Our visit was blessed with the most amazing weather, clear blue skies and sunny, close to 20 degrees. It felt like summer even though it was only mid-Spring.
Upon entering the garden, to the left we were bowled over by the c. 100 year old Magnolia campbellii 'Charles Raffill' (campbellii x campbellii ssp. Mollicomata). A magnificent magnolia with flowers larger than both my hands together.
Throughout the garden, Kevin and I were both struck with how Australian it felt. So much like the Dandenong's outside Melbourne, or many parts of Tasmania. I think the balmy weather helped complement this feeling.
Eucalyptus coccifera - Tasmania snow gum on the left, with Cordyline australis to the right, and Kevin
The snow gum felt so familiar, but then I did spend a lot of my childhood in Tassie.
I love the texture and colours of the snow gum trunk.
I confess that I'm not normally keen on Cordylines. But seeing them at Logan I realised it was context that mattered, because under the blue sky and amongst the gum trees, they worked. The first photo, with the sun coming through, I recalled hot days and squinting from the sun always in your eyes.
Magnificant Dicksonia antarctica in front of the blooming rhododendron. This is how the Dicksonia is meant to be grown and seen.
Polyepis australis, from Argentina. Gosh I wanted to play with peeling this bark. With intense will power, I did refrain. Ok, maybe I played with a small piece...
Many more gum trees. Eucalyptus subcrenulata
Eucalyptus delegatensis
Eucalyptus pulchella
Not labelled, but magnificent.
Gum trees and ferns in the 'Tasmanian Creek' area, though this also could have been the Dandenong's again.
I've rather focused on trees, but there were some flowers too.
Tree peony, Paeonia delayayi
Bumble bee on Erica australis ssp aragonensis
Then there were more ferns and a wonderful Gunnera bog.
Blechnum cycadifolium
Ferns and more Dicksonia antarctica
Gunnera manicata bog
Not forgetting the Wollemi pine, Wollemia nobilis
And some altogether excellent views such as this one over the formal pond.
We enjoyed a splendid time at Logan Botanic Garden. I'm sure the good weather helped, but I suspect it would still have the wow factor on a day with grey skies. We hope to return some day, during summer perhaps when more flowers will be out as well. However, just the trees in their own right make Logan Botanic Garden well worth the visit. So take a drive down Scotland's most southerly point and enjoy.
Accessability: much of the gardens are wheelchair accessible and there a lots of seats. They also have wheelchairs and mobility scooters available which you can borrow; the staff are really helpful about this. I used a scooter for part of the visit and enabled me to see more of the site that I would have done otherwise.
