The Chinese gardens, Sydney

Why is it that you tend to only get out into the gardens of Sydney when you have guests?  I am now determined to make myself get out and remember what a fantastic place Sydney is to live.  But then i also have to remember that my own garden as it is still looking quite unloved at the moment after all that rain.  Although I did throw a pile of chicken poo all about the place yesterday as the I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get something into it after all this rain has washed a lot of nutrient from our soils.

Anyway I love the Chinese Gardens of friendship because it is nothing like our European garden styles and for all the symbolic meaning throughout.  This is not to say that we don't put thought or effort into the garden we create but lets face it the Chinese do create gardens to look like landscapes rather than grow things that are either pretty or edible as most of us do.

So here we have a bridge that has turns as the Chinese believe that evil spirits can't turn corners or even go over curved bridges. So they do tend to design them so that we can cross them safely. After all who wants to get pushed in by an evil spirit?

Just caught the butterfly on the Ixora

I love the modern buildings next to the temple

I remember back in 1988 when Darling Harbour and the Gardens were first open to the public and you could see over the tops of what were then really small plants.  I only wish I had been into gardening then and had taken photos so I could do a then and now.  Anyway here are a couple more photos taken recently.

Moon gates are holes in the wall used for pedestrian access and often used to create a vista or glimpse of a garden beyond

A view from the mountain

Double roofed pavilions are very lucky 

Dragon in the lake

When was the last time you just chilled out in a garden that wasn't your own?