Several years ago someone (the Sydney City Council? my building's volunteer gardening team? the gardeners from the Australian Technology Park across the street?) planted jasmine in the previously barren, litter-strewn street-side garden below my windows. The garden is now covered in a deep green creeper throughout the year and in Spring, is studded with starry white beautifully scented flowers.
Even if the Sydney City Council gardeners aren't responsible for the delight the jasmine gives me, they have excelled themselves in other ways this Spring. In one of the local main streets they've hung baskets filled with brilliant red begonias from the lamp-posts. They make me smile every time I see them.
[What wipes the smile from my face, however, is the fate of the old Victorian Italianate style Redfern Post Office, the tower of which you can see behind the begonias. Like so many grand nineteenth century public buildings - it was designed by Colonial Architect James Barnett and built in 1882 - it no longer serves its original function and now, sadly, has a sign telling us it's for lease. The working post office has moved to a soulless shopfront.]
In the centre of the city itself I happened upon this garden in Martin Place.
Big square pots have been massed together and densely planted with a mixture of marigolds, white petunias, some spiky leafed plant with small ball-shaped yellow flowers (an Australian native plant? do you gardeners out there know?) and parsley. Yes, masses and masses of parsley! In this case the unexpectedness of the combination made me smile.
And finally, some jacarandas; an introduction to summer.
These are not particularly spectacular examples of jacarandas in bloom, but I think the background of the Sydney Harbour Bridge makes them irresistible. I imagine these trees must significantly pre-date the current crop of Sydney City Council gardeners, but they do protect and nurture the trees.
The results of other people's gardening continue to delight me - and I feel particularly fortunate that my local council delivers me this delight.
4 comments:
As you know I have both jasmine and jacaranda in my garden - thanks to the previous owners - I am so pleased about both of them!
Love the begonias - and the flowers in Martin Place (and elsewhere in the city) - those square pots never fail to please me either!
I've just come in for a break from raking masses of leaves off the lawn - I'm far from done - and here I find a little mini holiday to someplace warm and blooming - thank you! Now its back to my rake!
Rodd has noted with amusement the parsley thing in previous years. I wonder if it makes for a very cheap filler or something?
Is the clocktower heritage listed? It is a lovely old building. I would recognise it anywhere.
The flowers in Martin Place and other places around the city are given away at the end of the displays - so you can always pick up some free parsley, if you are around on the right day.
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