Arrival at nirvana for me
We recently went on a short visit to Perth, Western Australia, and my cousin who knows us all too well brought us to Zanthorrea Nursery in the foothills of the city. I thought it would be the standard plant nursery where there would be pots and pots of different plants to admire, but I was off the mark!
Some of the herbs and veggies on sale, each plant nicely labelled and with descriptions and growing instructions (like!)
This garden centre is nestled among established native flora – meaning towering gum trees – and while there were indeed pots of plants, there was also a huge display garden that we spent no little time wandering around.
There was the controlled, paved area…
Display of different forms of container gardening – what I consider the “civilised” area
And there was the oh so natural area…
Earthen paths meander through the garden in a most delightful way
One of the varied garden displays along those winding paths
All kinds of works of garden art are scattered throughout the place
Functional garden art – would you like to sit on this bench?
Native plants were abundant…
Gum tree pods, I think
Banksia flowers, which look like bottle brushes to me!
And of course the iconic Kangaroo’s Paws!
And the native plants attract native fauna…
I don’t know what this bird is but it’s gorgeous!
Birdhouses are set up on practically all the trees at Zanthorrea
Different birds make use of the birdhouses
Right in the middle of the garden is this enclosure with interestingly feathered chickens. I’ve never seen such fluffy chooks!
There is also a lovely shop to browse through. Zanthorrea is an accredited nursery, and besides specialising in hundreds of varieties of native plants, they also had a nice range of organic seeds on sale. It was overwhelming but I managed… 
If you are in the vicinity, it is so worth a visit: 155 Watsonia Road, Maida Vale, Western Australia, 6057. They are open daily (except for Christmas Day) from 9am to 5.30pm.
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