The Adelaide Botanic Gardens is one of the must see places of spring. As part of its 150 years celebration, there have been plenty of new and exciting changes happening.
In the heart of the gardens is a fantastic new precinct. The raised Shomburgk Pavillion, named after an early Director of the Gardens, is a stunning undercover area which includes the relocated bookshop and a brand new caf?.
There is also the newly planted, sensational Mediterranean garden featuring a diverse range of coloured and textured low water use plants that are immensely suited to our local conditions. The collections combine plants from Australia and overseas including California, South Africa and even Chile.
Grass Trees with their blackened trunks and tussled tops look like they are guarding the entrance to the garden. While the massed planting of Geraldton Wax on either side will only get better as they mature and fill out.
Berry laden Myrtle’s are used extensively to divide key planting and collections. It is such a great plant for hedging and borders. Super tough and easily maintained try this one at home
It is not just the exotic plants that fill this garden; good old favourites like Rosemary, Lavender and the ever reliable Agapanthus also get a guernsey as immensely suited plants for our climate.
Fire plays such an important part in the regeneration of many bush plants and Golden Wattle seedlings have been propagated using heat, mimicking the natural fire germination.
The water feature running down the centre of the garden compliments the ’low water use’ theme perfectly. The thin band of water with its cleverly placed brick base breaks the flow and provides a constant rippling effect as the water moves along making it look and sound like a much larger flowing stream.
The intricately designed garden is absolutely fascinating. There is so much to learn from such a diverse group plants and how we can use these in our own backyard.
Take some time out to explore this fantastic addition to great gardens and afterwards just sit down with a coffee, relax and enjoy the scenery.
Adelaide Botanic Garden
North Terrace
Adelaide, SA 5000
Australia
Phone: (61 8) 8222 9311
Fax: (61 8) 8222 9399
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/botanicgardens/adelaide.html
