Australia

Western Australian Botanic Garden /  by Michael Johns

Casey and I find ourselves back in Australia, and it feels so good to be back. A short 15 minute walk up the hill from where we’re staying in Perth is the Western Australian Botanic Garden. Situated on a bluff above the city, this amazing garden hosts thousands of some of the most spectacular and iconic Australian native species that thrive in the sun-baked parched conditions characteristic of this part of the world. I’ve become obsessed with a particular group of plants that abound in this garden, the Proteaceae, a group that contains the spider-like flowers of the grevillea, fireworks of the bottlebrush (Callistemon), and giant upright candles of the Banksia. There are a few limited hardy varieties of grevillea and callistemon (and at least 1 Banksia) tolerant of the cold wet Pacific Northwest winters that we are attempting to grow in our own garden at home, but here, the diversity of forms, shapes, and colors of the Proteaceae are staggering.

The garden also contains a vast selection of eucalyptus, tea trees (Melaleuca), Hakea, and some stunning fiery displays of kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos).