GA had a note indicating that this wonderful tropical garden (in the south of Brissie for our interstate members) would be open to the public in late Feb. As I've only seen it in magazines, I am sorely tempted to invest in a plane ticket - has anyone been to the garden ? I am usually happy with Roma St Parklands and the Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens, but it would be great to see a garden which has such a strong tropical theme. For those who have any of the William Warren books, I think you'll agree when I say that there is a vibrancy to many of the gardens in Bali, Hawaii and Thailand that we dont always see in Aussie gardens - from the photos, the Hundscheidt garden has that striking palette.

Thanks,

Artie

artiew99@yahoo.com.au

Ta,

Artie

Highly recommended

I am always somewhat surprised when I see large numbers of people at open gardens, GA Live etc, then drive home past houses that look like they have a 'lawn-only' occupant in charge of the yard. I have to remind myself that dreams are free - how many Ferraris have you seen leaving the Motor Show ? :)

I cant personally recommend a B&B/motel in Sunnybank from experience, but its a a very populous (and very residential area) part of Brisbane. I'm afraid the Yellow Pages only returned one hit for B&Bs, and that was in Sunnybank Hills, a different suburb. I'd suggest that you spend some time with Google etc - its surprising what you can find if you phrase your query properly.

Cheers,

Artie

No disrespect intended in my comment re the 'other' tropical garden - its simply a reflection of the media focus on these two Brissie gardens whenever they need a few 'tropical' pics. Like you, I am also a weekend warrior - unlike you, I dont have the dedication needed to spend so much time on such a (comparatively) large parcel of land. Your garden is a credit to you, but I do like Dennis' gardening philosophy. In 'A Garden of My Own', he lays out some strong guidelines for wayward souls like myself:

- restrict your palette to a small number of species and repeat them in groups of 5, 7 or 9 throughout the garden
- discipline oneself to the above, avoiding the urge to collect one of everything
- a garden isnt a botanical collection

As my previous garden was a 'one of everything' collection, I've made a conscious effort to mend my ways with the current block. The danger lies in predictability (in my case, how many beds of palms+lillypillies+cordylines+ferns can you look at before it all becomes a bit tedious ?), but injecting a couple of philodendrons/broms/cycads into the mix seems to do the trick. 'Window dressing' with Gardenia, Ixora and Cuphea is pretty low on my priorities at the moment, but repeating these simple plantings in each new bed seems to tie it all together a lot more effectively than I've done previously. I'm sure that my next garden will benefit further from the mistakes that I'm making with this one, but seeing my old garden begin to mature has really been a bittersweet experience, as its pretty clear that I learnt as I planted - no overall plan at all.

I also take the point that Dennis does this for a living, but thats no guarantee of good design. I'm sure we've all seen professional landscaping that contained no hint of originality or imagination (admittedly, budget and site considerations may be a factor in a lot of public landscaping), and I think we all know the adage about mechanic's cars ....

Ultimately, I think the weekend warrior has an advantage over the professional - motivation. When that starts to falter, its probably time to sell the house and start all over again :)

Cheers,

Artie

The Tropical Affair - Brisbane - Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens Auditorium
Saturday 28th January 2006
8:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday 29th January 2006
8:30am - 4:00pm

The Tropical Affair will provide a wonderful opportunity for gardeners and the public to access tropical foliage plants, including alocasias, anthuriums, bamboos, bromeliads, calatheas, caladiums, cordylines, gingers, heliconias, kaempferias, palms and many other tropical foliage species.

EFTPOS will be available
Admission - Adults and Children 14 years and over: $3.00
Children under 14 years when accompanied by an adult: Free

Dennis is the Patron of the International Cordyline Society and I’m sure would encourage you to attend.

Information on Members Sub-Tropical Gardens open through the Australia’s Open Garden Scheme over the next couple of months will be available to visitors

No Financial Interest

Went to see Dennis' garden on Friday, hoping to beat the crowd. Fat chance of that, with the Courier-Mail touting it as the 'best garden in Australia' the previous weekend. Lady behind me commented that she and her friend had the place to themselves on Friday of the previous year, but those days are clearly gone. Shuffling through single file really isnt my idea of a good time - I am very glad that I saw the garden, but I wont be going back.

Pluses -

I really liked the way Dennis has used plants like Dracaena 'Song of India' amid the palms and cordylines - immenseley striking at 4 metres !

Seeing the photo he held up of the rear section of the garden 4 years ago (think 'bare') and looking at the growth he has achieved since then was inspiring.

The main pool is really striking, and an inspiration to those of us who wish to build our own oasis away from it all.

Cheers,

Artie

As for 'busy', there were cars up and down both sides of the street for 500 metres and the lineup took 15-20 minutes to reach the actual garden - by Rocky standards, that's busy. I felt the same disappointment at the Carnival of Flowers 16 months ago - I guess I just want it all to myself :)

Although the crowds were a pain, I would go again in a heartbeat. Dennis' garden is something everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.

Artie, the public transport system in Brisbane is really very good, and getting from Sunnybank to Ian's area is a piece of cake. It's a pity you weren't able to go, as Ian and Judy's garden is well worth seeing. Unlike Dennis' garden it is a garden to be lived-in, rather than a showpiece. I think all the seasons would offer something different - something that Dennis' garden, as absolutely spectacular as it is, would fail to do.

You've made some very good points - particularly in relation to seasonal colour. I should have planned my time in Brisbane a little better - Ian had offered each of us a virtually private tour of his garden, and I spent my day jostling with the multitude in Sunnybank. Live and learn, I guess.

Cheers,

Artie

Regards, Ari :)