Tales From the Box

A story of a beach house in the Blue Mountains

Archive for the 'Review' Category

Review of Imperial Gardens Complex – Terrey Hills

January 24th, 2010 | Category: Garden, Review

One of my favourite nursery trips is to the Imperial Garden’s complex in Terrey Hills – which is located about 45 minutes north on Sydney. The complex contains The Buddha Belly restaurant,  Imperial Gardens Bonsai, Imperial Gardens Landscape Design, Mr Bamboo Nursery, Gazebo Direct and Hidden Orient.



I remember treking up to Imperial Gardens bonsai in 1999 as Ken Lamb (Managing director of Imperial Gardens Landscape) was constructing the Balinese pavillions that became Buddha Belly/Imperial Gardens Landscape/Hidden Orient. I usually return once a year and am struck by how authentically the gardens and constructions have aged. The whole area was mostly a dumping area 15 years ago and now feels like a landscape that has been their for 100 years.


The Buddha Belly is a cafe/resurant that is opened for breaky/lunch and dinner and sits perfectly in the manicured Japanese gardens surrounding. These gardens feature a mixture of stone pavers and walk ways, a large pond with path winding around nestle around large trees and towering Balinese pavilions. It is a great place to have a wander and covet wonderful stone pieces and secluded spaces of the landscape.
Imperial Gardens Bonsai has a large array of quality bonsai stock – both trained bonsai (i.e. ones ready for you to take home and display) and plant stock (nice plants that are waiting to be shaped into a ‘bonsai’). They have a large array of Fig bonsai and pots that is worth checking out.


I love Bamboo – but it is so damned expensive. I would love to say that Mr Bamboo has really cheap bamboo for you to buy however I can’t. I can say that their is a real variety in the size and number of Bamboo specimens on display. Definitely worth a look if you are confused about the differences between all of the bamboo cultivars but try Bunnings for cheap bamboo.



Gazebo Direct is a new addition to this complex. It was still under construction in June 2009 when i visited. It features Balinese huts – both open air and ‘closed’ types. Their huts dot the entire site but they have a walk through area just adjacent ot the bonsai nursery where you can walkthru a selction of their pavillions which are nested between water features and landscaped plantings.



Imperial Gardens is definitely worth a visit and wander around – you can also visit Palmland which is next door to this complex – and I will bring you my review of that nursery later in the week.
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Review of Flower Power – Warriewood

January 14th, 2010 | Category: Garden, Review

We live in the Lower Blue Mountains. That means we travel. Lots. So we are thus used to and experienced in trekking all over to find useful places to source things around our home. I am bringing you some of my favourite and not so favourite garden nurseries from around Sydney.

Thus we traversed the lengthy and expensive toll roads of Sydney’s north to this subtropical seaside suburb of the Northern Beaches. I had previously ran past this on a Metrogaine in 2008 and thought that i should come back. Nearly 18 months later we return on a strikingly humid day too.

What impressed about this nursery is the varied amount of stock on offer and the low prices across their range. I usually steer away from all Flower Power nurseries due their almost default position of doubling the prices relative to what one would reasonable expect from a large chain. Warriewood Flower Power gladly has steered away from this with a generous selection of plants on sale and non sale plants still reasonably priced given their size and health.

Anyway the top 5 reasons that you should go to this nursery are:

  1. Tropical style plant stock – good varied ferns, palms, large leafy under storey types.
  2. Homewares and outdoor/indoor accessories – most nurseries attempt to have some indoor pots /general nice knick knacks but mostly fail. Not only is the indoor accessories area massive- the homewares are really nicely choosen , stylish and contemporay
  3. Native varieties – plenty of choice of varieties and sizes. Different cultivars too – I counted 11 different Lillipilly’s.
  4. On sale items – i picked up two 200mm pot banksias for $9.99 each from $19.99 – both over 1metre high. They had 200mm pots of Liriope for $3.25 down from $9.99
  5. Lots to see – as nurseries go it is quite spacious, has lots of different areas (natives, formal gardens, tropical/indoor, aquatic, fish, landscape, indoors, mature trees etc)
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