Royal Botanic Gardens Spring Open Day 2012

Cloudy, slightly chilly start

Azelea

Friends of RBG Plant Sale

Blake's Feast Catering

Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden

Egg project

Araucaria bidwillii partial pinecone

Viburnum macrocephalum

Amorphophallus titanum - not in bloom yet

historic glasshouse with original workings

Musa sp.

Aechmea sp.

The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens

Bird Aviary

Elephant Trail

Butterfly House

The Zoological Gardens at Melbourne Zoo – established in 1862 – are among Victoria’s most treasured gardens. They are home to thousands of animals and approximately 70,000 plant specimens.

It is Australia's oldest and regarded by experts as one of the world's best zoos covering 22 hectares (55 acres) of botanic-style gardens.

The Australia Bush garden reveals the secrets of how plants and animals survive our country’s harsh conditions. An evocative bush landscape of red sand, pebbles, blue sky and open space provides an authentic backdrop for our plants and animals.

The Japanese garden was built in 1990, to mark the tenth anniversary of the sister-state relationship between Victoria and the Aichi Prefecture in Japan.

This garden (and an Australian garden in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi) were created to symbolise the strong friendship between the two states and to reflect the natural beauty of their respective landscapes. 

A joint project of the Victorian Government and the formerly named Zoological Board of Victoria, the Japanese Garden was opened in November 1991. It is still one of Australia’s finest examples of a traditional Japanese stroll garden.

http://www.zoo.org.au/melbourne/highlights/landscapes-and-horticulture

"The Melbourne Zoo in the late twentieth century is a popular venue which attracts up to one and a half million visitors per year. It has a large income gathered from entrance fees, Government contribution and private sponsorship. The gardens are most attractive, some of the enclosures are of the latest design, there is an active and innovative education program which reaches large numbers of school children every year, the breeding programs have achieved some measure of success, and the collection of animals is large and diverse."
De Courcy, C. (1990). Evolution of a zoo: a history of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens