ICEBERG ROSES

Rosa 'Iceberg' was introduced over 40 years ago by Kordes and is still one of the most popular roses. The first hybrid was that of pure white double blooms, which are produced continuously all season. They are borne on a healthy bush ideal for massed display, but are also popular as a standard. One of the World's favourite roses, inducted into the Rose Hall of Fame in 1983. In the 1990s, pink hybrids were introduced and in the early 2000s, burgundy variants appeared. Here are all three types growing together.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

IN THE PARK

We have warm weather at last, and finally it looks as though it's time to go out and enjoy the sun (or shade under the thick, rich green canopy of the trees) in the parks and gardens of Melbourne. Here is a verdant scene at the Queen Victoria Gardens opposite the NGV.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

LIFE IN THE CITY

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme

BAROQUE

A little baroque touch in the King's Domain in the City, where a built rock garden coexists with trees and succulents. Home to birds, insects, small reptiles and the odd snake. All in the midst of the bustling City.

This post is part of the Seasons meme.

BY THE YARRA

A perfect Spring day in Melbourne today and what better place to enjoy it than in Southbank, by the River...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

SEAGULL

It's very unkind to call seagulls "rats with wings", unless of course you really like rats! In any case, they are all over the seaside suburbs in Melbourne and yes, they do raid the rubbish bins!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

PAULOWNIA

Paulownia is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood tree (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. They are present in much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam and are long cultivated elsewhere in eastern Asia, notably in Japan and Korea. It was introduced to North America in 1844 from Europe and Asia where it was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree.

Its fruits (botanically capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports. The tree has not persisted prominently in US gardens, in part due to its overwintering brown fruits that some consider ugly. In some areas it has escaped cultivation and is found in disturbed plots. Some US authorities consider the genus an invasive species, but in Europe, where it is also grown in gardens, it is not regarded as invasive.

The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Paulowna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason. Paulownia trees produce as many as 20 million tiny seeds per year. However, the seeds are very susceptible to soil biota and only colonise well on sterile soils (such as after a high temperature wildfire). Well-drained soil is also essential. Successful plantations usually purchase plants that have been professionally propagated from root cuttings or seedlings.

Although seeds, seedlings, and roots of even mature trees are susceptible to rot, the wood is not and is used for boat building and surfboards. Trees can grow to maturity in under 10 years and produce strong, lightweight timber, good as firewood, with an even higher strength to weight ratio than balsa wood. Its density is low at around 0.28 kg/litre, although significantly higher than balsa's very low 0.16 kg/litre.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MISHAP...

This poor little butterfly got trapped between a heavy rainshower and a full pond. Mishap with fatal consequences...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

MELBOURNE CUP

The Melbourne Cup is the horse race of all Australian horse races. Every year when this race is run around 3:00 pm, it literally stops the entire nation. Melbourne Cup Day is fixed on the first Tuesday in November and although it is a public holiday only in the Melbourne Metropolitan area, Australians all over the nation are glued to their television screens or listen on the radio (or more likely on the internet, nowadays, I suppose) to watch this historic race.

The race is held over a distance of 3,200 meters, the traditional two-mile cup distance, for horses three years and older and is the richest and most prestigious “two-mile” handicap in the world. It is held in Flemington Racecourse, located in Flemington, one of Melbourne's inner city suburbs, which is named after a butcher who lived there in the 19th century. I certainly hope he didn't sell horse meat - that would be grand irony!

The first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861. There were 17 starters and the prize was 170 pounds and a hand-beaten gold watch (this was the trophy given before the traditional Loving Cup which the Melbourne Cup is known for). “Archer”, the first Cup-winning horse, had been walked to Melbourne from its stable in Nowra, New South Wales, a distance of about 800km. “Archer” won again the following year to a prize of 810 gold sovereigns (£810) and a gold watch. “Archer” went on to win the race the following year once more, making him one of the five horses to win the event more than once.

The 2022 Melbourne Cup has been won by Gold Trip, ridden by Mark Zahra. Emissary came in second, with High Emocean charging home in third. Overwhelming favourite Deauville Legend finished in fourth. Gold Trip is a 5yo bay Stallion from France trained by Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, who is based at Ballarat. It is sired by the stallion Outstrip out of the dam Sarvana. Given that it has won at Group One level and has amassed $5,914,914 in career earnings. Today, Gold Trip scored its most significant win to date, getting the money in the $7,750,000 Lexus Melbourne Cup, defeating Emissary. Gold Trip is regarded as an elite class of racehorse.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.