Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)The Terra Australis Garden is maturing beautifully. It was opened in 2019 and is one of the Gallery of Gardens at the National Arboretum in Canberra. Here is an update from January 2024.
Inception of the Terra Australis garden
The Australian Native Plants Society (ANPSA) developed the garden as a stylised representation of the Australian geography and its diverse flora.
Designed by Lawrie Smith, the garden celebrates the varying Australian landscape through landform, rock form, and plant species. It showcases a more formal garden using native plants. Lawrie is the leader of the ANPSA Garden Design Study Group.
‘Terra Australis’ garden in its dramatic setting
Garden maturing beautifully
Now the Terra Australis Garden is growing bushy and in some cases almost too bushy! You can see from recent photos (September 2023), the garden is packed with plants in flower.
The wattles have bloomed magnificently this year. These include Acacia acinacea, Gold Dust Wattle, A. covenyi, Bluebush, A. fimbriata, Fringed Wattle, A. howittii ‘Canberry Honey Bun’ and A. verniciflua, Varnish Wattle.
The maintenance staff at the Arboretum are doing a marvellous job of pruning, watering and fertilising the garden. They even have strategic plans to limit children climbing on the water feature and disturbing the rocks.
Kunzea ambigua, Tick Bush, planted between the water feature and path, will grow to 3m high. It has aromatic leaves and honey-scented white flowers to form an impenetrable barrier (we hope).
Ground zero after first planting in November 2019
Acacia verniciflua, Varnish Wattle, Allocasuarina littoralis, Black She-oak, Laurel hedge is now growing high enough to protect against the wind
Acacia fimbriata in full flower, basalt ridge, Gymnostoma australianum, Daintree Pine
Queensland section, basalt ridge, Chrysocephalum ramosissimum, Macrozamia moorei, Brachychiton rupestris, Queensland Bottle Tree, not leafed out
Acacia acinacea, Gold Dust Wattle, Allocasuarina duncanii, Duncan’s She-oak, Eucalyptus neglecta, Omeo Gum, Leptospermum ‘Copper Glow’, Leptospermum ‘Mesmer Eyes’
Water feature, Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’, Eucalyptus neglecta, Omeo Gum and Lomandra ‘Lime Tuff’
The ‘Terra Australis’ garden at the National Arboretum is maturing beautifully and looks set to reach its potential. It will be wonderful to keep charting its progress over time.
To see the update from November 2022, click here.