Back to where gardening began in Sydney!

Well I have been pretty slack on the writing front of late! Call it a lack of motivation, stress at work or just plain laziness but it's time to get back on the keyboard and clicking a few keys.

So I've decided to go back a couple of hundred years for this post; taking city gardening back to where it all began in Sydney at Farm Cove. This is a beautiful inlet situated between Bennelong Point, the site of the Sydney Opera House and Mrs Macquarie's Chair. The land adjacent to Farm Cove was set aside not long after the first settlers arrived in Sydney in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip as a domain for the Governor and was to become the site of the first farm for the new colony.

As it was back in the early days; a natural deep water inlet with native vegetation.

And today the well known paths and sandstone wall the hug the beautiful blue waters of Sydney Harbour.

Unfortunately this land failed as a farm and agriculture was transferred further west to more fertile ground and in 1816 Governor Lachlan Macquarie established the area as The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

It's hard to believe that an area of sandy, infertile soil that could not grow crops successfully has become the lush, inviting gardens we know today. The land has been in constant cultivation in one way or another since settlement times and over the years the soil has been improved to make it more productive.

From the time of Captain Cooks discovery as a new continent with never before seen flora and fauna, Australia has had an important horticultural history. Charles Fraser was appointed the first colonial botanist in 1817 and the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney are the oldest scientific institution in Australia!

Since Fraser there have been a succession of botanists but it was a Scotsman named Charles Moore, trained at the Botanic Gardens in Trinity College, Dublin who really set the gardens in motion. Over the course of 48 years he helped to overcome the problems of poor soil, inadequate water and lack of funds to develop the gardens into the form we see today. 

The was once a small zoo in the gardens which was later moved to Moore Park, named in honour of Charles Moore. 

Moore was also responsible for reclaiming a lot of land situated behind the sea wall at Farm Cove which added a vast amount of land to the gardens.

In 1879 a large area now known as the Domain was taken over for the building of a huge exhibition centre. This building in the Victorian style of glass and metal was dominated by turrets and towers and a dome over 30m in diameter which was topped with a lantern 61m above the ground. 

The building was known as the Garden Exhibition Palace and was constructed to house the International Exhibition in 1879 which was the first 'World Fair' held in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately the building was destroyed by fire in 1882 and the site has became what is now known as the 'Palace Garden'.

Over the years the park has grown to cover an area of 30 hectares (a total of 64 hectares including the Domain) and is the site of many smaller garden areas such as the Palm Garden, the Rare and Threatened Species Garden and the Herb Garden. Other remnants of the Victorian era are the magnificent wrought iron gates that dot the entrances to the gardens.

Along with all the mature Morten Bay Figs, seen below right, 

you'll find many species of trees and shrubs, 

both indigenous and introduced including the

once thought extinct Wollemi Pine, seen 

below left.

 

In all there are approximately 67,100 plant species in the gardens including 4770 trees!

A wealth of information can be found at the website for the gardens at www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au where you can search their data base for the names of plants in the gardens by garden bed; find plants that are suitable for your own garden or help to identify pests and diseases. I once found a plant in Bali that I loved for its architectural look and wondered where I might find it in Australia. I sent a picture into the Botanic Gardens and found out that this plant, Equisetum, was a huge pest plant and in the invasive plant list!!! Needless to say it didn't end up in my Balinese garden.

The gardens are a relaxing retreat from the bustle of the city, especially on a hot sunny day. At lunch time workers sit in the gardens to enjoy their sandwich and you'll see hoards of office workers sweating it out running through the gardens, getting in a workout in their lunch hour. It's a beautiful place to go for a weekend picnic or for a relaxing bicycle ride.

The gardens are open 7 days a week and entry is free.

It's important to note the the area has Aboriginal communities, the Cadigal, and the botanic gardens were the traditional home of their ancestors. Farm Cove was known as Wogganmagule and was the site of food gathering and ceremonies.

When you get the chance go and have a wander through the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and be amaze our our magnificent horticultural history. 

Watch out for the fruit bats in the fig trees as you walk the paths below and be inspired by the thousands of beautiful trees and plants and the time and effort put in by the gardeners to keep the gardens looking world class.

So go to the gardens, get motivated, and get

gardening!!!