Unlike the gradual unfurling that takes place in southern Australia, spring in Toowoomba is irresistibly intense. One week everything remains snugly tucked away for winter, then the first bit of warmer weather hits and BANG, the whole city erupts into a spectacle of nature at its most exuberant.

This year the weather has been topsy-turvey. Warm weather arrived early with record maximums in August, then disappeared for a couple of weeks, so the whole spring show looks like it will be more fleeting than normal. My tip is to turn off the telly, de-park your backside from the sofa, and head outside for a healthy dose of vitamin D. It’s the diamond anniversary of the Carnival of Flowers. Let’s be proud of it. A visit to one of Toowoomba’s private display gardens or public parks is better than anything you’re likely to see on the box this September.

Laurel Bank is one of Toowoomba’s oldest public parks. It is the masterpiece of Samuel George Stephens, who owned the land, designed the park’s layout and donated it to the city in 1932. Mr Stephens was known locally as “the man of flowers” and his only proviso in donating the land was that it not be used as a sporting facility. Sure enough, the most strenuous activity within Laurel Bank is croquet and the odd game of park cricket. Come spring however, and the park erupts in a floral spectacular of which the man of flowers would be positively chuffed.

Alongside extensive bedding displays are magnificent cool climate trees like oaks, ginkgos and Japanese maples. In September they smother themselves with fresh lime foliage, setting off the formal displays of annuals, roses and perennials like delphinium and poppies. The park’s wisteria walk is absolutely magnificent in spring, while the Scented Gardens are a delight, featuring lavender, salvia, fennel and other aromatic plants. Laurel Bank is my favourite Toowoomba park.

The State Rose Garden in Newtown Park is one of the city’s relatively unknown gems. On the many occasions I get asked questions about roses, I generally suggest that people go and have a look at the varieties growing in the State Rose Garden. The response though is usually the same – “where’s that”. Situated on the eastern side of Newtown Park adjoining Holberton Street, the State Rose Garden features more than 1500 rose varieties carefully selected to match the Toowoomba climate.

There are lots of David Austins and hybrid teas, all laid out in a within box-edged beds, but my favourites are the old roses and these are well represented within the garden. Old teas and china roses do really well on the Downs, and two worth looking out for in the gardens are ‘Lady Hillingdon’, a tall voluptuous tea, and ‘Papa Hemeray’, a delightful little China. Also worth seeking out are ‘Carabella’ and ‘Titian’, bred in Toowoomba by the late rosarian Frank Reithmuller.

Queen’s Park Gardens in Lindsay Street can be rightly considered Toowoomba’s beating heart in spring. The gardens feature the most magnificent floral displays during Carnival week and are next door to the venue for the Flower, Food and Wine Festival. Of all the plants on display the absolute queen is the tulip. It’s interesting to see them planted amongst more untamed, wilder looking annuals like sweet peas. The combination of the tulip’s refined elegance and the heady scent and vigorous growth of the sweet pea is an energetic contrast.

Spring Bluff Railway Station, located just north of Toowoomba, is regarded as one of Australia’s most picturesque railway stations. When you visit it’s not hard to see why. The colonial buildings, old carriages and railway sidings lend a quaint charm to the place, and in spring the terraced gardens blaze with cheery colour.

There’s a long tradition of flower gardening at Spring Bluff. In 1914 Queensland Railways launched a competition to encourage railway staff to beautify the station and grow their own vegies. It seems that the idea stuck – a permanent gardener now lives in one of the cottages and spends the bulk of the year preparing the spring display. Annuals are the mainstay, though the gardens feature plenty of blossom trees like peaches and plums. The whole effect is quite magical.

So to the Carnival of Flowers I say happy 60^th birthday. Congratulations to all the professional and amateur gardeners alike who put in hours of work to make Toowoomba a sight for sore eyes every September, come drought and economic downturn, and long may the Carnival live. Spring is worth celebrating, and I can’t think of a better venue than Toowoomba’s parks and gardens.

First published in The Chronicle, 19th September 2009. Photo by Justin Russell.

The weather appears to be getting odder by the day. Yesterday, we had a warm day of persistent north-westerly winds, followed by an evening shower, which was in turn followed by a morning frost. It felt like winter suddenly morphed into summer, and then switched back to winter in the space of 24 hours. Generally speaking though (if it’s possible to generalise with the weather any more), an early spring is underway. It feels as though the sap isn’t just rising, but exploding.

My thoughts at this point in the seasonal cycle invariably turn to two of the year’s great delights: blossom and annuals. To me, these are the elements that make spring on the Downs such a joyous event. You’d have to be living under a rock to miss them. Blossom froths about all over the place like a happy giant bubble-bath. The annual displays, though on a smaller scale than they once were, are simply a joy to behold. My favourite local spring garden is the aptly named Spring Bluff. It always brings to mind images of a really loud plant party, and to me it’s so utterly joyous that I’d dare anyone to drive back up the range feeling gloomy.

For all their excitement though, annual “bedding displays” aren’t the most environmentally friendly form of gardening available. To produce a top flight display annual plants need regular feeding, and copious amounts of water. You can get away with less of each, but the display won’t be as spectacular, and to me the main reason for growing annuals is for a big bold splash of colour.

The other issue with traditional annual displays is that they require an inordinate amount of work. By the time you consider the soil preparation, the planting, the watering, the feeding, the weeding and the deadheading to prolong the flowering period, you’re looking at many, many hours of effort. Arch and Julie Roggeveen, whose Toowoomba garden has been crowned Carnival of Flowers Grand Champion on numerous occasions, once told me that they start working on their annuals in May, and by the time September rolls around, spend the evenings working under lights in order to get the garden ready for Carnival.

I’ve got no inclination to become a slave to my garden, but I love annuals, and spend the latter weeks of winter hungry for saturated colours. So what’s a bloke to do? Compromise, that’s what. I think I’ve found a way to enjoy a display of spring flowering annuals that is less extensive than those you might find in a show garden or at Spring Bluff, but still offers a welcome burst of spring cheer. The inspiration is the American landscape architect James van Sweden.

Van Sweden and his business partner Wolfgang Oehme have spent the last 30 years on a mission to remake the American garden. Their vision is one of refinement through reduction. Compared to conventional gardens, OVS gardens require less water, less chemicals and less maintenance. To achieve this they mimic the prairie landscapes of the American west, planting ornamental grasses and perennials in big drifts, avoiding the use of anything that needs excessive work. Lawns are a very minimal part of an Oehme/Van Sweden garden. Traditional displays of annual bedding plants are totally absent.

Instead, Oehme/Van Sweden display their annuals in large pots. Hardly seems revolutionary, I know, but their approach achieves a couple of things: reduced labour; and mobility. Unlike a fixed garden bed, it’s a simple enough exercise with all but the largest containers to pick them up, and move them to a more desirable location within the garden. This flexibility accommodates seasonal changes perfectly, and allows containers to be positioned for maximum impact.

The other thing that’s great about planting annuals in pots is the potential for creativity. There are endless combinations of plants and containers available, limited only by your imagination, and some stunning mixed displays can be created by combining annuals with foliage plants. When you get the combinations right, and position the container where it will form a distinct focal point, the impact can be far punchier than even the lairiest bedding display. Bedding displays have their place in public gardens. But if you’re pushed for time and space, you’ll achieve more for less by displaying your annuals in pots. Let your imagination run free.

First published in The Chronicle, 22nd August 2009. Photo by Justin Russell, Spring Bluff railway station