Friday, July 6, 2012

Flower Flaunt Friday ... A Special Garden Away From Home

I've been away from home lately.  The school semester break saw me jetting off to Brisbane to attend a conference ... the things we teachers do when we're on school holiday!!! ... and to visit with my son and his family.  I had some spare time, in amongst the busy holiday goings-on, to visit my favourite spot in the heart of our state's capital city's CBD.  The Roma Street Parklands is a 16 hectare oasis right in the middle of Brisbane.


One of the most popular spaces in the Parklands is the 'Spectacle Garden'.  As you meander along its pathways, you are treated to a fabulous display of seasonal colour in the flower beds.


But added to this gorgeous collection of blooms, there's also a herb and vegie garden,


 wonderful water features and art works.

For this Friday's flower flaunt, I've put together a little video of various snapshots I took as I wandered through the Spectacle Garden on a fine early Winter's day.  Do click on the enlarge box in the bottom right-hand corner to enjoy the full spectacle!




I'm joining Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers


I'm also joining Tina for Weekend Flowers


25 comments:

  1. I like the stepping stone arrangement with pots. The whole garden is very beautiful.
    xo Jenny

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    1. G'day Jenny. The water feature that cascades through the Spectacle Garden is a wonderful sight. The section with the stepping stones is a lovely spot. It always looks fabulous.

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  2. I noticed in the back ground of photo no. 2 is a wedding party what a wonderful setting to have wedding photos or a ceremony. The gardens are such a delight the ornamental cabbage is quite stunning. Hope you enjoyed the conference and getting to see the family as well… Bet you had a huge smile on your dial. :O)

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    1. Lol, yes Sue, the widest smile all over my dial!!! There was a wedding party in the park that afternoon but I only got to see the lovely bridesmaids in their beautiful gowns. The Parklands is a understandably very popular venue for weddings.

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  3. How lovely Bernie. That Kale looks so pretty in the bed. Like giant rose blooms. I am glad you are getting to visit the family and enjoy some gardens too. Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Lona, it was great to head off to visit with my family while on semester break, and the bonus was getting to visit the Parklands again as well. I also loved the ornamental Kale. They looked fantastic.

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  4. Love those ornamental cabbages - so colorful. I like having them in my garden in the fall.

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    1. Beth, I agree with you completely. The ornamental Kale do look so good. I've never used them myself though. They do well down in the sub-tropical zone around Brisbane, but not so great up here in the northern tropics. The temps just don't really get cold enough here.

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  5. I love the word 'spectacle' what a great name!!! Looks like a fun place to explore:)

    http://amellowlife.blogspot.com/

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    1. It's definitely a must-see, Carla. I try to visit the Spectacle Garden every year I go down to Brisbane. There's always something new and different to enjoy, and I just love flowers!

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  6. Bernie,

    The gardens are wonderful and I should be taking note. We are 104 degrees F today and I see many of the plants that are holding up well in my garden, dicondra, cordyline, celosia, etc. Pretty soon, if our summers keep up like this I will have a tropical garden, at least in the summer.

    Eileen

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    1. Eileen, it certainly sounds as if your garden will be looking like a garden that could be around my neck of the woods! Roll on the summer weather and conditions.

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  7. thanks for sharing your beautiful garden with us! :)

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  8. Bernieh,

    What a wonderful garden. I loved the garden tour. One vignette was prettier than the next. So lush and colorful. I was really taken by the tower structure that was planted out. That appeared to be pretty tall. I was also taken by the ornamental kale. They get us through the winters, unless it gets too cold even for them.

    Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip to Brisbane.

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    1. It is a fantastic place, Yael. I'll sing its praises as often as possible. That tall tower is a real feature and looks fabulous filled with Dichondra argentea and Impatiens walleriana. I just love the combination. The Kale seems to be a constant feature now during the winter down there, and is very eye-catching in mass plantings. Up here it never gets cool enough to grow them unfortunately.

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  9. Early winter in Brisbane looks like summer because I see so many plants still in full bloom. I enjoyed your video.

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    1. We are so so lucky to have so many flowering plants all year round here. Winter in Brisbane is definitely cooler than our Winters up here, and there are plants that grow well down there that really don't enjoy the conditions up here. That's why I enjoy visiting the Parklands so much. There are loads of similarities when it comes to planting, but there are also some differences to make it even more enjoyable.

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  10. Ces jardins sont superbes. Merci de nous les présenter. Bonne journée.

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  11. How wonderful for you to have a visit to Brisbane to see you son, Bernie! (even if there was a conference involved.
    Your first photo is so familiar - the garden looks identical to what it looked like when I visited last July!! I haven't been to the Parklands for over a month. When I was there last many of the garden beds were being prepared for planting. (It was still lovely though!!)
    I will have to stop by after my usual specialist appointment. I fond the parklands so peaceful.

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  12. Wow wonderful garden!!!
    Thanks for share this on your blog.
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  13. Dear Bernie.
    WOW! What a fountain of colours. Great garden, really special.
    Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic garden.
    Best regards, Iris.

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  14. I was never one to want to add art to the garden, but I've change my mind. Art and flowers and plants go well together and really bring out the personality of a gardener or a place.

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  15. That's great, how so beautiful park. I love most those ornamental cabbages. But they don't grow in our hot climes, only in a few of our highlands.

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  16. it is a beautiful and wonderful garden which is full of flowers.

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