Only in Australia

Australians universally refer to their native eucalyptus trees as gum trees, so I guess they don't see the name of this motel as a potential drawback. My dentist is going to love this one.

More on waratahs

Further to my comments on waratahs, I should mention that our town, Katoomba, has garbage bins along the main street that feature this very attractive stylized waratah design.

Spring Gardens

Leura, the town immediately east of our town, Katoomba, is a quieter, more upmarket area of fine old homes surrounded by gracious gardens, many of which are owned by wealthy retirees or long-established families. Each October, there is a one-week open gardens festival, which raises money for charity. This year a ticket costing a mere $18 gave you access to nine private gardens, so naturally I went along.






Most of the gardens featured banks of flowering azaleas and rhododendrons under stately English oaks and beeches.




The one featuring mosaic columns and many shallow bowls of succulents reminded me of Seattle gardens I have seen, particularly the Little and Lewis garden. A lemon and an orange tree growing in big blue pots were more reminiscent of Tuscany. Growing your own citrus is a possibility here; my sister has been supplying me with lovely organic lemons from her garden for the past month.





The smallest garden on the tour had some of the best features, including the water feature with the floating silver balls. It also had the best view, especially when seen through the foliage of a native tree fern.


The photo of the beautiful bank of erythroniums and hellebores gracing one of the grand estates is for my friend Lambert. They are all the common E. x versicolor 'Suphureum', but it was the mass of them, extending perhaps 30 metres along the base of a drystone wall, that was so impressive.

Waratahs

Late September through October is bloom time for the waratah (Telopea speciosissima), floral emblem of New South Wales. Many of these shrubs grow wild in the Blue Mountains, and it's a popular shrub with gardeners who favour native plants. There are a number of cultivars on the market, including pink and cream-coloured ones, but the traditional colour is red. At Mount Tomah Botanic Garden I photographed this impressive specimen of a cultivar called 'Shady Lady'. From a distance, it bears a distinct resemblance to the rhododendrons that I was admiring a month earlier. (see my blog of Sept 10)

Roses

I guess it was inevitable that roses would find their way into my life again. None in my garden yet (I'm resisting), but I couldn't resist photographing these on a back road in the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's more famous wine-growing areas. Of course, anywhere that grapes will grow, roses will be happy too. I believe these are both forms of Rosa banksii, a rose which grows poorly in Vancouver but obviously loves the climate in this part of Australia. As far as I can see, they were not receiving any loving care in this location

Rhododendrons

As spring advances, rhododendrons are beginning to bloom. They thrive in the Blue Mountains, to the extent that the neighbouring town of Blackheath holds a rhododendron festival every year with open gardens and other attractions. Two houses along the street from us, these magnificent specimens currently dominate the backyard. I've deliberately included the edge of the house in one photo and a corner of the garage roof in the other to give a indication of scale.

Speaking of spring, Australians go by the calendar and nominate September 1st as the first day of the season, rather than opting for the equinox as Canadians do.

Innovative garden centre

Last week my sister introduced me to her favourite Sydney garden centre. Everything was well laid out and well labelled, although the choice was not as wide as in a large Vancouver nursery. The selection of Australian native plants was particularly good, and I bought a couple of kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos sp.) as well as a silver-leafed Convulvulus cneorum.
However, what really impressed me was that beyond the checkouts there was a small station with tap, sink and airdryer for customers to wash their hands. This seems to me an idea that other garden centres would do well to copy, as we all end up with dirty hands from picking up and putting down pots. It's a particularly generous gesture in Australia where water is not free as it is in Canada.