Cairns for Christmas Amaryllids for streetscapes

[anita]

Hi

I thought I might help you all warm up a little by sharing some photographs I took in Cairns while visiting family for Christmas. Fortunately we were above the rain band that has covered much of central and southern Queensland, where the flooding of three major river systems has inundated an area the size of France with devastating consequences for people and animals.

Coming from the dry Mediterranean climate of South Australia I was particularly struck by the  bulbs that were being used for roadside plantings in Cairns and in Atherton on the plateau above and to the east of Cairns.

As I’m not familiar with many of these bulbs I may have come unstuck on some of the names.. my apologies.. I’m happy to stand corrected.

But in Atherton I was gobsmacked by the use of what appeared to by Habranthus robustus planted widely in the streetscape. It was hard to resist the temptation to collect all those lovely seeds.

In Atherton I also noticed what appeared to me to be various forms of Zephyranthes used in the streetscaping. In one planting that combined Z. candida and Z. citrinus there were a few paler colored Z. citrinus… or perhaps they were hybrids. The plants were happily seeding and hybrids are possible.

In Cairns in particular the plant selection is quite spectacular and Zephyranthes, evergreen Crinums or Hymenocallis and a stunning variegated hymenocallis were being used cleverly in massed plantings often with contrasting foliage species.

We also visited the stunning Flecker Botanic Gardens at Cairns – I’ve only posted two pictures – an ornamental ginger and a bat plant (I can’t find where I wrote the species name) but there were hundreds of stunning tropical plants including some amazing aroids.

I’m afraid my humble pics do not really do the place or the plants justice. If you are ever in Australia do try and get up north and enjoy. Even in the wet season the place is beautiful.

The climate of Cairns is typically tropical a warm wet (this year really, really wet) and a dry winter. Atherton is similar but the altitude ensures that the winters are much colder – enough to warrant logfires and heating in the homes – something that’s unimaginable down at Cairns on the coast. The sea was 29degC when we went swimming!

[anita]

More pics from Cairns

7/1/11 Alberto suggests the plants I labelled Crinum, alongside the carpark are also Hymenocallis, most likely littoralis

[Hoy]

Lovely plants and roadscapes, anita!
Australia is on my wish list for places to visit, that's sure!

[Paul T]

Anita,

Excellent pics.  I love the variegated Hymenocallis in particular.  Excellent foliage.  So many other wonderful things as well.  Been years since I've been to Cairns and really want to get back there.  The Flecker Bot Gdns are glorious!!

Thanks for the pics.

[Maggi Young]

A real eye-opener to see such plants in street plantings, Anita, thankyou.  The place is a bulb lover's dream.

[Paddy Tobin]

It is amazing to see such exotic plants used as mass bedding, in effect.

However, I am most taken by sea temperature of 29C. What  luxury!

Paddy

[fermi de Sousa]

Anita,
this reminded me that we saw a similar use of Zephyranthes in Goa outside a fancy hotel


Some sort of Ruellia was mixed in,


cheers
fermi