Friday, August 10, 2012

Snow at Mount Tomah Botanical Garden. 10th Aug 2012

We don't often see this scene so close to home.

On the news this morning it was reported that there had been snow
falls at Katoomba (altitude 982m / 3222ft) on the Blue Mountains. A quick check on Google Earth, to check the altitude of locations on the less travelled Bells Line Of Rd, showed that these location ranged from 964m/3163ft to just over 1000m/3366ft. So leaving a snug 15C/59F at home I headed for the hills.
As I drove past the Mount Tomah Botanical Garden (964m) 1 hour later, what I thought was white gravel on the entrance garden was in fact snow, not a lot but enough for me. This 252 hectare garden is home to a world class collection of plants from the cooler parts of the southern hemisphere.
A woman stopped as she was driving into the garden when she saw me taking photos of the 'white gravel' and said "oh my gosh, is that SNOW?". With the temperature, up there, hovering around 3C it was time to make most of this not too common opportunity.

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Click on photos to enlarge.


A prostrate Banksia is an island in snow.

un-labelled

Poa sieberiana  -  Snowgrass, feeling at home.

Jonuils making the most of the sunshine.

"and over there is the........"

Floral fireworks.     Leucadendron and Protea.


Protea cynaroides  -  'Red King' , bud.

Protea cynaroides  -  'Red King'

Leucadendron.

Part of the African display.

Vines in the rainforest walk.

 Circular coppice after main tree ( Sassafras) died.

Roses bloom, even when it snows.
Rosa cv. Titian

Looking over the garden towards home.

Part of the African display which had a lot of
late winter colour.

Leucadendron.

Protea feathers.

Aeonium arboreum  'Zwartkop'



Leucospermum.

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