Melbourne Places » St Kilda Botanical Gardens

Alister Clark Rose Garden St Kilda Botanical Gardens – they have names, now

Melbourne — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:25:22 +0000

Something wonderful has happened to the roses in the Alister Clarke Rose Garden in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. Well, it is wonderful to me. Some lovely person has identified these roses and now they have name plaques.

There is something about looking at a rose and knowing its name. It adds an extra pleasure. With no names it’s like a never ending sea of flowers. There is no way to distinguish one from the other. I like to isolate the individual. I have mentioned the lack of names before see here. And see Ester’s comment. I hope it has been a labour of love and my thanks to Ester.

It is also fun to see the names the rose breeders have come up with; Dolly Parton for example. Would you have guessed the name by looking at the rose?

Then there is Apricot Passion – it sounds like a wallow in a mango.

Reading the names as I did the other morning, showed how many of the roses had been propagated by rose breeder David Austin.

Then there are those attributed to Alister Clark and of course it is his rose garden. This name of his is a puzzle.

I thank the ‘Rose Namer’. It is lovely to become acquainted with these roses – it’s a pity the prickles prevent a handshake.

Where:-
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
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.

St Kilda Botanical Gardens – the Magpie-larks make it time to stop and stare.

Melbourne — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:05:45 +0000

A pair of magpie-larks or mud-larks, as they are sometimes called, have honoured the Rainman statue in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens by making a nest on his arm.

They look very much at home and secure as they fly to the statue and settle on their nest to keep their eggs warm.

I haven’t seen many of these little magpie–larks in the gardens. You can hear the shrill, piping voice of one or two of them occasionally. So I think these must the ones I heard piping and shrilling away during the winter and I like to think they see the gardens as their home.

The Rainman is rather a forlorn figure these days. His pond is almost empty and his base is exposed so he no longer looks as if he is standing on water.

The Magpie-larks have chosen a secure and friendly place to bring their family into the world. No four legged-predators can get across the muddy pond and disturb them. When it rains the Rainman is there to shelter them.

The magpie-larks build round nests that are quite small. They make them of grass, plant material then plaster all this together with mud and then line the nest with feathers, soft grass and fur.

I like the thought of the three of them; the Rainman and prospective Mum and Dad settling down together every evening.

These two small black and white birds don’t appear nervous of being watched and photographed and they are happy to potter around in the muddy edge.

Magpie-lark or as it is sometimes called mud-lark at the St Kilda Botanical Garden

Getting there:-
96 Tram to the terminus at 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.
Opening Hours:-
Between sunrise and sunset seven days a week and the conservatory is open between 10.30am and 3.30pm week days and 1.00pm and 4.30pm Saturday to Sunday and public holidays.

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.

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.

Chess at St Kilda Botanical Gardens – St Kilda

Melbourne — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:28:19 +0000

One of the attractions at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens is the Giant Chess Board.

There is an area set aside especially for Chess near the pond and the conservatory. It has built in bench-seats and tables. The tables have regular chess boards set into them so you can bring your own set, sit in the fresh air under the trees and challenge your friend to a game. Summer’s fine too because there are beautiful old trees shading the area.
For the experience of walking around with your chess pieces you need to to book

Ring 9209 6777 to book the Giant Chess Set.

If you are reading this over Queens Birthday weekend you could wander along to the St Kilda Botanical Gardens and check out the ‘Paint These Gardens Competition’.

The winner is announced at 4pm on Queens Birthday Monday. All the paintings, winners or not, will be on display in the St Kilda Town Hall in September.

A lot happens in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens – they are ‘user friendly’ as they say.

Take either a 3 or a 67 Tram to the corner of Brighton Road and Carlisle Street then walk up Blessington Street. The 96 tram will take you to the end of Acland Street and you can walk to the Gardens from that end of Blessington Street.

Either way it is about 2 minutes from the tram stop.

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.