Gardenfest!

Now I am not normally one for formal English gardens. However, today I was drawn away from our hillside retreat to Entally House, an historic estate close to Launceston. Why the drive? Well, it was a beautiful day. And the estate was hosting its annual Gardenfest. So a great time to connect with local growers and the like. Here are a few shots of what caught my eye, and that of Ludo and Celeste too!

Wow! I just love the complementary colours of this iris. Purple and yellow together ... my all-time favourite combination. I remember having a "tartan" skirt with these colours as a teenager that I was immensely fond of.

This grass tree looks simply stunning against the blue sky. And somehow it is a jarring image, given that here we see a very iconic native plant set in a very colonial garden.

Looking the other way ... another view of the grass tree which gives us a very different feeling with all the background foliage it contrasts with.

Staghorns or Elkhorns? I can't remember and I can't tell from this photo. Are they Platycerium superbum (I love that name!) or P. bifurcatum? Help :)

Ludo and Celeste outside the Entally House conservatory, reputedly the oldest surviving in Australia.

Inside the conservatory.

Purple! And green! Together!!! The colours of the suffragettes (I will stop using some many exclamation marks. I promise!)

I love the brown and yellow of this iris flower. It really caught my eye, even against all the purples and pinks of neighbouring plants.

"Ginge" the house cat. Resting peacefully in the vegetable garden. Chillax dude! Far from the madding crowds.

Big wheels keep on turning! Well maybe not in the case of this rather antiquated vehicle.

Sure Celeste! Please take Ludo's phone and get some plant photos. Hmmm, well that is an interesting angle of the tree.

C'est moi dans l'arbre (or something like that!). Some very prickly climbing roses here providing lovely shade. Just don't get too close.

The walled garden. Something about this shot reminds me of France rather than England. Looking at it now takes me back to our visit to Villandry, a French chateau famous for its parterres. Not quite a parterre here but the box hedge and purple flowers set against the blue sky just take me back.

Hallelujah! I have seen the light ... so to speak.

Indoor plants have been around for ever! Although viewing some Instagram feeds, you would think they were only discovered this century.

I love this succulent arrangement for its simplicity.

Bringing the outside in , Victorian-style.

We love Frank and Karen Strie from Frank's Char. They produce high quality biochar to help improve your soil's health. Check out their website: http://www.terrapretadevelopments.com.au/

A beautiful succulent display that I think Karen Strie put together. It reminds me of bonsai or fairy gardens. Quite lovely as it is not overdone. And I say that, not usually liking mushrooms like this.

Celeste on "Rhododendron Road" (look closely and you will be able to see why I named this road such)

Well I am tired but happy after our traipsing around the lovely Entally Estate. So that is all there is for now. I hope you have found some inspiration from these photos.

A la prochaine fois!