Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Friday 30 September 2016

Tulip Top Gardens 2016

Last week we headed off to Tulip Top Gardens to complete our pilgrimages to celebrate Spring.

Tulip Top Gardens are a little way out of town (and in the next state) and they are open each year at the same time as Floriade.

Both are celebrations of spring.  Both feature tulips by the hundreds.  Both are in spectacular locations.  And they couldn't be more different.

Floriade is free to enter, and is becoming increasingly commercial in nature.
Tulip Top Gardens charges $16 admittance to people over 16 (seniors get a discount).  Included in that fee are unlimited cups of tea and coffee and for those who would like it a sausage sandwich (the skinny one had mine as well).

Floriade is a government initiative.
Tulip Top Gardens are the work of a single family - who put over a million bulbs in the ground each year by hand.  I am so in awe of their backs and their stamina. 

I go to both of them each year, but Tulip Top Gardens is first in my heart.

Many, many, many photos follow.  And there are more which I won't inflict on you.  Yet.

Starting at the entrance to the gardens, wandering down the path.


Looking to the right.

Looking to the left.

Straight ahead.

It really is an explosion of colour, scent and sound.  Frogs croak in the water, classic music drifts down from the trees...










Each year I look forward to their forsythia avenue.  Each year my anticipation is rewarded.





Each year I also wonder whether this is the year that the walk to the lookout defeats me.





Nope.  Not this year.  And this was my reward.






Isn't it glorious?  This is already such a photo heavy post I think I will stop and take a breather at the top.
More next week - unless you are sick of it.

112 comments:

  1. An explosion, a veritable riot of spring colour.

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    1. only slightly confused: An explosion to welcome.

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  2. wow your spring is as beautiful as Polish one..

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  3. Utterly fabulous, as a rule I only look at wild flowers, but, I love this one, it is well laid out, beautiful EC.

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    1. Bob Bushell: Isn't it lovely? And you should have heard the birds singing. They liked it too.

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  4. Oh, I can see why this is first in your heart. It is amazing and beyond words. You're looking at the first signs of spring as we start having cooler weather looking at fall. I like fall but I want to see your spring colors. So very beautiful. Thank you for sharing (and I look forward to more).

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    1. Mason Canyon: Thank you. You may regret saying you are looking forward to more photos. Conservatively speaking there are a kazillion more to come. And photos from home too.

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  5. It is glorious. What a great place to spend some time. Ahhhhh

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    1. Author R. Mac Wheeler: We had a lovely few hours, and still smile remembering.

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  6. Glorious is the perfect word for it!!

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  7. Absolutely gorgeous gardens. The blossom is glorious as well as the spring bulbs. Nice to see as we head to autumn here.

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    1. Anna of the Mutton Years: Autumn is special too. And I would love to see yours.

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  8. At first Child, I was grumbling about the cost to get in - thought everyone in OZ must be rich. Then I saw the pics and yes, it was worth the cause. Still can't wrap my head around spring in the southern hemisphere. Just a crazy world.

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    1. donna baker: It isn't cheap, but when you factor in the unlimited tea and coffee and a sausage sandwich I think it offers value for money. And would probably go anyway.

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  9. The colours are fascinating. They remind me of a park in Brighton. Probably one of my favourite spots in the UK! :-) Thanks. Great pics.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. A Cuban in London: Thank you. There are rather a lot of your parks and gardens I would like to see.

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  10. Yay! You did it.

    Love this post! More please! Ahh...spring!

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    1. Marie Smith: I was very pleased to get to the top. And pleased that this year the bogey was defeated. There will be more pics next week some time.

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  11. Just wonderful and everything seems to be simultaneously flowering.

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    1. Andrew: Not quite everything, there were a few beds that were mostly in bud, but they timed it really, really well.

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  12. Pilgrimage to celebrate spring! Just in time, I'd say.

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    1. Joanne Noragon: We were lucky. Since we went we have had days of flooding rain. It is probably looking a tad sad now.

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  13. You know what calls to me, don't you? Of course, it's all lovely, but...
    My annual cyber treat! [insert huge, goofy grin]

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    1. dinahmow: I did know. And that forsythia avenue sings to me too. The hill behind is is mostly rosemary plants - which smell delightful on a sunny day.

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  14. Wonderful all, but you close-up of th fuzzy tulips set me aflame! Wow. Isn't it fun that you have Spring and I Fall? All the better to share with each other :)

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    1. Cloudia: Aren't thos parrot tulips amazing? I took many, many photos of them, smiling the whole time. And yes, being able to share the seasons is a joy.

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  15. Fabulous photos. I kept thinking wow, wow, and wow! I can see why you would want to go back every year. I'm all for more photos :)

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    1. mshatch: It is a treat each and every year. Sometimes we go early, other times it is later but we have always loved it.

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  16. Flowers are beautiful, but what price in energy. I have spent the last two hours or more digging and planting seeds and I am exhausted.

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    1. Vest: I hear you. Our vegie garden is up and running, and the energy expenditure was big. Very big.

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  17. Replies
    1. Sienna Smythe: They are. I am so impressed at that family's industry.

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  18. Sick of it? Here where we are beginning our fall season, this abundance of spring signs is more than welcome, it is AWESOME! Thank you, EC. :-)

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    1. DJan: Thank you. More to come. From Tulip Top and from our garden.

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  19. You live in such a gorgeous part of the world! I'm so grateful that you share so much of it with us, too. Having too many photos?? NEVER!! Everything is just beautiful and I love tulips!

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    1. BECKY: Thank you. You always say the nicest things.

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  20. This garden is amazing! I don't think I have ever seen anything like it where I am from. We here are missing out.

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    1. Bea: Isn't it beautiful. Their home is not far away from the lookout, and every season they would have amazing views.

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  21. What heavenly photos! Looking forward to more.

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  22. Ohhhh, I love that the flower blossoms are floating on the water... how truly gorgeous! You are so lucky! <3 - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com

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    1. Gingi Freeman: Isn't it beautiful? And yes, we know we are lucky.

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  23. Oh my, how beautiful! Thank you again for sharing!

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  24. So refreshing in the light of the drought we are suffering here.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you

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    1. Martin Kloess: We are often in drought. This past winter and spring have been the exceptions, so I do know how you feel.

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  25. Stunning show of colour EC. I have to say it looks much more impressive than what we saw of Floriade this year.

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    1. carol in cairns: I think it left Floriade for dead this year. And I do hope that Floriade doesn't die, but worry that it might.

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  26. Hi EC - both those gardens are wonderful and I'm not surprised you visit. Stunning views and I love the photos - taking us along your path to the top. Wonderful ... as our autumn creeps up on us ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary Melton-Butcher: I am looking forward to enjoying your autumn with you.

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  27. wow that is beautiful... I hadn't heard of it before so thanks for showing me around :)

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    1. Anna: Tulip Top Gardens are put in the shade by Floriade. Which I think is a mistake.

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  28. I have been looking forward to these and they didnt disappoint!

    I'm pleased you made it to the lookout

    xo

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    1. kylie: They didn't disappoint us either. We smiled our way around the gardens - as did everyone else. I am pleased I got to the lookout this year too. One year it will be too much, but not this time.

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  29. Thank you for the most colorful and wonderful trip among the tulips.

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    1. Rasma Raisters: My pleasure, and I am glad you enjoyed it.

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  30. A beautiful trip down tulip path.

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  31. What a beautiful place and well worth the fee. The tea and sausage sandwich is an added bonus.

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    1. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: We think it is worth it too. Very worth it.

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  32. Oh my, what a feast for the eyes! I love colourful tulips and all spring flowers, so I am insanely envious of your visit to Tulip Top Gardens. The city of Ottawa has a huge tulip festival each spring, but I have never been to it.... perhaps next year. The tulips are given to Canada by the government of the Netherlands in gratitude for sheltering the Dutch Royal family during the 2nd world war.

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    1. Shammickite: I have heard of Ottowa's tulip festival and hope you can get to it next year - and share the magic.

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  33. Dear EC
    Thank you for bringing such a beautiful breath of Spring to me today. Beautiful! The walk to the look out was definitely worth it.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Ellie Foster: Isn't it lovely. A very big breath of spring.

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  34. Absolutely a grand explosion of colors and such creative and lovely designs throughout as well! I even think for a second I could hear a frog or maybe two!

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    1. Karen S.: I am in awe each year. They change the designs too - and their underplanting/edging is always lovely too.

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  35. What an awesome sight that must be in person! I, along with many, will never get tired of seeing your photos. To think it is one family's endeavor is mind-boggling. The money charged is worth it to skip the boundless commercialism and enjoy the naked beauty of it all. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

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    1. River Fairchild: Thank you. I find it a little ironic that the free event is so much more commercial, but it is. By a long shot. We will continue to go to it each year but this leaves it for dead.

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    2. My guess is that the vendors pay Floriade for the right to a seller's booth, allowing them to admit the public for free and yet raise money for the exhibit.

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    3. River Fairchild: You are right of course, and the fees are not cheap. And the expense is passed on the consumer.

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  36. OH MY HEAVENS!!! What a glorious place! Incredible beauty! Do you know how long it takes them to prep? Stunning... Makes me want to move to Canberra...

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    1. Nicky HW: I have no idea how long the preparation time is. Digging and fertilising the beds, all that planting, weeding, watering... So much work. And our rewards are huge.

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  37. Yes, it most definitely IS glorious. The pictures make my heart sing, so being there would take my breath away. (Especially if the climb up that hill is long and steep!) It's definitely worth the cost of admission, and I hope lots of people visit, so the family can keep those gardens going for many more years to come. They're a national treasure.

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    1. Susan: I agree on the national treasure front. It is a largely hidden treasure though. I don't remember ever seeing it advertised, and don't even know how we found out about it.

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  38. That is beautiful EC. Wow. I'd love to visit. A friend is heading to Canberra at the weekend to go to Floriade, I've just written to her to make sure she has Tulip Tops on her list too.

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    1. Kim: I think that Tulip Tops is often (always) better than Floriade and definitely this year. I hope your friend can see it.

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  39. This is a feast for the eyes, EC! That family is talented as well as hard-working. Such colours and shapes - I would love to see more pictures. These are amazing. And I'm glad you made it to the look off. Annual rituals have a way of standing out in our minds, do they not?

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    1. jenny_o: I am a creature of habit, and I am very, very glad that this is one of them.

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  40. These are just so lovely!

    Are those violets around the pink and white tulips? Stunning.

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    1. Sandi: It was violas and pansies around the pink and white tulips (and lots of other beds). Beautiful aren't they?

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  41. Oh my goodness - those ruffled tulips are amazing! All of them beautiful.

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    1. Lynn: Isn't it a delight. Even viewing the photos again makes me smile.

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  42. So beautiful! Post more, who could be tired of such gorgeous shots?

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    1. Sue in Italia/In the Land of Cancer: I think it would be almost impossible to find an angle to take a photo here which didn't show beauty.

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  43. How could we be sick of these amazing photos!! Is that a private garden? Just magnificent!!

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    1. CountryMum: It is a private garden which they open to the public for four weeks each year. And my mind boggles at the effort they put in before that opening.

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  44. What a glorious way to drown in nature's beautiful colors! Lovely. I am jealous. I would love to find that many flowers in one place.

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    1. Terri @ Coloring Outside the Lines: It is a wonderful, wonderful outing. I was just talking to one of my brothers and his wife. They went there a few days after us - and smiled the whole way round. As we did.

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  45. Elephant's Child! My source for all things Spring as I sit here watching the rain and gray sky.

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    1. Birdie: We have had, and are having rain and grey skies too. And lots of colour. Lots and lots of colour.

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  46. I have been thinking I would love to come down to visit Canberra this time of year one day I will make it.
    Merle..........

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    1. Merlesworld: It is a lovely time of year. I hope you can make it.

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  47. What a spectacular sight this must have been. Marvelous photos, thanks for taking us along and I look forward to more :)

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    1. DeniseinVA: It is spectacular. Consistently so.

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  48. I'm running so behind in reading blogs and responding...sorry!

    Beautiful photos, EC. :)

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    1. Lee: Not a problem. You are welcome whenever you stop by.

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  49. Glorious indeed. Thank you for sharing. I'd love to be able to join you on excursions to Tulip Top.

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    1. Sandra Cox: Aren't they amazing? I would love to share them in real life with rather a lot of bloggers.

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  50. Those gardens are magnificent Sue. Hope you are having a marvelous weekend.

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    1. Margaret Adamson: Thank you. I am still smiling thinking of Tulip Top.

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  51. This is my "heaven!"
    love and kisses from MN. xxx

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    1. My Inner Chick: It is definitely part of mine too. Hugs and love returned.

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  52. I love the fact every single bed is colourfully bordered. That's the perfect touch that makes Tulip Tops such a wonderful place to visit.

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    1. River: Aren't the borders beautiful. So well thought through, and so well executed.

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  53. Beautiful displays, as usual. I like the burst of forsythia in the spring. I got a bush a couple years back, when on sale, and it has gone a little nuts. The neighbor came over and took part of it recently. She had wanted a bush for some time. It readily propagates itself from any branch node that touches earth. Happy you made the summit, the crest, the top of the mountain again this year. Your legs have not forsaken you.

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    1. Strayer: Forsythia is a wonderful harbinger of Spring. It glows. And it is time I took some cuttings from ours.

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  54. Oi oi how beautiful place with all these flowers and tulips. You are lucky you can see such a beauty.

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    1. orvokki: Isn't it lovely? We look forward to it each year.

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  55. Absolutely gorgeous! Here, of course, autumn is in the air and nights are getting cooler.

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    1. rhymeswithplague: It is gorgeous. Your season has a lot to recommend it too.

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