A stroll through Mt. Coot-tha Botanical Gardens

Those who know me, know how much I enjoy a good stroll through nature. Camera in hand, said stroll generally takes a couple of hours longer than it probably should but if I’ve made the time, I like to use it well.

Join me on my stroll through the Mt. Coot-tha Botanical Gardens. I love the detail of nature and really, really, really need to invest in a macro lens. In the meantime, I trust you enjoy the perspective.

I love Gazanias. They’re everywhere in Victoria, but a bit harder to come by up in Queensland. Such happy flowers!

I have no idea what most of these plants are called, this little beauty was just inside the gate. Perhaps next time, I’ll take notes, but that didn’t sound as fun as just looking. I’m hoping you’re keen about “just looking” as well. ;)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is a salvia. The gardens had skads of Salvias in and around the herb garden. They had giant ones too that looked more like Lilacs. They were all stunning.

These are fun. They’re often planted around Cordylines. The sprinklers were going so I had to run in and take shots and run out again. That got old quick so I moved on.

I love roses, especially the strongly scented ones. The heady aroma of jasmine mingled with the perfume from the rose garden was quite the sensory experience.

As I wandered aimlessly I came upon a lovely ‘Naked Lady’ flower. Simple, yet elegant.

I practically tripped over myself in my eagerness to capture this Brugmansia. It was sort of hidden away in the garden bed. So glad to have happened upon it.

I walked through the Japanese garden and enjoyed all the lizards lazing in the early morning sunshine.

Some of the lizards were quite brazen. I was able to get very close to several of them. The lizard in the photo was my favorite. It was almost as though he was smiling at me.

Right next to where the lizards were sunbathing is a pond. As I made my way over the rocks to the other side, I was distracted by the leaves in the water ripples.

After emerging from the Japanese garden area, I saw this amazing tree. I think it was from Chile. It grows very tall and the trunk and branches are covered in these massive spikes. Some of which are about an inch long. It’s the kind of tree a really bad guy in a movie would get impaled on.

Speaking of thorns, I also had a bit of a peek in the cactus garden. I do love cacti and succulents. Such unusual forms and they often come with really unusual flowers.

I’m not sure where I wandered to next. It was mostly a bunch of trees and whatnot up around the lookout area. (Not sure why they call it a lookout as it just overlooks the grass and path underneath it.)

I kind of like the little yellow flower growing in front of the mossy tree.

That was a beautiful tree, but it was full of large ants. Wouldn’t want to get too close. I then had a bit of a walk through the newer section of the gardens. What great luck to come upon a freshly cut down tree that had been eaten away by insects.

In trying to find the “lake” I came upon this amazing tree. These wonderful flowers grow up the trunk all the way up the tree. Looks very cool.

Around the lake there’s a bunch of totem poles. I have no idea what they were supposed to mean but they certainly made a statement. I wouldn’t mind a few in my garden. Here’s some detail of one of them.