December 27th, 2024Bloomin’ beautiful displays celebrate the season

Locals and visitors to the region alike are being encouraged to check out the Robert Clark Conservatory at Ballarat’s Botanical Gardens this summer.

The conservatory is in full bloom with a vibrant showcase of seasonal flowers, creative arrangements and vibrant colours that celebrate the summer – and festive – season.

The colourful display showcases triangle garden bed displays in a geometric pattern with three water features.

The highlight of the showcase is three living collections of pelargoniums, fuchsias and hydrangeas.

Foliage plants complimenting the main display include hostas, heuchera, canna lilies, coleus and lamium plus an assortment of hanging baskets with ferns, ivy and chlorophytum.

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said this and other attractive displays bring the conservatory and Ballarat to life.

“Throughout the year, the City of Ballarat’s talented gardeners grow the spectacular floral centerpieces for the conservatory that never fail to delight residents and visitors,” she said.

“The collections are grown in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens’ Nursery, and records show they are some of our oldest collections dating back to the late 1880s.”

The conservatory, which first opened in 1995 at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, reopened its doors to visitors earlier this month after four weeks of maintenance, including a complete internal and external clean as well as repairs to roof vents.

The conservatory is renowned for hosting the sensational autumn display of beautiful and rare tuberous begonias for the annual Ballarat Begonia Festival.

It is also home to a year-round series of displays.

The conservatory display changes to the begonia display in March. In May, to coincide with Mothers’ Day celebrations, the conservatory showcases the chrysanthemum collection.  

In winter, the conservatory features cyclamen, cineraria and primula and in spring it features schizanthus and spring bulbs.  

The conservatory is open 9am-6pm daily and the Ballarat Botanical Gardens are open seven days, from 7.30am-9pm in Daylight Savings and 7.30am-6pm AEST.

The Summer display is on show until Friday, 7 February 2025.  

This story based on a City of Ballarat media release