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 60th 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.
