Royal Botanic Garden, Cranbourne: the Australian Garden



On a recent visit to this Garden, I was self indulgently snapping away, without bothering to note the names of the plants, or information about the different parts of this huge Garden.




So there's not much detail in this post, but I hope you can see something of the grandeur, the originality of design, and a sense of the sheer scale of the place.


Australian Aboriginals make hand prints which can be found in many caves in Australia. This is called stencil art, and was used to record people's presence and relationship with the site.


The use of hard materials like rocks is superb and skilled, setting off the plantings perfectly, and providing a naturalistic setting...


... and space for children to play and absorb an appreciation of nature.


I was taken by this shrub with its large bunches of fruit, but I didn't know what it was called. Id. problem solved by Denise - it's Rhodosphaera rhodanthema.


Contrasting colours and textures and shapes ... sigh ...

There's a Gondwana garden here, with lush rainforest plants that grew on the ancient supercontinent that broke up about 180 million years.


Replicating the stony creeks that are a significant feature of the Australian countryside...


This stunning place is relatively new for a botanical garden. It was established  in 1970. Later more land was purchased and the gardens extended.

Comments

  1. I was impressed by the photos of the Gondwana garden - the huge tropical plants play off the structure in the background very well. I also appreciated the aboriginal stencil art, which had me wondering if graffiti would be viewed more indulgently here if people saw it as a way urban dwellers relate to their environment.

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    1. Hi Kris, here in Melbourne there are laneways covered in graffiti that are very creative and are a tourist attraction. And then there's Banksy. I guess there's graffiti and graffiti ...

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  2. Ooooh. I do love the botanic gardens. Any botanic gardens. And am so pleased to hear that someone else is too busy revelling in the moment to note down plant names.
    Like our arboretum I hope that our Botanic Gardens outlast us (they will certainly outlast me) and continue to thrive.

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    1. I visited your arboretum a few years ago when I think it was fairly new? Time to go again when I find myself in Canberra.

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  3. Loved the first pic with the pine trees that remind me of Christmas trees and the Aboriginal hand prints. Are all those rocks naturally in place or put in place by man?

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    1. I don't know what was there when the land was acquired. But I think all the rocks were part of the design. I love that kind of design that looks so natural.

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  4. Wonder what your mystery 'bunches of grapes' plant is.

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    1. I wondered too, and amazing Denise managed to find out!

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  5. Looks like a fabulous garden.

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  6. I found it: Rhodosphaera rhodanthema http://noosasnativeplants.com.au/plants/426/rhodosphaera-rhodanthema

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