Milo and I spent a couple hours in Hagley Park this week oogling over the flowers. This rose is impressive, no? This one looks the same all year round, but we also enjoyed some seasonal blooms and a week-long display of flower arrangements.
Most of these rose blossoms in the formal garden don’t actually have any appreciable scent, but that doesn’t stop Milo smelling them! Thankfully that’s all he does, because I suspect that the gardeners carefully hand clipping the grass edges wouldn’t be amused if he started picking petals.
“BIG” and “small” are two of Milo’s favorite descriptors right now. Since most of these dahlias fit into one or the other category, Milo was happy to browse the extensive collection with me, exchanging superlatives.
Look at these crazy things! I do love plant variety collections! Why we as humans like the extremes, the tiny pincushion blooms cheek by jowl with the enormous dinner-plate frizzy ones, I don’t know…..but take a look at any dog breed book (or chicken breed, or pig breed, or cat breed…you get the idea) and you’ll see that strange habit played out in the flesh.
There were a bunch of little “cottages” set up with different floral themes. They all had a big open viewing window just Milo’s height. It was the undertakers association, strangely enough, that sponsored this portion of the displays.
Milo and I lowered the average age of the flower arrangement audience by a good 10 years….or so it seems.
It must be a British sense of humor…..for some reason there was a whole display of decorated outhouses. I think this part of the flower show started as a way to poke fun after the earthquakes, when the sewer systems weren’t functional, but they were so well loved that they were brought back by popular demand. This one showed all the neglected garden plants surrounding the outhouse, casualties of the earthquake devastation, while the port-a-loo is brimming with color. Perhaps they’re saying how rich human manure is as a fertilizer? Well, whatever the intended message, Milo was impressed.
“Waddle waddle waddle!” That’s how Milo says “Penguin,” and these fellows were the biggest ones he’s ever seen.
Give It A Burl 
I guess in the undertaker’s association cottage display you would want to avoid box shaped beds.
10 YEARS! – Molly I think you’re being kind. I’d say it was more like 30 years. Ah what beautiful colors you are experiencing. We have just white & lots of it. I’m glad Milo enjoys your garden walks, in his own way, as much as you do.
Hi Molly,
This garden brings back memories as we too have visited. ( minus the “outhouse” segment!!)
Eleanor