Carlton Gardens Melbourne: Encyclopedia II - Carlton Gardens Melbourne - Horticulture

Carlton Gardens Melbourne - Horticulture

The gardens are an outstanding example of Victorian era horticulture with sweeping lawns and varied European and Australian tree plantings consisting of deciduous English oaks, White Poplar, Plane trees, Elms, Conifers, Cedars, Turkey Oaks, Araucarias and evergreens such as Moreton Bay Figs, combined with flower beds of annuals and shrubs. A network of tree lined paths provide formal avenues for highlighting the fountains and architecture of the Exhibition building. This includes the grand allee of plane trees that lead to the exhibition building. Two small ornamental lakes adorn the southern section of the park. The northern section contains the Museum, tennis courts, maintenaince depot and curator's cottage, and the children's playground designed as a Victorian maze.

The listing in the Victorian heritage says in part: The Carlton Gardens are of scientific (botanical) significance for their outstanding collection of plants, including conifers, palms, evergreen and deciduous trees, many of which have grown to an outstanding size and form. The elm avenues of Ulmus procera(English Elm) and Ulmus hollandica (Dutch Elm) are significant as few examples remain world wide due to Dutch elm disease. The Garden contains a rare specimen of Acmena ingens (an Australian Lillypilly), only five other specimens are known, an uncommon Harpephyllum caffrum and the largest recorded in Victoria, Taxodium distichum, and outstanding specimens of Chamaecyparis funebris and Ficus macrophylla, south west of the Royal Exhibition Building.

Wildlife includes possums, ducks and ducklings in spring, Tawny Frogmouths, and other urban environment birds.

The gardens contain three important fountains: the Hochgurtel Fountain, designed for the 1880 Exhibition by sculptor Joseph Hochgurtel; the French Fountain; and the Westgarth Drinking Fountain.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Horticulture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki