Witt Winter Garden

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One of my favorite gardens in Seattle is the Witt Winter Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum. It is a wonderful feast for both eyes and nose. Even on a rainy day it can brighten your spirit and inspire you.

It is located just across from the Graham Visitor’s Center. The parking lot at the visitor’s center is very convenient for the garden. There is a sign with a list of what is in bloom. Definitely check out the plants around the visitor center. There is a stunning Viburnum X bodnantense on the south side and it was in full bloom.

The path winds up through low growing winter jasmine which unfortunately have no scent. We saw a smattering of crocuses with their gaudy purple sticking their heads up through the undergrowth. At the top of the path is a nice planting of Crape Myrtle. The mottled looking bark is striking on the drizzly day. There are a few early azaleas also in bloom.

But our noses lead us on. The witch hazel is in full bloom along the path to the left. I love their spicy perfume. And their wispy spiral flowers that look like little bows on the branches. The yellow Hamamelis mollis has a lovely scent. The red flowered trees are more spicy but the yellow has the best perfume.

The witchhazel is definitely the star of the garden but looking closely you can see many other winter gems. Underneath some of the trees are Helleborus orientalis in shades of pink and purple. The silky tassles of a Garrya brings a festive look to the dark green leaves. In addition to th Crape Myrtle trees, there are several other good examples of plants with interesting bark; the yellow bark of Cornus alba contrast nicely with clumbs of black mondo grass. Nearby is a nice grouping of two trees with interesting bark; the Himalayan birches Betula utilis var jacquemontii and paperbark maples, Acer griseum. Bringing more scent to the trail are Wintersweet Chimonanthus praecox, winter honeysuckle Lonicera Fragrantissima and Sarcococca ruscifolia.

On a dreary day, the smell and color reminds us that spring is not far.

Gardening in Seattle

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This winter has been so dreary and cold. I need something to lift my spirits and what better than way than to observe the seasonal changes in the garden. It is early and I will try to track what is in bloom along with what is happening in our garden.

The annual event to start off the gardening season is the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It has been going on for over 20 years. In the early days when G worked at the garden store in downtown Seattle, he would regularly work the booth. Working a show and going to a show for please are two very different things so occasionally I would come down after work. But there were many years that I didn’t attend.

After a break, we did finally get interested in the show again. One year we even went to both the NW Garden Show and the SF Garden Show. The lectures are often good but they can be so crowded on the weekend.

Last year and this year a fellow plant geek has come over from Spokane and we’ve gone together. What fun! He really loves plants and it is a blast. But I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed this year. The two plant geeks like it but I found it much smaller and the displays were not very creative. I did really like the Marginal Madness display by Fancy Fronds. Lots of tender semi-tropical plants to tempt us plus a wild theme. But I was so turned off by the sports theme display. A garden with a TV in it! And the fence gate with baseballs to top the spikes. That was too much.

We saved the best for last – the plant vendors. The orchids were so tempting but I was able to pull G away. He did get several arisaemas and I was couldn’t resist the huge Casablanca oriental lily bulbs from B&B Lilies. It is going to be so nice in July to sit on the deck and smell their sweet fragrance.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie – Hot, Hot, Hot

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It is hot! Yesterday it was 38 degrees C. (~99 F) and it is only the beginning of Spring. It isn’t a record but it might be today since it may have been even hotter. We are now in Sydney sweating away in a heat wave. If not, it is definitely a record to have multiple hot days this early in the year. We arrived in the morning rush hour after the red eye from Perth. We took the train into town and into a sea of black suits. Our room wasn’t ready yet which was expected so we dropped off our bags at our hotel and headed off to explore.

After getting some information at the VIC (visitors information center), we grabbed breakfast in the Rocks. Our first view of the opera house was breathtaking. It is one of the icons of the world and it was so exciting to see it. We walked around Central Quay and checked it out close up.

Then it was off to the Botanical Gardens next door. We had to check out the fruitbats. A huge flock of over 4,000 bats have taken up residence in the park, hanging from trees and eating nectar. Unfortunately, they also kill the trees they roost in. Their tremendous claws girdle the bark as they land and swing down to hang. There doesn’t seem to be any way to get rid of them either. We also checked out the Wollemi Tree, a species of conifer tree recently discovered in the 1990’s in a canyon here in Australia. It was previously thought to be extinct. George could have bought one but the custom agents would have confiscated it. Unfortunately we forgot our hats and sunscreen. By time we returned to the hotel, I was pretty exhasted from the heat and sun.

We are staying at The Blackett. It is an easy walk from the hotel to many of the tourist sites in the Central business District. We have a loft room which gives us more room. It was originally a bank so the has a tall ceiling and the bedroom and bath are on a loft above a small kitchenette and sitting area. The decord is ismilar to the Seibel but not as good of view. So far quiet althought we did hear a bit of the club last night.

The sun or something took its toll on me. After a shower and a bit of relaxing, we headed out for dinner at the Palisade Hotel in The Rocks. It is a Aussie style Hotel which is more like a pub to Americans. The downstairs is a pub/bar, upstairs the restaurant and above rooms for rent. The food was very good but my appetite was nil. George had a great grilled kingfish and salad. I had roasted lamb with greenbeans spiced with pistacios. I didn’t feel good after eating due to the heat but I made it back to the hotel and quickly fell asleep.

The next day George felt the same. We dont’ know if it was the heat or something from the plane or lack of sleep. A women across the aisle was sick on the plane so it is very possible that we picked up something on the ride.

We didn’t want to spend much time in the sun since we didn’t feel great so we headed to the Sydney Aquarium. I was a bit disapppointed with it after the aquariums in Perth and Cape Town. We were also surrounded by swarms of elementary private school kids. We escaped and headed back to our room to crash. We needed to be able to get around that night because we had tickets to “Pirates of Penzance” at the Opera House. The rest did us well but we did skip dinner because we weren’t hungry.

It was a great performance. We had seen a local performance this summer in Seattle so we were very familiar with the play. The pirate king was a lot of fun since he was the spitting image of Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribean. And he hammed it up just like Depp. Everyone in the cast were excellent singers. Of course, the interior isn’t as dramatic as the exterior but it is till wonderful to have a glass of bubbly at intermission while viewing the lights of Sydney.

Friday we felt better. We slathered on the suntan lotion, grabbed our hats and took the ferry to Manly Beach. Originally our plans were to hike from Spit Bridge to Manly, a 6km walk through native bush and Manly but it was too hot. So we hiked a few km to see the views of the harbor. We returned and had lunch near the beach.

After lunch we walked along the promenade. The beach was packed with mostly teenagers. We watched a bit of volleyball and headed back – only to discover a lot of others had the same idea. No views from the ferry for us.

We went back and took a cool shower before heading out for a sunset walk across the Harbor Bridge. We finished the evening with a beer at Lord Nelsons Hotel Pub.

Today was another scorcher. We could feel the head as soon as we stepped out of the hotel. We decided to take the Bondi Explorer bus to the beach. The driver told us that it was already 35 degrees and it was only 11am! The bus trip took us through many of the northern suburbs with stunning views over the city. There were several small beaches and harbors but we stayed on until Bondi. We arrived at noon and the beach was packed. And there was no shade. Manly had a nice line of trees but not here. We walked a bit and then went in for a pizza lunch and gelato. Very good but the cool water was even better.

We spent a bit more at the beach people watching. I just didn’t want to get in the water in the crowd and intense sun.

Tomorrow we return home. It has been wonderful and quick three weeks. We are somewhat dreading returning to fall especially in misty grey Seattle. But we miss our kitties. Australia will call us back in the future… And we will answer the calling.

No Worries

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We have just wrapped up a most wonderful stay in Margaret River. The Hilltop Studio was a perfect retreat for our stay – beautiful, quiet and very peaceful. We spent two days exploring the region. Our days consisted of a winetasting, lunch, sightseeing and a bit of botanizing. I loved Cape Mentelle wines. They started Cloudy Bay in New Zealand which was one of the early Marborough Savignon Blanc specialists. We also loved the gardens at Voyager but it felt a little out of place for us since it was specifically styled in the Cape Dutch style of the wineries in around Cape Town.

We also went to Jewel Cavel. The whole Margaret River area is on limestone and there are several large caves to tour. The beaches are also well known for surfing and we spent time at several especially at sundown. I thought the facilities in the town were great. You can pick up some great fixings for picnics or to take back for dinner. We had a wonderful picnic lunch at the beach with takeaways from Wile Thyme. Jones Good Food also had lots of good options for prepared meals.

We even found several new orchids. Of course, we had to go searching through on little roads to find the areas listed in the book George bought on Orchids of Western Australia but we did luck out and find some nice spider orchids.

We finished our stay with lunch at Lamonts. It was overlooking a lake and had great food and wine. George got a chance to try marrons, fresh water crayfish/crawfish. I had a nice baked trout. With a cool glass of wine, heaven on a spring day.

But best of all was waking each morning to the sun gently coming in the window and watching for kangaroos while drinking our morning coffee. Heaven.

Big Trees

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Saturday was time to leave Albany. We could have stayed several more days. There is so much to do in the area and our apartment was very comfortable. Next stop Margaret River.

The drive took us through the big southern forests. Huge trees of different varieties of Eucalytus. At times I thought I was in the hills behind Berkeley. The roads are lined with tall trees and the air is very aromatic. There are three major varieties in the region, Marri, Jarrah and Karri. Most of the region has been logged in the early parts of the 1900’s but they have lets lots of the region grow back. You won’t find the huge trees like in the past but they still grow very fast compared with the coniferous forests in the US.

We stopped at the tree top walk in Walpole. It is a 600 meter metal path ramp that raises up to 40 meters above the forest in the tops of the tall tingle trees. These are also eucalyptus but have huge wide bases. The walk is very easy but a bit spooky because it sways in the breeze.

We stopped for lunch in Pemberton, a former mill town that is now becoming a wine region. We visited another microbrewery – Jarrah Jacks. We had a sampler rack along with lunch. The restaurant overlooked the vineyards. The food and beer was good but Tanglehead in Albany was so much better. I miss their Southern White already.

We arrived in Margaret River around 5 as we expected. Our home for the next 3 days is Hilltop Studios. It is located about 6km out of town on a famr. Very secluded and peaceful. Each studio unit is separate. The north side of the studio is filled with windows and light. So relaxing to just sit and gaze over the field. We even saw a group of Kangaroos bounce by this morning. It is also very well equiped and has luxurous spa bathroom. The window lining the wall open up to have an indoor-outdoor spa. We are definitely getting spoilt. We’ll spend the next few days exploring the wineries, beaches and wildflowers.

Mucking through the Swamps

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Cephalotus follicularis

Another goal of the trip was to find Cephalotus, an extremely rare endemic carnivorous plant that only occurs in Albany. It is also called the Albany pitcher plant. We knew it was in the area but didn’t know where to find it. But we found out about a site from a local enthusiast who promised that they would kill George if he told anyone where it could be found. So mum’s the word on exactly where we found it. 🙂

So off we went to explore the bogs near Albany. You know you really love someone when you’re willing to explore swamps. Or just crazy! The instructions led us to the end of a deadend road and down a sandy track to a swappy area. We knew we were in the right spot when we heard the frogs but it took some seaching still to find them. But we did. George was in botanic heaven. He’s grown them at home but to see them in the wild is always a joy. We took lots of photos. We also found a couple of other carnivorous plants in the area – a bladderwort with a nice purple bloom and a couple sundews which seem to be everywhere.

Next it was time for some normal sightseeing. We drove out to Torndirrup Park on Flinders Peninsula. Gorgeous beaches but windy. It is so windy the city of Albany has built a wind far. The area around the wind turbines was also a good spot for flowers. There was lots in bloom and it was quite colorful. But it was also very interesting to see the giant turbines that generate 70% of the electricity used by Albany.

We had one more spot to check out – Two Peoples Bay and Little Beach. Little Beach had repeatedly been recommended so we drove to the east of Albany and out to the Bay. Along the way we had a chance to see a group of kangaroos lounging around in a field of alfalfa. They were laying around with just their heads poking up out of the plants. But one or two would stand up and watch us as we moved along the side of the field taking pictures. They are so much like deer – cautious and a bit stupid.

We drove on through the scarlet banksia forest to Little Beach. It was almost deserted. The beach was brilliant white sand with turquoise water. We took off our shoes and waded into the cool water – definitely warmer than what we find in Washington.

The coast line reminds me a lot of Northern California around Sonoma and Mendocino. Rocky coves and green fields. But the color of the water is so beautiful here with a wide range of blue. I can just imagine what it would be like here in the summer.

Bluff Knoll

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One of our goals of the trip was to climb Bluff Knoll in the Sitrling National Park. At 1073 meters (~3200Ft) it is the hightest point in Western Australia. The Stirlings rise up like islands on a sea of green farm land. They remind me of the Sky Islands in the desert around Tucson.

We ate breakfast and got going around 9am. It is about 100k or 1 hour drive throught the cattle and sheep farms to the Stirlings. The terrain turns into mallee scrub once your enter the park. We signed in at the turnoff and headed up to the parking lot at the base of the mountain. The lot was about 1/2 full and we noticed right off the amount of families preparing for the climb. We saw a lot more young children on the trail than we would on a similar trail in the US. Surprising.

We grabbed our packs and headed out. The trail is 6.2 km rt (~4 miles) and 634 meters up (~2000ft). It starts out on a paved trail for a short while and then starts to climb. The trail is in great condition but it had a lot more stairs than I expected. I was soon groaning at the stairclimb. The terrain was scrubby mix of eucalyptus, acacias and other plants just about at shoulder height.

As we climbed the views got better and better. The parking lot looked like a small dot. We were so fortunate to have great weather. A bit warm but no mist or rain. The bluff is frequently covered in low clouds or very windy. It did get windy as we got to the first saddle. It whipped across the low spot almost blowing off our hats. The trail curved around to the other side of the peak and we climbed the last 1/2 mile to the top. It was crowded with families huddling in the shrubs to avoid the wind. But everyone was happy – eating their lunches and snapping photos.

The trip down was fast but we got a chance to talk with some of the other hikers. Everyone is surprised that we are from the US. Americans rarely visit Western Australia. We explain that we’ve come for the wildflowers and discuss the drought. We’re always getting asked how we find Australia and we always answer – We love it!

Rolling through the Wheatlands

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We are now in the Great Southern. The past few days have been spent on the road moving from Kalbarri in the Midwest to Albany in the Great South.

We enjoyed our time in Kalbarri. Even though it is a school holiday, it was not extremely busy. There were lots of opportunities to take guided or adventure tours but we decided to drive it ourselves.

First was a stop at the Wildflower Center, of course. We took the walk but found very little left in bloom. And it was getting very hot! It was around 30 in the region. Next we drove the dirt road into Kalbarri National Par to see the gorges cut by the Murchison River. There were several overviews which gave us views into the deep red colored gorges cut by the river. There were a couple of trails down to the river but it was too hot for me. And the flies were really annoying. I think they are attracted to any type of moisture so they try to crawl into your mouth, nose and eyes. And the more you sweat, the more they come. I was certain I was going to swallow one but fortunately never did.

It was time to leave and we decided to stay the night back at Jurien Bay. We enjoyed our stay at The Heights B&B and they had such a comfy bed. We decided it would be a good place to stop for the next leg.

Once we got near the town of Eneabba, we took several side dirt roachs to search for flowers. We found one or two new ones but not much. The flowers had been better closer to the coast. But we did find a blue tongued lizard also called a ‘stubby’ because it has a fat stubby tail. It is not a small lizard like geckos but a large fat reptile on short little legs. It also has a dark blue tongue that it sticks out when you get close. Of course, George wanted to get close. We found him munching on a Kangaroo carcass. We also saw and dodged several later on trying to cross the dirt road. And we finally saw some live kangaroos. Coming back from dinner to The Heights, a couple jumped across the road just as everyone had warned us. Up until then, all we had seen was roadkill.

Tuesday was our large drive day to Narrogin. We left early so we could stop a bit if we saw any flowers. We didn’t even make it back to the Brand Hwy before pulling over. We pulled into the Smoke Tree Nature Reserve and spent a bit walking through the bush. It was close enough to Leseur to have a good amount in bloom.

The terrain changed as we got farther inland from the coast. We were now into the wheatbelt. This area has large rolling hills dotted with eucalytus trees. There were green hills planted with wheat, yellow hills planted with canola and purple hills planted with blue weedy echiums. The purple hills were very pretty. They had a hazy quality to them that made them seem to float on the horizon. The roadsides or ‘verges’ did not have the boarder of bush like the Brand Hwy.

We did have one stop planned Wongan Hills. The news reports on the wildflowers that we picked up in Perth had said it was anothe hotspot and it was. We drove up to the top of Mt. O’Brien and the drive was lined with bush in bloom. But the weather had changed and it was really really windy at the top. The rain also started so we quickly moved on. The remainder of our drive took us through the Avon Valley east of Perth. Several of the small towns had charming houses. We rolled into Narrogin just in time to pop into the local info center to find out what was locally in bloom. They were very helpful but unfortunately we had missed the bloom. The heat had dried out all the flowers.

Weds we were back on the road this time to Albany. First we checked out the local Nature reserve – Foxes Lair – which just happened to be right across the street from our motel. Everything was dry so we headed off again. We had plans to investigate the wineries and Banksia farm near Mt. Barker. The farm had tours and there was a chance to make the noon tour but as we rolled into the town of Cranbrook we saw signs for a wildflower show. We decided to check it out. It was great. The local women have permits and they go out and collect specimens in bloom. They bring them back and display them in vases. We got to see several Darwinia – Stirling Bells – a gorgeous large red bell shaped flower on heather like follage. It was a plant George had specifically wanted to see. There was also a white one with a red lip that was native to only Cranbrook.

The woman at the flower show directed us to the community nature reserve. What a lucky tip! We spotted orchides right off and ended up finding 6 different species. I love the airy spider orchids with their long spidery petals.

Next we headed on to the Banksia Far. The owners bought the property in 1985. At that time it was a large field. They have since built several buildings and planted the area with banksias. They are fanatical about banksias and in the past 20 years they have gone all around Australia collecting every species that grows in Australia. Kevin, the owner, gave us a talk on how the aborigial people used banksias. They used the large seed pods to carry fire from camp to camp. The pods burn slowly due to a natural fire-resistant center. They would light the pod and then wrap it with a tree bark that didn’t burn. This would keep it smoldering. They would then stuff it in a pouch made of roo skin. It would keep burning slowly as they moved to the next camp. We also learned how the plant was pollinated and how the seeds are dispersed. We then took a walk around the property to see the diverse types – from large trees up to 30 feet in size to small ones that grew underground to survive in windy conditions.

We finally rolled into Albany about 5pm and ehecked into our apartment for the next few days – the Balneaire. It is a great apartment – spacious two bedroom townhouse near the beach. It is fully equipped so the first thing we did was laundry. It is also a little cool but the apartment has a woodstove. Firewall, kindling and started are all provided. We had a great meal last night at Tanglehead Brewery. It is a new brewery in town. George had salmon on a nicoise salad and I had prawn risotto. Both were yummy. The beer was also great. I had a white wheat beer brewed in German Weiss style and George had an IPA. We’re going back on Friday.

Today we are heading to the Stirling Range and a hike up Bluff Knoll. It happens to be the highest peak in WA. But not very high compared to what we have hiked in the US. It is about 3500ft and the hike is about 1500ft.

Fossicking for Flowers

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West Australia (WA) is in a drought and had very little rain last winter. So we have been “fossicking” (Aussie for searching) for flowers. This involves stopping along the roadside and combing the brush along the sides of the roads for something in bloom. Because of the drought, we have seen no large fields of everlastings. These are “ephemeral” flowers blooming only when there is sufficient rain. Then the roadsides are lined with swatches of white and pink flowers. Now we have only saw the red dirt on the roadsides.

But we have found many of the prickly grey Kwongon shrubs in bloom. These are banksias, grevillas and the most familiar plant to US gardeners – the red bottlebrush bush. Yesterday we also looked specifically for orchids. These can be tough to find because they are wispy or camophloged to blend in with the brush. They also grow on the ground much like our native lady slipper orchids. But as we travelled south it has become cooler and wetter – better conditions for orchids. And we have found several yesterday in Cranbrook. We hadn’t planned on stopping in this small town on the edge of the stirlings but we saw a large sign for a wildflower show. Of course, we couldn’t pass it. The local wildflower club had a nice display especially give then poor wildflower year. We asked where we might see some flowers and they directed us to the local natural area. There was a 1km walk and we spotted 6 orchids on the walk.