Gently
Brushing the cobwebs
Veiling your face. Ever so softly now.
Wiping the tears that no-one sees. Is anyone watching?
For a brief moment. I caress the contours of your face. You 'speak' to me.
I feel the neglect, the desecration, the disfigurement, the sorrow.
But you are HERE.
Waiting silently for Spring. To see the beauty of nature all around you.
You rejoice to connect. With every passer-by.
With me NOW. ~Ally.
Be real. Be yourself. Be unique.
Be true. Be honest. Be humble. Be happy. ~Marilyn Monroe.
Wednesday Walk initiated by 
To capture the spirit of a place is to connect to that place in a new and stimulating way: It can be as if you have never been to that place before. A flower or rock, a bridge or a statue: In that space can all of sudden take on a new 'persona' and with the connection you have, birth something new within yourself.
Such was my experience when I went to the Sydney Botanical Gardens this week.
I went to the gardens, mainly with the idea in mind of seeing the annual exhibition: Artisans in the Gardens being held at the Lion Gate Lodge in the Gardens.
I entered the grounds of the Gardens through the Morshead Gate which is directly opposite the State Library of New South Wales.
The Sydney Botanical Gardens are very clearly signposted at all the entrances and throughout the gardens.
The signpost just inside Morshead Gate indicated that the Palace Rose Garden, the Herb Garden and the Sydney Opera House were to my right and Lion Gate Lodge along with the Camellia Garden, the Herbarium, the Restaurant and Cafe, the Fernery and the Palm House were to my right.
Thankfully 'The Libran' didn't have to make a 'left or right' decision as she was on her way to The Lion Gate Lodge, which was only a 7 minute walk away.
I quickly noted that the Fernery and the Palm House were only 4 and 5 minutes away respectively and thought it would be great to drop by these favourite 'haunts' of mine ~ Yet little did I know what else I would see and experience in the gardens, long before I would even reach the Fernery.
I genuinely enjoyed walking through the city to reach the gardens: Seeking to be open to the diversity and energy of it all. However as soon as I entered the Gardens, the magic really began: The high notes of the birds and the low sighs of the wind through the trees were a 'balm to my soul.'
And there she was. An old familiar friend who is always there to greet me.
I wonder how many people have walked past this magnificent Ficus, and seeing the beauty of her massive trunk with its amazing entanglement of hanging roots, want to touch or even hug her ~ Or simply wish to just stand under her outstretching shade giving branches and feel her radiating energy.
Listen to the truest part of yourself. ~Marilyn Monroe.
Digressing just a little.
But before I slowly meander on to the Fernery and the Palm House: Did you know that Marilyn Monroe had a genuine affection for trees and the woods, as you can see in these most captivating images?
One of the first photo shoots Marilyn Monroe had, in 1950 while still relatively unknown, surfaced when LIFE magazine was digitizing its stock of photos. The photographer Ed Clark described how Marilyn would head out to the wooded areas of Griffith Park in L.A and read poetry, and he would follow with his camera. ~Adam Winson.
Photographs: Ed Clark. Source.
In these early photos, Marilyn appears unaffected and relaxed, reflecting a woman comfortable around trees and in woodland environments. ~Adam Winson.
Photograph: Ed Clark. Source.
Back to the pathway heading towards the Fernery and the Palm House.
This pathway here, along the top section of the Garden, is lined with the most beautiful groves of Paperbark trees. The Paperbarks are one of my favourite indigenous trees ~ But more about the Paperbarks another time.
Native Rosemary, that you can see in the foreground of this photograph, is a perennial plant that seems to be in flower throughout the year. I love brushing her flat pine-needle like leaves and breathing in her healing fragrance. It always seems to have such a soothing effect on either an overactive or dulled-down mind.
Rosemary is recognized for its wonderful health and healing benefits:
Unique compounds and oils include rosmarinic acid and essential oils such as cineol, camphene, borneol, bornyl acetate, and α-pinene, providing anti-inflammation, anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties. And research provides ample evidence that Rosemary not only improves memory, but helps protect the body from cancer. ~Dr. Mercola. Read more: Health Benefits of Rosemary
The ones that stay with you, through everything
They're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. ~Marilyn Monroe.
The Calyx.
Heading in the general direction of the Fernery, the Palm House and The Lion Gate Lodge, I saw a sign: Plants with Bite. I was always fascinated by the colour and voluptuous shapes of the Pitcher Plants that used to be in the Tropical Glass Pyramid and becoming curious now about THE CALYX, I wandered on until I reached the stairway down to this most impressive new (to me anyway) outdoor and indoor exhibition space.
If the cover doesn’t catch their eye they won’t bother to read what’s inside. ~Marilyn Monroe.
The Calyx opened in June 2016 as a unique event and learning venue.
The indoor exhibition area of the Calyx boasts a magnificent green vertical wall: The largest live plant and flower wall in the southern hemisphere. The exhibitions in this indoor space last for the entire year and are meticulously maintained by the Garden Staff over this period.
Source: The Calyx.
Plants with Bite.
The current display at the Calyx: Plants with Bite was curated by the Garden’s Director of Horticulture, Jimmy Turner and tells the story of the captivating and bizarre world of carnivorous plants.
This display was TOTALLY amazing. 18 months in the making it's a stunning combination of creative expression and floristry, a botany lesson for children and adults alike.
I was able to speak to one of the attendants about the best times to revisit, so as to avoid the crowds: I'll be back there again, at just before opening time: 10 am, on a week day.
Watch for an entire article about this stunning display.
And it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. ~Marilyn Monroe.
Stepping away from the path more traveled.
I love the principle of creating more space in a small space by designing winding trails through it. A principle I've worked into designing a mini-rainforest in my own backyard.
Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right ~Marilyn Monroe.
The Sydney Fernery.
The Fernery is one of my favorite spaces in the Gardens. Not so many colourful flowers here, apart from the occasional exotic orchid.
The 'old worldly' atmosphere, reminds me of being at my grandparents' home when I was a child and the indoor fernery my grandfather cared for: An idea that I've always loved and if I were ever to design my own home, it would have a HUGE indoor fernery at the very heart of it.
Little ornamental bridge in the middle of the Fernery.
You must feel attractive to be attractive. ~Marilyn Monroe.
The Lion Gate Lodge.
I finally reached the Lion Gate Lodge to see the exhibition: Artisans in the Gardens
Artisans in the Gardens is an annual contemporary Australian craft and sculpture exhibition showcasing some of Australia's finest established and emerging artists and craftspeople. Now in its 18th year, the exhibition celebrates the natural world in its many different forms and also highlights current environmental issues and sustainability.
This collection of colourful ceramic totems by Liza Hoelzi was in the courtyard. Individual totems could be bought or commissioned and it was drawing a lot of favourable attention.
Artworks including sculpture and ceramics, jewelry and glass, wood and metal-work, textiles and mixed media pieces were on display within the grounds, courtyard and the two floors of the Lion Gate Lodge.
My favourite works were inside the Lodge ~ I'll be sharing photographs of them, along with other works in the garden court in another article.
The Spring Walk.
After marveling at some of the works in Artisans in the Gardens I found myself on The Spring Walk which is the oldest continuous horticulture display in Australia.
The southern side was initially planted with rhododendrons, azaleas and other shade-loving plants in 1856 and this then established a tradition of other Spring flowering plantings alongside the pathway between the Lion Gate Lodge and the Botanical Gardens Creek.
I can still remember walking along this pathway and being enveloped by masses of vivid pink azaleas when I exhibited my artwork in the Palm House in 2000. Note 1*
Stunning at their peak, azaleas have a way of looking quite straggly and unsightly in their demise though. They grow magnificently in the Blue Mountain Botanical Gardens, but Sydney's climate is perhaps a little too hot and humid for them and so they attract all sorts of diseases like powdery mildew, leaf miner, mites, thrips and lacebug, that damage their leaves, flowers and roots.
If you can’t handle me at my worst you don’t deserve me at my best.
Spring.
Even from a distance, my attention was immediately drawn to the figure of Spring, standing by the small bridge, at the far end of the Macquarie Wall. Note 2*
SO happy to see: She's still here.
Spring's garden.
The wisterias and plum and cherry blossom trees that feature along the Spring Walk in the early Spring had reached their peak several weeks ago ~ Blossom time never seems to last quite long enough, does it? Still, some of the garden beds were in magnificent full bloom with Spring annuals: Red poppies and cornflowers, violas and lobelias, stocks and primulas.
However, the area immediately around Spring seemed to me to be slightly on the desolate side.
For me, Spring is a Goddess who should always be surrounded by an absolutely Heavenly Garden.
Cobwebs.
I was aware of the thought: Is anyone watching? As I gently wiped the cobwebs away from Spring's face.
Just by touching your forehead or smiling into your eyes. ~Marilyn Monroe.
Broken.
Spring's nose was now broken and her eyes bore marks of weathering: Standing silently day and night in the harsh summer sun and winter's wind and rain.
I felt as a mother, caressing the face of a young child. Was anyone watching? It didn't seem to matter anymore. I was held in a bubble. I could feel her energy. Hard to describe now in words and perhaps if you have ever experienced anything like this you may understand.
It was as if Spring was alive and was letting me see her world.
Beauty.
Nearly all my life I have loved perfection and equated it with beauty. But Spring gave me yet another example of the beauty that can be in a statue or a human being that is slightly less than my ideal of perfection.
Spring in 2000
I photographed Spring sometime in the late 90’s and created this collage as part of a series for my first solo exhibition: Spirals, Twists and Turns in The Palm House Gallery in the Botanical Gardens in 2000.
While I was setting up the exhibition, I noticed that Spring wasn’t in the gardens. Upon enquiring, I was told that she had been vandalized once again.
Look closely at the collage and you can see that Spring had already lost her arm, but her nose and eyes were intact and were truly aesthetically pleasing.
The Graveyard at the Sydney Botanical Gardens.
Then in 2006 a team from International Conservation Services found Spring in the 'Graveyard' and once again she was restored. You can see her at the back, second from the right in this photograph.
Photograph: Heritage marble statuary at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Macquarie Culvert: The oldest bridge in Australia.
Spring stands beside the Macquarie Culvert. I love these little bridges in the Gardens but I'd never really known the significance of this channel. For some reason, this time I took the time to read about it and found out that the Macquarie Culvert actually is the oldest bridge in Australia.
The Macquarie Culvert is a channel crossing that was built to direct the water of the Botanical Gardens Creek under the original Mrs Macquarie Road, which was built under the instruction of Governor Macquarie in 1816 for his 'wife's recreation' ie taking her horse-drawn carriage from the original Government House (now the Museum of Sydney) to Anson Point which was later called Mrs. Macquarie Point.
The two brick arches of the bridge were made from sandstone bricks that were handmade by convicts. See Note 3*
The Bridge.
Risking being told: You are taking 'steps less traveled' ~ I ventured even closer to the bridge, to capture her stone arches clothed in beautiful hanging violets.
Macquarie Culvert: On the other side of the pathway.
With the late afternoon light filtering through the palms casting her long shadows, it was time now to leave the Gardens.
A feeling passes between you both.
You're not alone. ~Marilyn Monroe.
Tree Waratah.
But then I saw this most amazing Tree Waratah, just down the pathway. This primitive rainforest tree, that is now threatened with extinction was planted in 1950 on the final section of the Spring Walk.
And then as a final farewell.
The most magnificent display of orchids just outside the Visitors Centre. The end and the beginning (according to which direction you are coming from) of the Spring Walk.
Note 1*
Silk painting became very popular in the late 80's and I worked with a very detailed technique called Serti Silk Painting for just on twelve years. By the end of the 90's, after my silk work had been shown in several galleries around Sydney and sent to Japan, Germany, France and the US ~ I moved into mixed media and photography.
The exhibition at the Palm House in the Sydney Botanical Gardens gave me the opportunity to conduct my own solo exhibition which highlighted my work with both silk painting and collage.
The Olympic Games were held in Sydney later that year and my silk work was displayed as part of the David Jones window display as well as in the store.
Note 2*
In 1810 a 950-foot wall was built to separate the Government Domain from the city and only a small section of that wall now remains.
The original road ran along the side of the wall and the current footpath follows the curve of that road.
Note 3*
The British government began transporting convicts to American colonies in the early 18th century. With the start of the American Revolution, Australia was chosen as an alternative site to relieve further overcrowding of British prisons and between 1788 and 1868 about 162,000 convicts were transported to various penal colonies in Australia.
Many convicts were transported for petty crimes or were political prisoners. Once emancipated, most ex-convicts stayed in Australia and joined the free settlers, with some rising to prominent positions in Australian society. Source.
My Wednesday Walks.
Walking around my own front yard Garden.
Photography: ©Alison Lee Cousland.
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