Sunday 24 March 2013

City Botanic Gardens

It took a building evacaution a fortnight ago, with a Botanic Garden building assembly point, to remind me that it had been a while since my last visit to Brisbane's City Botanic Gardens - silly really when my office is only about four blocks away. So, last week, I headed back with camera in hand to see what is in bloom in early Autumn.

Brisbane is lucky enough to have two botanic gardens: the original is in the city beside the river, and, in the 70s, the Mount Coot-tha botanic gardens were established at Toowong, an inner Western suburb, after the river broke its banks in the infamous 1974 floods.

The garden provides a tranquil oasis for city workers and students from the adjoining Queensland University of Technology.



One shrub, widely planted throughout the garden that was in full flower was the Brazilian Red Cloak Megaskepasma erythrochlamys here with Spathiphyllum in the foreground.


Although a different colour, the flower of the the Golden Candle plant Pachystachys lutea is similar to that of the Red Cloak. In both cases, the white flower appears in closely arranged coloured bracts. 







Spectacular buttress roots of a Moreton Bay Fig, native to the East Coast of Australia.


Pink mussaenda behind a bed of the striking foliage of calathea.




The Australian White Ibis - photogenic but a bit of a pest in Brisbane 



The stunning Bismarck Palm


My presence was making this young swamphen chick nervous


Hot-footing it across the lily pads to escape

Adult Purple Swamphen


Swamphen family with even younger chick


Scarlet cannas


More Brazilian Red Cloak


An ibis and swamphen on the rocks in front of a bank of Philodendron




If you look closely, you can see that the rock on the right is inhabited.


Here is lizard-in-residence, a handsome Eastern Water Dragon.  I had a close encounter with one of his brothers in my previous post about the Gardens here




Another fancied a branch as his vantage point.


Tree fern frond


Brugmansia in flower, with I think the Caricature Plant Graptophylum pictum  the mauve-toned shrub in the foreground


A tall Ixora




Yellow ixora


Cordyline flower



Another cordyline with both flowers and berry-like fruit


Old Parliament House at the end of the garden and start of the University.


Pentas and bromeliad


This mauve flowered largerstoemia or crepe myrtle had just abut finished blooming.


Selection of bromeliads


Pentas, gaura, bromeliads.


These beds were growing a kind of legume as green fertilizer.


One of the showiest of the autumn blooms in Brisbane, the Tibouchina.


As in my own garden, the daylilies are just finishing off.

Hope you enjoyed your visit. I definitely won't leave it so long before I head back again.

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful pics, we came across some purple swamp hens at Audley, the other day. The colours on these birds are beautiful.

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  2. They are lovely. The two adults with the smaller chick actually try to chase me off before I spotted their precious charge and backed off.

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  3. I enjoyed walking through the Botanic Gardens with you Marisa. It was quite peaceful and soothed my soul on this early Sunday morning...thanks.
    I loved all the beautiful flowers, the birds,the art statue, and I loved the old Parliament building at the end of the walk.
    Were you the only person in the gardens? If I were a student at the university I would take advantage of studying outdoors.

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    1. I hadn't realised that there were no people in my photos. There is often a touch football game in progress in the open space, lots of courting couples and the occasional tourist. But it's certainly not crowded, so it is indeed a lovely peaceful spot.

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  4. Marisa, Great tour of the gardens. As I viewed the photos I thought of myself walking some of the paths. Especially at this time of year when we are suppose to have Spring and the snow is still on the ground here along the shores of Lake Michigan in USA, I wish I were there! I can feel the warmth! Jack

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    1. Hope Spring comes soon for you, Jack. I can't wait to see the spring flowers lakeside.

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  5. Beautiful gardens- of the plants and wildlife alike!! What a neat place to have only 4 blocks away to escape to!!

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    1. Yes, I'm ashamed I haven't taken more advantage of it.

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  6. That Golden Candle Plant is just jaw dropping! Thanks for the tour!

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    1. Definitely another great flowering shrub I might have to try to find a spot for!

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  7. So why are the ibis a nuisance?

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    1. Nothing too serious, Les, but they have adapted to urban life very well. They love rubbish bins and make quite a mess, and some are so forward they would almost sit on your knee if they thought they could grab your lunch.

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