Central Plateau, North Island

Central Plateau, North Island
View from a friend's farm

Sunday 3 June 2012

Flowers and Palm Trees

Today after some bargain shopping( There are Queen’s Birthday Sales in so many shops) we visited  the Palmerston North Rose Gardens .  The Phoenix Palms are impressive  They stand tall, and have large trunks.
Under the Phoenix Palm Tree
Nearby is a huge Ginkgo  Miloba , or Maidenhair Tree, China
Name plate
The golden leaves shone in the pale sunlight.

Ginkgo Tree

Inside the Conservatory flowers bloomed in the moist warm atmosphere
The Anthurium had many flowers, and the next flower was hanging down from a fine stem.
Anthurium or Painter's PaletteClose up
The Orchid showed off the beautiful blooms.
Orchid flowers 
My favourite was the Cattleya Persian Sapphire. I found it difficult to get a photo without background greenery of other plants, but the delicate mauve was beauty indeed.
Cattleya Persian SapphireOrchid nameAnother view
Outside the ducks walked through the flower beds, quite tame, and not in any hurry to move away.
Ducks at Palmerston North Rose Gardens
There were families, grandparents with the younger ones, a miniature train making many runs along the narrow gauge tracks.
Hugh lit the small gas stove and we had lunch alongside the huge palm trees. Golden leaves on the ground, children laughing, couples enjoying a day out together, ladies riding their bicycles  along a road where traffic went at a safe slower pace. Nature in its own beauty all around.
Quotation of the day, from John Donne,
“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,
as I have seen in one autumnal face”
Cheers from Jean

4 comments:

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...

Love the ducks waddling through the calendulas!
Cheers
Linda

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...

Love the ducks waddling through the calendulas!
Cheers
Linda

Nancy J said...

Yes Linda, the ducks just sat quietly, there were quite a lot,a pity I could not get good photos of the birds in the aviary, the netting holes were too close and all I got was a wire grid. Are you ready for a cold spell? Cheers from Jean.

Frances Leate said...

Lovely photos Jean and it must be a lovely place to visit. Take care.