Your own back-yard in the city!

Many of the greatest cities of the world have grown up around open spaces that were set aside as areas of peace and quiet by our clever pre-decessors. London has Hyde Park, New York has Central Park, there is Ueno Park in Tokyo...and Sydney has our very own and tranquil Centennial Park. Each of these parks provide a green oasis which is a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of living in a busy city.

Opening in 1888 for Australia's centenary, Centennial Park is a part of what is more correctly known as Centennial Parklands, which includes Queens Park and Moore Park. Centennial Park sprang forth from uninviting swamp land and was laid out to be a grand Victorian park in the European tradition. Covering an area of 189 hectares, the park showcases spectacular seasonal garden beds, large specimen trees, and wooded groves.

  

An important feature of the park and one which helps to attract the many birds and animals that shelter in the area are the beautiful lakes and waterways. Although these waterways

have been made my man, the area

was originally known as 'Lachlan Swamps' and was the main water supply for the city of Sydney from 1837 to 1859.

Another key feature of the park are the beautiful specimen trees that dot the landscape. These include Norfolk Island Pines, Port jackson Figs and Holm Oaks.

(Left) The setting sun casts a beautiful silhouette through the branches of this Norfolk Island Pine. 

(Right)  This Port Jackson Fig will grow

to become one of the giants of the park and provide shade for generations of park-goes in the future.

The entire area of Centennial Parklands covers some 360 hectares and is home to more than 15,000 trees. A lovely feature to notice as you walk around the park is that many of the benches and trees have been donated by friends and family who have lost loved ones. Small plaques commemorate the lives now gone and are a lovely way to remember those not with us and to reflect in a tranquil and peaceful surrounding.

Today the park is enjoyed by hundreds of people every day from joggers and cyclists to roller-bladers and horse-riders and of course, those just wanting to relax with a picnic and enjoy the sun and serenity. 

 

So next time your travelling the world and you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the shops and crowds, head to one of the beautiful local parks or gardens and take some time out. Find a nice spot to sit and enjoy the sun, take in the view and feel the stress of city living fade away.

Public parks and gardens are for everyone to enjoy. Sometimes the garden your in doesn't have to be your own.....to get 'grounded'.

Glorious Ginkgo.

Well....I'm absolutely furious!!!!


While in LA the other day I'd taken some lovely photos of the glorious Ginkgo biloba trees gracing the streets.....and then my Iphone decided it had had enough!!!  And because i'm slightly techno challenged I forgot to backup my pictures before I went into a complete melt down and had to restore the phone to factory settings!  So.....pictures lost!


Anyway, enough about me....more about Ginkgo!


Also known as the Maidenhair Tree, Ginkgo biloba is a unique specimen that has no living relatives! The tree has been widely cultivated since an early period in human history and has been used as a food source and as a traditional medicine. The trees have strange, somewhat erratic branches and the leaves are easily identifiable.

Leading on from my last post, Ginkgo's are deciduous...and interestingly enough are 'sexual'....some plants being male, and others female!  Their reproduction ritual is quite complicated....but needless to say it works as they've been on this earth for a very long time!                                     

Being deciduous, the leaves turn a beautiful golden yellow in the autumn before they fall.  Once widespread throughout the world, the Ginkgo in nature now grows only in a small area of China but has been naturalised in many countries in Europe and also in North America.


Ginkgo's are very tolerant to pollution and extreme weather conditions and have been used for years as street trees and as specimen plants in parks and gardens. They are so tolerant of 'extreme' conditions that 6 trees growing between 1-2 km of the 1945 Hiroshima nuclear blast in Japan have survived to this very day!


They prefer a neutral to acid soil and can grow in restricted soil conditions, are virtually pest resistant and rarely suffer from diseases. For this reason they make excellent urban and shade trees.

Because the Ginkgo leaf is so identifiable, it has been widely used in a variety of decorative applications such as jewellery, fabric and wallpaper designs and to adorn porcelain and pottery.


As a medicinal herb Ginkgo is thought to improve thought processes and memory loss in older patients and has been suggested as a treatment for Alzheimer's.                                                                      


The Ginkgo biloba is the national tree of China.


So if you live in a temperate area and your looking for a specimen tree to grace your garden, or to provide shade in the summer....consider the graceful Ginkgo.....and own your own unique piece of  horticultural history!

Undressed elegance....the case for deciduous trees!

Over the years I've been really fortunate to spend a lot of time in London. It's an amazing city of history and culture. Beautiful buildings, museums and galleries, and of course wonderful gardens and parks. Wandering through Hyde Park or St James Park is a delight at any time of the year....in spring the blossoms are bursting...in summer London is in full bloom.....in autumn the trees are awash with oranges, reds and yellows......and in winter it's positively 'skeletal'. But that in itself has its own beauty....the silhouette of bare limbs against a grey sky. Yesterday I wandered around the streets of Kensington, and even though it's now spring, the bare trees were quite fascinating.  

I love the patterns that deciduous trees create against the afternoon sky. Some trees have an multitude of branches that create a spider web of pattern, others are bold and bare and give a sense of strong rigidity.

Deciduous trees are used extensively throughout London for the shade they provide in summer, and for the architectural design element they provide to the landscape in winter. They are not so common in Sydney, however many streets in Surry Hills and Redfern in the city are planted with rows of Liquidambar trees which help to shade the old terrace houses from the hot Aussie sun in summer, then drop their leaves to allow the sun shine through in winter. If you travel to the Southern Highlands outside Sydney you get a true sense of the seasons with the colder weather turning the trees all the colours of autumn. 

If you live in Sydney and love the look of deciduous trees and find their bare branches in winter a sculptural element to a garden you could choose a species such as a Largerstroemia Sp., commonly known as the 'Crepe Myrtle'. In summer these trees have lovely lime green foliage and abundant flowers in white, pink or red. In winter the branches are completely naked, giving only a hint of what they were in summer and will be again next year! 


So with autumn now upon us and winter just around the corner, watch the changing landscape as the leaves start to fall, and appreciate the undressed beauty and sculptural elegance of deciduous trees.  

look at all the pansy's.......

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!!!!!   Gay, Lesbian or Trans-gender....no matter who you are...this weekend in Sydney, Australia, is a celebration of individuality and self-belief. It's about being proud of who you are, what you have achieved in your life and what you have to offer your community. I love the 'buzz' of Mardi Gras....all the gorgeous people,the happy feeling,the excitement and being so proud of who we are and everything we have achieved in our lives.


So I thought......(somewhat in-appropriately ...LOL)....that my flower of the week should be the Pansy!!!!!


Who doesn't love a Pansy?  Great shape....gorgeous structure and fabulous celebratory colours!!! (can't go past a combination of purple and yellow). The Pansy is derived from the 'Voila' family and is technically known as Viola x wittrockiana (as if you could remember that in your state!!!)

Pansey's are a strikingly simple plant...they love the sun, hate humidity, and will grow to a height of nine inches!!!!! 

But they really are a great plant for pots or hanging baskets. Being an annual you'll only get one season out of them...and it's best to pinch off the spent flower heads to keep them blooming for as long as possible. 

Pansy's come in an amazing variety of colours....all the colours of the rainbow!!!!

The markings on the flowers almost suggest faces smiling up at you through their petals......outrageous eye-lashes and bleeding lipstick (look at the yellow flower in the picture above..and the red one...and the blue... !!!) 

So 'Happy Mardi Gras' to everyone out there...all you 'Pansy's'. Just remember it's not only the beauty on the outside that makes you who you are...it's also the beauty within.  

Leave a comment or follow grounded GARDENS

Well I've just realised I had the settings wrong and no-one was able to leave a comment on my posts!!!  Hopefully I've fixed this and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback!!! 


Click on the comments link and choose 'anonymous' if you don't have any of the other profiles set up. Or set up a google profile and go from there!!


Thanks for visiting grounded GARDENS.  

Lounging on the lanai .......

Isn't 'lanai' a FABULOUS word!!! Sounds a lot more glamorous than balcony, deck or terrace!


When my friends approached me to give them some ideas about how to use a west-facing outdoor space in their new apartment I jumped at the chance to create a chill-out area for reclining and relaxing. A daybed was a must, as was a couple of big comfy chairs to lounge about. They also needed storage for all the cushions and pillows....and a huge splash of colour to bring it all together.

  
I started with a black and white theme....classic and simple, then found a great floral print to add the colour. The colours in the print dictated the accents of lime, orange and aqua. The daybed is painted in a satin black while the tables are in a high-gloss white. Both the coffee table and side table have a white perspex-covered top which is really easy to wipe clean. The tops are hinged and open up to store accessories. The daybed also has storage inside for all the cushions. I don't profess to being a carpenter but I had a great time making the furniture which is constructed from 15mm weatherproof ply.


When it came to the casual seating I was going through a 'bamboo' faze and found the most amazing chairs made by an Australian company right here in Sydney. These chairs are classic and chic and I really think they make the whole area!

Made by Casablanca Cane, the chair is called 'Queenslander' and it really does exude that 'tropical' style that I was looking for. Check out their website at www.casablancacane.com.au for their great range of cane and bamboo furniture. We had the chairs delivered under-coated ready for us to spray paint, but they come in other finishes....and the classic tortise-shell finish is beautiful. These chairs are HUGE and make a real statement. Rather than using the black and white strip for the cushions we decided to use the print piped in black. The accent cushions can be changed around depending on your colour-mood!  

I'm really pleased with the way it has all come together, and the guys love it. The bamboo mirror on the wall above the daybed ties in with the chairs, and the black and white theme is carried through to the pots of white terrazzo planted with Strelitzia nicolai and various succulents which are all 'mulched' with shiny black pebbles.

Sometimes you find the perfect piece of furniture, like the bamboo chairs. But sometimes you just need to make it yourself. The daybed and coffee-tables were really not that hard and if you have a few basic tools you could certainly give it a go. All the fabrics are weather-resistant and colour fast so the afternoon sun should not present any problems. We had all the cushions and daybed mattress made to locally. (contact us if you'd like details of the many fabrics available and where to have similar cushions made)


So give it a go.....create yourself a place to lounge. Make it bright, colourful and comfortable.........and make the most of your outdoor space!

Create a 'Greenbo' garden.

As your walking around the city, look up towards the sky and you may get a glimpse of the burst of colour adorning the balconies of our towering apartment buildings! This riot of colour is courtesy of a great new planter system specifically designed to sit snugly on your balcony railing.


                           It's the 'Greenbo' planter system!

Designed by industrial designer Miki Ganor, the 'Greenbo' planter is made in Israel of high quality, UV protected Polypropylene. Safety is ensured with a patented rail stability design to create a snug fit on your balcony railing without screws or brackets ...so no more unsightly rust marks dribbling down the wall.                                                      

                              

Available in 16 contemporary colours, the 'Greenbo' planter has a built-in drainage system which is removable for easy cleaning. These funky planters are available in 2 sizes which retail for $45.00 for the Large, and $65.00 for the X-Large. Fill the planters with lovely annuals such as Petunias or Violas; or try some retro trailing plants like 'Black-eyed Susan'. Plant the turquoise blue 'Greenbo' with bright red geraniums and pretend your on your balcony on Mykonos!!!

You could even fill the planters with a variety of herbs and soft-leaf vegetables; a variety of lettuce or even a trailing cherry tomato and have an instant salad at hand.

The 'Greenbo' planter system is available from stockists or directly through Greenbo Australia. Check out their website at www.greenbo.com.au for all the colours and sizes available.

Alternately you could email info@greenbo.com.au or call 9262 5202.

So bring a little colour to your life and home with the 'Greenbo' planter 

......and get gardening!!! 

If your a lover of unusual plants and amazing flowers then you can't go past the amazing Tacca integrifolia, or as it's more commonly known, the 'Giant Bat Plant'. I was in my local 'Bunnings' store last week when the excited garden attendant was almost having conniptions .....grabbing the attention of any passer-by to show off his latest prize possession! I must admit I was pretty excited too, to see this amazing flower in the decidedly 'un-tropical' surrounds of my local hardware store...... so I proceeded to take a couple of photos on my Iphone much to the joy of the proud "Bunnings-boy'.

   

                       
 Also known as the 'White Bat Plant' they are extremely unusual. There are two white bracts held aloft, while the true 'flowers' are like purple buttons hanging below. And just to complement this crazy arrangement are the long, whispy whiskers sprouting from the centre of the flower.

Tacca sp.    are a native of Malaysia so they like it warm and wet, but protected form harsh sun. In NSW it does well in shade houses from Coffs Harbour north, but protect in a shade-house in the colder months. Also be careful with watering as this plant grows from a rhizome. If it's over-watered it will die back to the rhizome completely. In temperate and sub-tropical areas it remains dormant in winter but will not die back.

There are approximately 30 species of 'Bat Plant' but the Giant is the most spectacular. So if you have a lovely shaded outdoor space or maybe a large bathroom with filtered sun this could make quite an impression....certainly more so than a plastic fern!

Lovely lanterns.

Who doesn't love the flicker of candle-light through a wicker lantern? Candles casts a magical glow and are ideal for subtle lighting in protected courtyards and terraces when you don't want the harshness of low voltage lights and halogens. The great things about candles is that they don't require electricity so you can hang a lantern with a candle anywhere you like! 

I love these black and white bamboo lanterns. They have a classic shape yet would look great in any modern setting. Black and white is always a great colour combination. You could hang a combination of both colours....or go monochrome for a more streamlined look. And if your up for a little colour, these fab lanterns below are the way to go! Bright and inexpensive, these lanterns will add a splash of colour to any outdoor space!!!

 And who says they need to be outdoors???  Use candle lanterns inside for a holiday feeling all year round!

These lanterns and many others can be found in stores such as 'The Urban Balcony' in Sydney's Pyrmont.

A garden in a bowl.

Just because you live in an apartment doesn't mean you can't have a garden!  Light-weight terrazzo bowls such as this one below make fantastic mini-gardens!

Here I've filled the bowl with a selection of sedum and other succulents; the centerpiece is a lovely Kalanchoe luciae 'Flapjack'. This plant selection is really easy to maintain, is very drought tolerant and only needs a little trimming back to keep it looking good.  You could easily fill a similar bowl with small viola or even a selection of different types of miniature ferns. You could even turn it into a 'kitchen garden' by grouping a number of herbs or soft-leaf vegetables together.


One thing to remember when constructing a 'container garden' is to group together plants that have a similar requirement for water and nutrients. Succulents like things fairly dry where as the ferns will like it quite moist and would require frequent 'misting' with water. The same goes for your vegetables and herbs.....rosemary,sage and thyme prefer dryer soil but coriander, basil, parsley and mint like a little extra water. If you plant a combination of the these together in the same bowl then one group is bound to suffer.


Another thing to keep in mind is the weight of the finished garden. That's why the light-weight 'terrazzo' style bowl is ideal. It makes it easy to move your 'garden' around to catch the sun for ease of watering.


So get creative....see what plant combinations you can come up with and enjoy container gardening!

Happy Australia Day

For my first official post I'd like to wish all Australian's a very happy and joyous 'Australia Day' for 2012.

Australia Day means many things to many people.....but Australia Day celebrates the day on the 26th January in 1788 when the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove. While it is a day of celebration for many, the settlement of this wonderful country we call our home; it is also a day of controversy for some of our indigenous population. But whoever we are and whatever our background, I believe we are one of the luckiest nations in the world and we should be proud to call ourselves 'Aussies' and to call this beautiful country Australia our home.

Pictured above is the floral national emblem of Australia, the Acacia pycnantha Benth.


 When in flower this beautiful wattle displays the Australian colours of green and gold. It is also interesting to note that the Golden Wattle is the symbol of unity.


So in 'unity' I say, 'Happy Australia Day' to each and every Australian! 

WELCOME TO grounded GARDENS

What does one do when you can't get out into the garden and get your hands dirty?  You write about it!!!!!!

Being a frustrated gardener who resides in an inner city apartment I miss the opportunity I had while living in a suburban house to spend all day out in the garden. I could spend hours every day literally 'watching the grass grow'.  Well,  if the truth be told I hardly had any time to watch the grass grow as having a garden has it's fair share of responsibility, and hours could easily be spent attending to the many chores needing completion.

How often have you walked past a house and though 'you know, that place could be done up so nice...and imagine what you could do with the garden!' .....

Well that's me! I can't look at a house, an apartment, a garden, a balcony or a terrace without seeing it's potential. I love to browse through magazines and loose myself in the beautiful interiors and gardens. I guess that's why these magazines are so popular......we all have a little bit of the 'voyeur' in us. The same applies when looking at a dilapidated old ruin or a 'For Sale' sign in front of an apartment or house. I mentally wander through thinking of all the wonderful things I could do if it were mine......oh, and if I had plenty of money!!!

Well, even if you don't have wads of cash you can still make the most of the space you have around you. Sometimes it's as easy as a coat of paint on a drab wall or bright, colourful fabrics. It might be plants with lush green foliage or elegant flowers.  It's thinking outside the square and believing you have the ability to create something lovely.

'grounded GARDENS' is my little place in the world to let my imagination run free!