Magnolia × soulangeana (saucer magnolia) is a hybrid plant in the genus Magnolia and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple. It is one of the most commonly used magnolias in horticulture, being widely planted in the British Isles, especially in the south of England; Australia, South Africa and in the United States, especially the east and west coasts.
The first photo below was taken several months ago in Spring and shows off the abundant flowers of this magnificent tree. Now in Autumn, in the next three photos show that seed has set, the pink seed pods and bright red seeds looking quite striking as well!
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Queens Park is a significant Municipal Park in Moonee Ponds in the City of Melbourne, Australia. It is located in central Moonee Ponds bound by the following roads; Mount Alexander Road, The Strand, Pascoe Vale Road, Kellaway Avenue. Early travellers heading for the goldfields met here because fresh water was available in the lagoon. Burke and Wills camped here on their fateful journey to cross Australia.
A picturesque cottage is the focal point of the park with its idyllic surrounds and lovely public art pieces, such as mosaics, statues and monuments. A gravel path surrounds the lake where seats and picnic tables are provided beneath old established exotic trees, with the lake a haven for a variety of birds, making for a magical milieu. A rose garden and a sunken garden are part of the many attractions of the park. Music concerts and other entertainments are common on weekends.
This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Yarra. At the 2011 Census, Clifton Hill had a population of 5,790.Described in the 1880s as the "Toorak of Collingwood", Clifton Hill fell out of favour, along with much of inner Melbourne by the mid 20th century. Later becoming a centre of Melbourne's bohemianism, the suburb has undergone rapid gentrification in recent years, and is now considered one of Melbourne's most liveable suburbs.
The Queens Parade shopping strip has a great village atmosphere and is one of Melbourne’s well kept secrets. From a range of speciality shops including jewellers, boutique clothes & shoe shops, antiques plus plenty of shops for everyday needs, there is something for everyone there. One can take a stroll along the wide footpaths and tree lined streets, stop for a coffee and sit outside of one of the many cafés and just enjoy the atmosphere.
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
Historic Studley Park Boathouse, Kew, is only 10 minutes from the city centre and offers visitors the opportunity to dine in the restaurant, relax over a lighter meal in the indoor/outdoor café, or have a light snack from the kiosk while enjoying sweeping views of the Yarra River and natural bushland. You can also hire row boats, canoes and kayaks from the oldest operating boathouse in Australia. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day.
This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme.
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited.
Crown's casino complex opened in 1997, after moving from a temporary location that opened in 1994 and was on north bank of the Yarra. It is one of the central features of the Southbank area in the central business district and the Crown Promenade fronts onto the waterfront as part of Southbank Promenade. Children under 18 are permitted into the entertainment and shopping section of complex, but not into the gaming area or areas serving alcohol. The entire complex has a space of 510,000 m² which is equivalent to two city blocks, making it the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world.
Although I don't gamble, we occasionally go for a stroll in this complex, for the photo opportunities, if for nothing else.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
View towards the City and the Swan St Bridge from the banks of the Yarra River, along Alexandra Parade. We may have some showers tonight!
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
Rotheca is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Estimates of the number of species in the genus vary from about 35 to as many as 60. Three of the species are native to tropical Asia, with the rest occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa. The type species for the genus is Rotheca serrata. It had originally been named Rotheca ternifolia, but this name is now considered illegitimate.
Rotheca myricoides (blue butterfly bush) is native to tropical East Africa and is cultivated as an ornamental throughout the tropics. Rotheca serrata is from tropical Asia and has some medicinal use there. In the 20th century, Rotheca was rarely recognised as separate from Clerodendrum. Rotheca was revived in 1998 as a result of phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences. It can easily be distinguished from Clerodendrum by a combination of morphological characters.
Rotheca myricoides (also known by its older name Clerodendrum ugadense) is more commonly referred to as the blue butterfly. It is called this because of the shape of its flowers. In the early summer, it produces beautiful light blue and lavender flowers that bloom into a shape that resembles a butterfly. It is an evergreen shrub that gets up to 3 metres tall and just as wide. It is native to Kenya and Uganda in East Africa. It enjoys partial shade and requires regular watering.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
We are beginning to experience the days of Autumn, here in Melbourne. I woke up at 6:00 a.m. today and it was still quite dark outside. The sunrise did not tinge the sky until well past seven. Then after a couple of fine and warm days we had showers and rain today...
This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.
