On Thursday we visited 'The Australian Garden', an extension of the Melbourne Royal Botanic Garden that only has flora native to Australia. We came across the flowering eucalyptus that I showed in last week's blog. I was surprised to learn that it has been re-classified as, Corymbia ficifolia. Apparently the re-classification process has resulted in three different groups being: Eucalypts, Corymbia and Angophora. The distinctions between these groups is in many cases very subtle and difficult for an amateur to identify.
When we walked along the cliff-top on Wednesday afternoon we saw this blue tongue lizard basking in the sun. They eat insects, fruit and flowers.
This lizard is a resident of the Australian Garden.
As you enter the Australian Garden the first feature is this large artificial dry lake representing the interior of Australia. In the foreground is a mass planting of Kangaroo Paw.
These Xanthorrhoea are up to three hundred years old and have been transported from central Australia.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed this Canna-lily in our conservatory had started to flower. The leaves are beautifully striped so I thought I should use them for ikebana.
I decided the flower should be secondary to the leaves so I made a slanting free-style work in a black suiban and partially concealed the flower behind a leaf.
Greetings from Christopher.
7th January 2012
Christopher, Michael and I enjoyed that garden very much. It was easy to walk, very informative and we loved the modern aspect. Reminded me of your lovely home. Best regards, Michael
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