Hello Dhaaarlings...
How lovely of you to come back so soon... I guess that you have all been very very good then? Because I'm about to share with you some very pretty snaps of my very recent yet very unanticipated excursion to the parkland and gardens in the centre of Bendigo.
I've been working on resizing and sewing some curtains for the new offices at the oppertunity shop that the Empress and I volunteer at.
I had planned to deliver the curtains to the store and then come home until the Empress announced that she had made an impromtu appointment for the hairdresser's that afternoon.
Usually I drop the Empress off at her appointment then sit and have a little nanny nap wait patiently in the car until her wind-swept and interesting look is removed and she re-emerges tranformed some time later... into a vision of utter beauty...
But... on this occasion I decided to do something a little different...
Every year the local council manages to spend a fortune on their floral garden displays... and every year I plan to take some photo's and post them here on my blog to share with you... the results of my rate money...
And... Every year I usually remember my intention when it is too late and I see the council workers removing the last of the dead and dying flowers from thir garden beds...
But this year it is a different story!
Here are the results...
So tune up your ukulele darlings....
and come and "tiptoe... through the tulips.." with me...
The white building in the distance is the conservatory... and I believe it is the original building dating form the late 1800's when Bendigo was at the centre of the Victorian Gold Rush.
It is used for exhibitions by various gardening and art and craft clubs throughout the year and in between its use by these clubs is festooned with displays of tropical and sub tropical blooms and plants, or filled with chrysanthemum's during the annual National chrisanthemum show
The gardens are a popular tourist spot and get heavily utilised by the locals with festivals and performances.
This is only a part of the central city gardens and I will organise some more visits in other posts if you would like to see more of my beautiful city...
And there are also the Botanical gardens which are in the process of being refurbished back to their original design after many years of neglect and modern intervention... A visit there might be nice for another post...
As you might have guessed... the Tulip is the main theme... and in past years there have been much larger displays and many more beds. But given our drying climate and warmer winters in recent years the displays had been scrappy looking when the tulips bloomed and as a result the numbers of blooms colours and flowerbeds have been either reduced or planted with other blooms... or hardier perennials and shrubs.
The Rose Garden continues to grow in size every year and I noticed a new arbour had been installed and planted with climbing rose... I'll be retrning in a few weeks to investigate the rose garden further when there should be some lovely colours...
The Rose Garden continues to grow in size every year and I noticed a new arbour had been installed and planted with climbing rose... I'll be retrning in a few weeks to investigate the rose garden further when there should be some lovely colours...
This year... in comparison... we have had a very cold and wet winter and a much slower onset of warm weather in spring
which has I think resulted in spectacular blooms...
Tell me what you think darlings...
Oh... And I actually remembered to call in an pick up The Empress on the way home...
which has I think resulted in spectacular blooms...
Tell me what you think darlings...
Oh... And I actually remembered to call in an pick up The Empress on the way home...
What lovely flowers! Thank you for the excursion. And, yes, please do take us on more tours of your city (and countryside)!
ReplyDeletePS: Tiny Tim became an immediate sensation with that performance on Laugh In. Mr Tim was an accomplished performer and very knowledgeable of musical history. Here is another version from 1929 (unfortunately colorized by the evil Ted Turner).
It would be my pleasure Mr Lax... Thank you for the link. it was a lovely production. Mr Tim toured here in Oz on a number of occasions.
DeleteI can't listen to "Tiptoe.." without thinking of Insidious now. That creepy little kid capering through the house as poor mum sorts her washing out.
ReplyDeleteStill, the wonderful pictures you've posted more than make up for it. Those tulips are just beautiful! You must be very pleased that (some of) your tax dollars are making something so wondrous.
Thank you Mr DeVice... The gardens are quite the picture at present and who could begrudge a little colour in ones public parklands? I intend to get some shots of the rose garden in a few weeks time...
DeleteTulips are one of the wonders of the garden calendar - always such a joy to behold! [And lovely to see them in October, when we have nothing much but leaves turning autumn shades and berries and fruit providing colour for us...] Jx
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon, I lve tulips but haven't had much luck in growing them at home so leave it to the council to put on the annual display... Our seasons are the opposite to yours so when you are sweltering in the heat of summer, we are rugged up and trying to keep warm for winter.
ReplyDeleteAutumn colours create a wonderful pallette and i'm looking forward with great anticipation to plundering my raspberry and blackberry patch in autumn... their canes are just starting to shoot at present...
Gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteHi there D! Nice to see you back on the air after your move!
ReplyDeleteSince we are tip-toeing into Fall here in South Carolina, the tulips were a much needed diversion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the colorful wake-up this AM!
We had a wet winter and cold spring this year, which was also followed by abundance. I suppose we shall have to get used to unexpected weather and take the best we can from it... the gardens are looking lovely.
ReplyDeleteSx
Have you read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan?
ReplyDeleteThere are fascinating chapters on the histories of the apple, the potato, cannabis and the TULIP.
p.s. The link on the words above, "The Botany of Desire" don't appear to be highlighted but if you click on it, it will show you the book description.
ReplyDeleteI watched all four parts of the documentary but wasn't aware of the book.. Thanks for the link MJ. I know that the extraordinary prices fetched in "holland" when tulips were first discovered eventually lead to a stockmarket crash and people lost lots of money when the bum fell out of the market. All in the name of beauty!
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