In early October I made a pilgrimage to Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens in the Blue Mountains to immerse myself in the spring gardens. I absolutely love the gardens- seemingly endless terraces representing flora from all over the world.

I have included a few of my favourite photos on the day- including bluebells in context (in this case under a beautiful deciduous tree) and a forest of foxgloves. I also absolutely loved the dry gardens including the yellow flowers and black leaves of the "black rose" and the pointed grey leaves and bee-covered blue flowers of the Echiums.

This year we happened to visit on the day that thousands of cicadas were emerging from their shells- the paths and trees were covered in half-asleep insects drying their wings and making their way into the canopy. The noise was astounding by the end of the day- my friends were brave enough to try to save those on the paths from being run over by the passing tour train. I was too busy fleeing for my life at the slightest whirr of wings!!

Yesterday I drove 6 hours to take a look at some flowers. You can tell from the photos that they aren't just any flowers: I went to Floriade in Canberra for the first time. It was a beautiful day for it- cool, crisp air and bright clear skies. It was an interesting experience- the display was primarily brightly coloured bulb displays, arranged in layers of colours and underplanted with pansies and violets. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more variety or creativity in the flower displays, but I was definitely impressed by the sheer quantity of bulbs that would have been required for the show.

I really enjoyed looking at the way they used similar coloured flowers to create a blur of colour and contrasting colours to create blocks. I think I prefer an aesthetic that places flowers in a broader context. For example, I absolutely loved the spanish bluebell display, but it would have been much more striking and meaningful if it was in context planted in a woodland rather than in a block between other bulbs!

It was worth the drive for a new experience, but I don't think it would become an annual event for me. I plan to visit one of my favourite gardens next week- the Mount Tomah Botanic gardens, and I will (hopefully) be able to post some picture of flowers in context!