by Carla Caruso
While the pandemic has left much uncertain, there’s comfort in the things you can still rely upon – like the turn of the seasons.
Spring has sprung on cue at Adelaide Botanic Garden in Park 11 and it’s well worth checking out the display.
The fragrant wisteria arbours are currently blooming, with the younger arbour yet to reach its peak. The International Rose Garden has burst into life too, with a new season of flowers.
Check out the cascades of purply wisteria flowers before they disappear, above and below. Photos: Daniella Caruso and Carla Caruso.
Also blooming right now:
· Puya chilensis
· Various plants in the Mediterranean Garden and Sunken Garden (echiums, cistus, aloes, and more)
· Amazon waterlily (Victoria amazonica) – it’ll keep producing flowers until around May
· Sweetpeas in the Kitchen Garden
· Plus, there are some vibrant potted displays as you enter via the Main Gate.
The Bicentennial Conservatory makes quite the backdrop for the International Rose Garden. Photo: Carla Caruso.
Our Mediterranean climate makes Adelaide a natural home for roses. Photo: Daniella Caruso.
The roses flower from October to April, with thousands of varieties on show. Photo: Daniella Caruso.
There will always be something new blooming as the weeks go on – and visitors can enjoy the uplifting springtime flora for longer, care of extended opening hours.
Times vary each month, but in October, the garden’s open from: Mon to Wed: 7.15am – 6.30pm, Thurs to Fri: 7.15am – 7pm, and Sat to Sun and public holidays: 9am – 7pm.
Potted displays at the Main Gate add a riot of colour. Photo: Adelaide Botanic Garden.
For other excuses to visit the garden, there are events like Summer Sessions, offering live music and botanically inspired cocktails; an outdoor performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; and art exhibitions and gardening workshops aplenty.
Summer Sessions is on at the Schomburgk Pavillion every Saturday and Sunday afternoon until February 2022.
Head to the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion, its design inspired by the lily’s leaf structure. The original pond dates back to 1868 and remains the central feature. Photo: Carla Caruso.
