In September it is spring in Sydney Australia and when we walked into the 2.5 acre Chinese Friendship Garden for a moment I thought this will be the same as other Chinese gardens. There were the quite wonderful textured rocks and the bonsai collection in the entry but there was something more, the garden was a full of color! There were orange clivias, lining the paths, rhododendrons and azaleas in shades of pink, and ruffled white.
Port wine blooms on the magnolias added to the scene. Water dragons lay among the large pond of water lilies and a sparkling high waterfall splashed down from the three story pavilion atop the hill. 
The primroses were in pinks and purple, and a white flowering apricot tree was just beginning to bud. Standing in the black bamboo forest gave me a long view of the wandering corridor leading up the hill to the high pavilion. Every turn was a perfect scene set out for the visitors enjoyment. 
This garden had another lovely surprise as it rented out traditional Chinese dress for you to wear as you wandered through the garden. We didn’t do it but suddenly there was a lovely woman in a bright yellow dress holding the hand of a small girl in a pink dress. Framed by the moon gate their colorful clothes added to the mix of beauty in the garden. 
Spring really changes everything!