Last Sunday, we took ourselves off on a family outing. We drove up to the sunny Sunshine Coast, our new-to-us ute loaded with a basket of swimming togs and beach towels and an esky packed with picnic food and lots of cold water. One of the places we visited was The Ginger Factory. We took a ride on the old sugarcane train, spotted turtles in the little lake, had a picnic lunch of salad rolls, homemade slice and fruit and wandered the beautiful tropical gardens. Of course, at a Ginger Factory they grow lots of different gingers which means many gorgeous ginger flowers. Here are photos of my favourites:
'Cream Shell' Ginger
A vibrant Heliconia.
The little 119 year old 'Moreton' train.
A beautiful Beehive Ginger.
Pretty 'Red Stem' Ginger
I particularly loved the 'Red Stem' Ginger (Cheilocostus speciosus), in the photo above, for its tall red stems and frilly white flowers. I would love to grow it in our garden here for I think it's quite stunning.
We drove on, after our time at The Ginger Factory, to Noosa where we watched the annual Surfing Dogs Spectacular, swam in the calm waters of Little Bay and saw a beautifully-patterned goanna (and quite a few scrub turkeys) while finishing off the last of our packed picnic in the Noosa National Park.
Such a contented way to spend a Sunday visiting places we haven't been for a while. I hope your upcoming weekend offers you some contentment too.
Meg
Hi Meg,
ReplyDeleteI never knew ginger flowers were so pretty. The beehive flower is amazing! I planted ginger but it shriveled in the heat so I didn't get to see any flowers. I think the bulbs may still be in the soil when I dig in there. I hope so.
Wishing you a lovely weekend. I hope to find some contentment in mine :)
xTania
I have native ginger growing here, Tania. It gets little white flowers followed by blue berries. It's quite hardy. I hope you find some ginger too when you dig up the area where you planted them. Have a long and lovely weekend. Meg:)
DeleteWhat a lovely outing - the ginger plants are spectacular. I am dreaming already of warmer weather over here and days out with the picnic basket loaded with goodies.
ReplyDeleteI love picnics! I hope you get that warmer weather soon so you can pack up your basket and enjoy the outdoors. Meg:)
DeleteLast time I went to the Ginger Factory was in 2008 so a while. My Mum grows some ginger and the flowers are always beautiful and even better my next door neighbor gave me a whole bunch of ginger he grew a while back so I peeled it and popped it into the freezer and when I want some I just grate it frozen on a microplane. Lovely pics and I love a good Sunday outing.
ReplyDeleteI love Sunday outings too, Kathy. Whole days spent exploring this lovely region we live in. There's some wonderful places that really aren't that much of a drive to visit. Have a great weekend! Meg:)
DeleteWow. They are pretty. I’ve seen heliconia here, but not the other ones. Once I stopped at a neighborhood plant sale, and asked if they had ginger (edible one), and the lady showed me heliconia. Until then I didn’t know there were ornamental ginger plants. 😊
ReplyDeleteThere's a wide array of ornamental gingers, Nil. I don't grow them usually. I have native ginger, which gets white flowers followed by blue berries, and I have cardamon ginger growing too...yes, it really does smell like cardamon. Meg:)
DeleteA super day out Meg. I always enjoy reading of your adventures 😊
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day out, Nanette. We hadn't been up to the Sunshine Coast for a while so it was nice to visit again. I especially love the Noosa National Park. Meg:)
DeleteThose flowers are so very beautiful. Such a wonderful day out. I'm ready for some warm weather days and picnics now. X
ReplyDeleteI hope those warm weather days you are wishing for are not far away now, Jules. Meg:)
DeleteThose ginger flowers are beautiful! Especially the Beehive ginger!
ReplyDeleteI love that it's called "Beehive Ginger". It's patterning is amazing! Meg:)
DeleteSo evidently you live in a frost-free climate - maybe even tropical? If I ever get my greenhouse equipped so that it is actually warm in winter, I would love to try growing that Red Stem ginger in the last photo. This whole post is so exotic!
ReplyDeleteI live in a sub-tropical climate and so gingers grow really well. The Red Stem Ginger was my favourite. I think the flowers are beautiful! Meg:)
DeleteI had no idea that ginger had such beautiful flowers, they are amazing, thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThere's such a wide range of ornamental gingers with such a wide array of flowers. Such amazing plants. Meg:)
DeleteAbsolutely amazing photos, Meg. You are so talented and artistic.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephanie. You are very kind. I take photos using the camera on my phone. If I needed to work with different lenses and light and focus etc. then I don't think I'd end up with any photos worth sharing. Meg:)
Deletethat red stem ginger is just beautiful. as is the beehive ginger. haven't been to the ginger factory for quite some years...
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely to go visit The Ginger Factory again, Sherry. We hadn't been for quite a few years either. The gardens were lovely with so many ornamental gingers in bloom. I like that it is not too expensive either with free entry and lovely spots for a bring-your-own picnic lunch. (We did pay to have a ride on the old train.) Meg:)
Delete