Melbourne Places » Roses

St Kilda Botanical Gardens – a winter view

Melbourne — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:18:00 +0000

The St Kilda Botanical Gardens are in winter mode. It is a lovely time to visit and see the gardens preparing for spring and summer. Occasionally you see a sign of things to come with clumps of bulbs sending up their first spring shoots.

The ambiance in the Alistair Clarke Rose Garden is different at this time of the year. The roses have been pruned – the green and the flowers have gone and the canes are stark against the mulched ground.

I am interested in their pruning style. When I studied the canes and what was left after such abundant growth earlier in the year I realized that I had been very timid when I pruned my few roses. The gardens have cut them back severely.

I am looking forward to seeing how these canes sprout and how quickly the flowers come. Last season they were beautiful.

The grass is very green after all the rain we have had and bare branches of the deciduous trees stand out against the sky and the luscious green of the Macrocarpa hedge that protects the rose garden.

There is a lot to see at this time of the year.

Getting there:-
96 Tram to the terminus the end of Acland Street. Walk up Blessington Street – on your left.
Trams 67, 3 or 16 to the corner of Brighton Road and Carlisle Street and walk along Blessington Street – Blessington Street is on your right when you get off the tram.

The Garden of Eden in Albert Park

Melbourne — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:52:57 +0000

Melbourne is a city of public gardens and parks but sometime it’s nice to soothe the soul in a Melbourne place that is more like our own courtyard; if we are lucky enough to have one.

The Garden of Eden Nursery in Albert Park is a Melbourne place where you can recharge your batteries and dream about what you could do in your outdoor space.

It is a place to stop off, wander about and dream. For a while you can imagine that the winding paths and the secluded nooks are your own.

The staff will talk to you about the plants and they are knowledgeable and know what they are talking about. They also let you wander and daydream.

The building is part of the old Albert Park Railway station so while your musing on how to get that metal arch onto your balcony and then entwine the structure with plants, the 96 tram will slide into the station, doors open, then close again and take off . You have seen nothing because a block of wonderful trees and bamboo has obscured the mundane from view.

When I work in the area and need time out I pop in and soak up the atmosphere. And sometimes I find it pleasant to get off the tram, browse and then pick up a later one. They run frequently on the 96 route.

The Garden of Eden has been there for about 20 years so it is no wonder there are some well established permanent plants.

The staff is interested in sustainable gardens and drought resistant plants and there is a home-ware section in part of the old station that they share with the Railway Antiques and cafe.

I like their garden sculptures and the way they display them making this Melbourne place an oasis in which to escape the everyday world.

The soul soothing experience of the Garden of Eden nursery is free – you can just wander about. It is of course a commercial enterprise but no one stops you absorbing the ambiance.

Garden of Eden
365 Ferrars Street,
Albert Park
Phone 9696 0551

Opening Hours:-
9.00 to 5.30 daily

Getting there:-
The 96 tram to the Albert Park Station

There is free parking on Ferrars Street
You will recognize The Garden of Eden by the bright coloured buckets hanging outside.

Alister Clark’s Rose Garden in Full Bloom

Melbourne — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:49:52 +0000

October was a wet month for Melbourne and the roses loved it. They’re in flower all over the city. It was time for a visit to The Alister Clark Memorial Rose Garden in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. (See my previous post)

I went this week in the relative cool of an early morning when the temperature was to rise into the 30s later. The roses have suffered because of this heat. It has actually singed some of the more delicate blooms.

The Alister Clark Rose Garden is a special place - warm and fragment with the huge sculptured macrocarpa hedge protecting it. It is a little sad to think this beautiful hedge may have contributed to the scorching that some of the blooms have suffered.

It is still worth a visit. Many have been spared by the heat wave and are putting on a spectacular display.

This is one of my favourite roses and I am again lamenting that the roses aren’t named in this garden. I would like to own it so unless I can find a knowledgeable nurseryman who can identify it from the photo I am stuck with simply admiring it whenever I visit the Alister Clark Rose Garden.

There are some big shady trees for a picnic and at the moment it is also a chance to admire some of the irises – they don’t appear to mind a gust of hot wind.

The gardens are open from sunrise to sunset (from dawn until dusk) seven days a week.

Getting there:-

96 Tram to the terminus the end of Acland Street. Walk up Blessington Street – on your left.

67 Tram to the corner of Brighton Road and Carlisle Street and walk along Blessington Street -on the right off Brighton Road.

Alister Clark Rose Garden – Botanical Gardens St Kilda.

Melbourne — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:58:35 +0000

The Alister Clark Memorial Rose garden is one of the highlights of a visit to the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, in Blessington Street.
It is autumn now and many of the roses are still in bloom – pruning hasn’t started yet so there is still a lot to admire – and smell.

The garden is laid out with a pretty gazebo in the centre – a popular place for weddings. Chairs are brought in for a wedding but there are plenty of benches dotted around the garden. They makes a perfect place to relax, read, contemplate or people-watch. The area is protected by a huge and striking macracarpa hedge. Even on a cold day it feels warmer sitting in the rose garden with this thick hedge surrounding you. You’ll find many people agree and on sunny but cold winter’s day, it is often hard to find a spot on one of the benches.

I am sure it is a macracarpa hedge but there is no identifying notice. I find it disappointing too that the roses aren’t named. However this may not be a problem if you know Alister Clark’s roses. A number of them are attributed to him. And of course you can still enjoy them without knowing their names. Smell them too. Many have a beautiful perfume

If you tire of St Kilda Beach, the crowds, the cakes in Acland Street and the noise take a stroll up Blessington Street. Blessington Street is at the southern end of Acland Street -at the end of the 96 Tram line. It’s only a couple of minutes to Botanical Gardens.

If you want to give Acland Street a miss you can get the 67 Tram and get off at the corner of Carlisle Street and Brighton Road and walk up Blessington Street – on your left, just off Carlisle Street.

This rose is in full bloom at the moment. It is stunning. If anyone recognises it please let me know it’s name.