Okay, so what better way to kick off our spring posts with one about flowers? Don’t know how it started, but I officially love the feeling of coming home with a bunch of blooms and spending a good quarter of an hour behind the kitchen sink, arranging them in vases. It instantly brightens up the kitchen, and seriously – who doesn’t love themselves colourful flower arrangements?
This particular Saturday, we decided to get up bright and early – well, more than usual anyways – and head to the Sydney Flower Markets. People get here at 5am to set up, so you bet traders will be there all morning getting the best of the crop. Unlucky for us, by the time we arrived there, most of the florists had sold out all their flowers. Lucky for us, we were not in dire need of any particular flowers and being the last sellers there, they were willing to slash prices to get rid of their stock.
We got all our flowers pictured above for $14 – mauve, violet and white orchids, baby breaths, pink and fuchsia carnations, thick dianthus (the green fluffy balls) and a bunch of multi-coloured gerberas. The carnations and dianthus were $5 a bunch, and the geberas were $4 – these flowers can last up to two weeks, in fact we still have the carnations and dianthus from three weeks ago. The others we asked the florist if he was selling as he had set them aside and he told us we could take them. Score! $1 a day for a brighter kitchen? I’ll take it.
Next stop was the Auburn Japanese Gardens for their annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Each year over 100 cherry blossom trees are in full bloom and festivities such as origami classes, food stalls and performances are organised. Mind you, it is very crowded so you don’t expect to have your picturesque photo of the cherry blossom entrance. The above photo is actually a combination of ten different photos in which I tried to “rub out” some people. It failed, but it gives a good indication as to how crowded it is! The lady in the blue jacket moved an inch between the first photo and the tenth. Notice every one with their camera in hand.
The Auburn Botanical Gardens is a very unique park in that it brings together so many types of gardens in a small space. Nearby is also a rose garden, bonsai garden, aviary and a fauna reserve with resident wallabies. Such a surprising place to have native Australian fauna bopping about. I used to walk here with my cousins when we were kids and blatantly ignore the signs that read “don’t feed the swans”. Chasing the few peacocks that roamed the grounds and throwing rocks into the suspiciously still pools. Memories of being a delinquent.
Sydney Flower Markets
250-318 Parramatta Rd, Flemington NSW 2129
Mon-Sat: 5am-11am
Phone: (02) 9325 6200
Auburn Botanical Gardens
98 Chiswick Rd, Auburn NSW 2144
Open 7 days – 9am -5pm
Phone: (02) 9735 1222
Basil and Lamb 