It is said that great cities have great parks and as I travel I see this proved true again and again. But I would add, great cities have citizens who realize the value of their parks and come to them to rest, relax, revive their spirits and reconnect to the important things in life. Here I saw a father pushing his son in a stroller. As he passed the mass single color plantings of pansies his little boy practiced identifying his colors, yellow, blue, green. The father praised the little guy and together they shared a simple moment made more beautiful in the garden.
A daughter and her elderly mother were walking together admiring the flowers. A young mother with a small child alternately walked and then scurried to catch her enthusiastic toddler as the little girl reached out to touch the flowers.
This garden features a collection of colorful and unique flowering plants and shrubs from the sub-tropical world. Organized into themed gardens it honors the work of Colin Campbell who championed the idea of turning the old railway station space into a public park. The flower beds are surrounded by park green, playgrounds, and a concert performance amphitheater. A flower bed under a fig tree was filled with dark pink, light pink and white poinsettias! A first for me to see this species used as a bedding plant.
A huge bromeliad anchored the corner of a bed of other varieties of bromeliads and chandelier cactus.
The morton bay fig trees provide wonderful shade for the park. A Tuesday morning, people were walking and playing in the park, a great thing indeed.