Open Gardens

This afternoon I finally went for a walk around the block to see if there was any more damage from the storm, and found that we have lost more trees down there. I think it is one or two whole trees, and three or four large branches have come down. And each of course breaks bits off others on the way down, so there are lots of shattered bits lying around.

Let's not think about that. Let's go back to the open gardens I visited on Sunday. Three lovely gardens belonging to members of the Ballarat Horticultural Society were open.

A few highlights:

I have one of these planters (from Kmart a couple of years ago), but haven't put anything in it yet or worked out where to hang it. Obviously it needs an echeveria, and I should have bought more than one while they were available!

Every bit of this suburban block is garden. This little courtyard area has about four rooms overlooking it. There were little bulbs and unusual plants everywhere, and I don't seem to have taken close-up pictures of any of them.

The second garden is built on the side of a hill, with wooden walkways allowing access down the steep slope:

It all looks still and calm, but in fact it felt like the wind would blow the whole garden and the visitors off the hill.

Garden beds between the walkways.

How about this echidna planter:

 There were also koalas and wombats in the same style. Cute!

The last garden is in an older house closer to the centre of Ballarat:

A lot of this garden is in pots.

 Don't throw out broken ones!

Is this a classy canary cage?

Canary whistles filled the garden, adding to the sensory delight.

I enjoyed all three gardens. All were tucked away in places I would never have come across in my regular travels, and it was a privilege to see them.