Ballarat & Melbourne

I had a week off at the end of September & went for a drive to see my friend Sue & her new house in Ballarat. While there I did a nursery tour of the district; check Google maps for reviews, & picked up some new & unusual stock for propagation & growing on.

 

Here are a few shots from Ballarat Botanic Gardens:-

 

The local floral arrangement group held a show to raise funds for charity:-

 

 

The Glasshouse & some of its contents:-

 

 

 

Succulents were a surprise growing outside in this climate:-

 

Have a look below at the Aloe plicatilis growing outdoors on the right: you will see these several times in this post under different conditions:-

 

 

 

The highlight of the trip was a weekend away that allowed us to visit Collectors Corner & Roraima Nursery.

 

First some shots taken inside Collectors Corner; this place is a mecca for collectors of plants & geological specimens, & a tourist attraction in its own right:-

 

 

Crystal mania!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cactus sales bench:-

 

The cactus core in the background is probably from a saguaro.

I purchased a tray of the smaller plants from the bench pictured above as grow on stock.

These are locally available to retailers as wholesale, but I love the opportunity to hand pick plants rather than get them as a mixed bag sight unseen.

 

Display garden for arid species:-

 

 

 Aloe plicatilis indoors & dry:-

 

 

 

 Bromeliads:-

 

 Agave parryi var. truncata & A. colorata:-

 

 

There are plenty of other things to see here, but time was limited and I had to buy stock as well as look around. There's always next time.

 

Roraima Nursery was on the agenda for Sunday.

This place is filled with unusual plants that appeal to a wide range of growers.

 

Queensland Bottle Trees:-

 

Sue with an African Cabbage Tree:-

 

 

A potted specimen; these make great container plants:-

 

 

 

 

Dasylirion growing in an oversized pot:-

 

 

 

Aloe plicatilis outdoors in a huge planter; a section has collapsed due to rot in the trunks' base:-

 

 

 

Path leading into the gardens planted with deciduous pines:-

 

 

Part of the growing area:-

 

Shots of the gardens:-

 

Sue in the shadow of a Perspex floral sculpture:-

 

 

 

 

 

Variegated Beschorneria in flower:-

 

 

Mature Boophane from Southern Africa:-

 

 

I never really "got" Yuccas until I saw the magnificent specimens here:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last photo is of a massive Dioscorea in the sales area, 21 years old from memory. Unfortunately the camera battery was low causing the washed out look:-

 

 

 

I bought a number of new agave species here, along with some more cacti as grow on stock that should be ready around Xmas.

 

The afternoon concluded with lunch on the pier at Geelong, followed by a pleasant drive back to Ballarat. 

I took off back to Bulli a few days later with a ute load of plants to propagate & grow on, including a tray from Lambley Nursery, who grow mostly cottage garden material. Most will be available around the end of the year or early 2018.

Happy Growing,

Russell.