Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens

The Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens (in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney) advertise themselves cutely as the 'Coolest Botanic gardens in Australia'. They certainly are - what a great place to visit!

The Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens Pond

One of the nicest things is that gardeners from New Zealand can confidently grow all these plants and trees. My roving reporter's confidence grew at every pathway's turn. There are Camellias, Rhododendrons, and New Zealand natives like the groovy bright orange Libertia. Plants that I know, and grow, are here in this sloping garden, surrounded by the beauty of the Australian bush.

The Famous Sloping Mount Tomah Rockery

Wollemi Pines

I walked through woodland walks and stared at the rare Wollemi Pines (just babies, only head high) in their barbed wire enclosure. This must be a wonderful place when all the Rhododendrons (many of them huge tree-like species) are in flower. The famous Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens rockery was spectacular, and I want one - hmm...

The tall Sydney skyline buildings were just visible 105 kilometres in the distance. The air was crisp, the sky was blue - and typically I didn't remember to write down any plant details. There was a Leucadendron walk - I love these shrubs, and took many pictures of them - alas no variety names were recorded.

Lemon Leucadendron

It's sad that I felt so much more comfortable looking at plants from home. Temperate climate gardeners should be out there, adventuring, wanting to see tropical gardens - something different... Oh well, perhaps if I had more botanic garden travelling practice...