Australian Succulents

27.11. 2020

A few days ago Michele and I got the chance to visit the new Arid Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. While this new garden is now popular in the media and most cacti and succulent lovers will sooner or later hear of it, visit or see images online, often early perpectives and ideas about it recirculate or repeat over and over. This can sometimes inadvertently reduce the narrative away from the intended. This is a very complex and dynamic garden with mutiple narratives possible!

I noticed the perspective in some articles about it that I have already come across focus a lot on the people behind the scenes, coupled with historical facts. Not discounting their value, as I also found it more than a little interesting. However I have decided to write my narrative to focus on the plants and a dynamic of the planting and planning scheme that is not yet covered in the media briefs I’ve read. I also note that the garden and some of the media talk at great length about the wonderful history of the Robert and Ralph Field’s collection and the collecting expedition by Blossfeldt. So mine is coming from a totally plant only perspective. Perhaps to complement what others have written or may write in the future.

Apart from obvious exotic cacti and succulents, there are Australian native succulents and other native xerophytes to be found by keen observers - both in the Arid Garden and the Volcano Garden opposite it.

Visit this link to see my pictures and very short perspective of the garden:

http://australiansucculents.com/uploads/NEW%20ARID%20GARDEN.pdf