February is typically the hottest month and it’s been scorching lately out at the gardens, not just in temperature but in colour too. It starts with the striking scarlet and magenta Pelargonium (often miss-named Geranium) under the lime green pergola, the shade of these has been chosen to zing off each other. Follow this line of dramatic colour and you will end up in the homestead garden where the aptly named hot border is at its best. Here hot coloured Canna, Dahlia, Tiger Lily (Lilium lancifolium) and yellow Kniphofia show off their flamboyant style.

Nearby following the recent rain the Blood Lilies (Haemanthus coccineus) have sprung into flower, lifting the red flowers on snake-mottled stems. While this usually signals the start of the end of summer the daisies haven’t got the message and it’s been a great year for the purple and white Coneflowers (Echinacea) and the Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). These flowers are native to North America where they are known as prairie wildflowers and they have done well in the recent hot dry summer.

But if all of this is just too hot for you, then take a drive (or walk) to the back of the gardens to the Boothby Fern House where the cool greens of native and exotic ferns provide a restful shade on a hot day… just watch out for the sprinkler system that keeps these lovelies lush.

Just like town gardens, the Bason does its best to use water wisely. While we water key areas such as those in the Fern, Begonia, and Orchid houses along with the Homestead Garden, much of the rest of the gardens have been planted in species to match the conditions they are grown in which makes it an excellent place to check out suitable plants for tough spots in your garden. Be it dry shade loving plants, or those that cope with full sun with minimal water.

While out taking photos for this article I was approached by some visitors surprised by strange growths hanging from a tree in the Friendship Garden at the top of Millennium Hill. These hot pink forms are actually the seedpods of Magnolia, some are very off and slightly suggestive shapes but these ones just resemble strange fruit, which in a way they are. Sadly, many of our plant labels have gone walkabout over the years, but if you ever have questions about plants in the gardens, please feel free to drop us a photo or a question on our Facebook page and we’ll do our best to answer them.