look at the signs (where they exist).
Sahaquiel and I arrived a little early, so we wandered through the rainforest section while we waited. The photos below were planted on the edge of that section and were absolutely enormous--at least the size of my hand!
Above captures most of the Red Centre garden. The pale line starting midway up the left side and running into the background is a dry creek bed. There was a lovely lady at the lookout this photo was taken from who, being one of the Friends of the Botantic Gardens, was able to explain a bit about the construction and materials used in the garden--much to our delight. We were surprised to find that most of the materials were sourced fairly locally rather than from the regions the garden is meant to represent.
Two main types of rocks were used in the construction of the garden. You can see the first out just beyond the dry creek bed. I was informed that this was Jasperite. Here's a closer look:
The second type (not visible in the landscape photo) was repurposed from one of suburbs that has only just been built. I found this somewhat astonishing because it is quite a stunning stone with gorgeous patches of ochre.
On the far side of the garden from the lookout was this large sculpture of a Thorny Devil. Sahaquiel was quite taken with it.
And then, of course, there were the plants themselves. It's not all flowers--there are grasses, too.
The straight impressions in the sand at the bottom of the photo are actually kangaroo tracks. I believe there were more of them in the centre of the circle (though stepping off the path to get a closer look is not permitted).
But really I was there for the flowers.
Swan River Daisies (Brachyscome iberidifolia)
Sturt's Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa). A bit blurred around the edges because it was taken at a distance with my new giant telephoto lens.
After inspecting the Red Centre garden, we went to stake our claim on the lawn for the jazz. It is a popular event and there was probably a couple of hundred people there, armed with their picnic blankets, eskies, and laughter. It has such a wonderful vibe to it. Everywhere you look there are people chatting away animatedly or greeting friends with hugs. We had a lovely time, though I was beginning to get a bit stiff after sitting on the ground for the first hour. So I took a wander with my camera into the Sydney region section. I could not go past these lovely Large Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora). The name should have given me a clue, but I was surprised at their size. The pictures I'd seen (and the one below) really doesn't do them justice.
And of course there was a Waratah, floral emblem of the state of New South Wales. This particular Waratah was a crossbreed, but I remember one component was Telopea speciosissima.
On our way out from the concert, we spotted a sight that immediately had me unpacking my giant telephoto lens again. Apologies for the blur once more--it really is impossible to keep steady by hand.
The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is the heaviest member of the kingfisher family. They also live locally to me and on summer mornings when I have been sleeping with the window open (which, let's face it, has been every summer morning lately) their call will drift through around dawn. If you've never had the joy of hearing their call, I highly recommend you check it out on Wikipedia.
Have a parting shot of the carpark.
The Botanic Gardens really are a beautiful place and next time I head back I hope to spam you with more photos!
Last weekend was the Australia Day long weekend and since neither of us eat meat we decided to forgo the traditional barbeque and celebrate in a different way. The Australian National Botanic Gardens had recently opened a new section they have dubbed the Red Centre Garden which features flowers from some of the more arid parts of the country. My friend was keen to visit and proposed that afterward we have a picnic dinner on the Eucalypt Lawn where a live jazz band would be playing as part of the Garden's Summer Sounds program. Needless to say, he didn't have to ask me twice!
Of course I packed my camera--so a warning: there are lots of photos ahead. Like about 15.
This lovely eucalypt greeted us at the entrance. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to catch what species it was. That was the case for a number of flowers I saw, so next time I am determined to make more of an effort to look at the signs (where they exist).
Sahaquiel and I arrived a little early, so we wandered through the rainforest section while we waited. The photos below were planted on the edge of that section and were absolutely enormous--at least the size of my hand!
Above captures most of the Red Centre garden. The pale line starting midway up the left side and running into the background is a dry creek bed. There was a lovely lady at the lookout this photo was taken from who, being one of the Friends of the Botantic Gardens, was able to explain a bit about the construction and materials used in the garden--much to our delight. We were surprised to find that most of the materials were sourced fairly locally rather than from the regions the garden is meant to represent.
Two main types of rocks were used in the construction of the garden. You can see the first out just beyond the dry creek bed. I was informed that this was Jasperite. Here's a closer look:
The second type (not visible in the landscape photo) was repurposed from one of suburbs that has only just been built. I found this somewhat astonishing because it is quite a stunning stone with gorgeous patches of ochre.
On the far side of the garden from the lookout was this large sculpture of a Thorny Devil. Sahaquiel was quite taken with it.
And then, of course, there were the plants themselves. It's not all flowers--there are grasses, too.
The straight impressions in the sand at the bottom of the photo are actually kangaroo tracks. I believe there were more of them in the centre of the circle (though stepping off the path to get a closer look is not permitted).
But really I was there for the flowers.
Swan River Daisies (Brachyscome iberidifolia)
Sturt's Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa). A bit blurred around the edges because it was taken at a distance with my new giant telephoto lens.
After inspecting the Red Centre garden, we went to stake our claim on the lawn for the jazz. It is a popular event and there was probably a couple of hundred people there, armed with their picnic blankets, eskies, and laughter. It has such a wonderful vibe to it. Everywhere you look there are people chatting away animatedly or greeting friends with hugs. We had a lovely time, though I was beginning to get a bit stiff after sitting on the ground for the first hour. So I took a wander with my camera into the Sydney region section. I could not go past these lovely Large Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora). The name should have given me a clue, but I was surprised at their size. The pictures I'd seen (and the one below) really doesn't do them justice.
And of course there was a Waratah, floral emblem of the state of New South Wales. This particular Waratah was a crossbreed, but I remember one component was Telopea speciosissima.
On our way out from the concert, we spotted a sight that immediately had me unpacking my giant telephoto lens again. Apologies for the blur once more--it really is impossible to keep steady by hand.
The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is the heaviest member of the kingfisher family. They also live locally to me and on summer mornings when I have been sleeping with the window open (which, let's face it, has been every summer morning lately) their call will drift through around dawn. If you've never had the joy of hearing their call, I highly recommend you check it out on Wikipedia.
Have a parting shot of the carpark.
The Botanic Gardens really are a beautiful place and next time I head back I hope to spam you with more photos!
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Date: 2014-02-07 05:29 pm (UTC)(Goodness, those eucalypt red flowers—! that stone, so many stories simmering)
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