Lex and Ruby Graham Garden

There is a hidden oasis close by to where I live. A beautifully, cool oasis with a number of paths lined with a multitude of exotic plants including tree ferns,Agapanthus and Clivias called the The Lex & Ruby Graham Garden.

Stairs are carved into the rocks and the rocky trails lead you down to the rock pool which birthed the garden's beginning. The area is filled with lush vegetation, a myriad of exotic plants and so many colourful flowers. The collection of flowers in this garden are truly stunning.

The garden is also filled with Australian natives and large tree ferns. It's a shady, tree lined space and a welcome retreat from the blistering heat of Sydney's Summer.

There is a sign at the top of the rock garden with a lengthy description of how the garden was created by Lex and Ruby Graham. This is what that sign says:

GARDEN THAT GREW FROM AN ELEPHANT’S EAR

Created with love

"Below here is a simple rock pool built many years ago by local residents from boulders found along the water’s edge. One day in 1959 as Lex Graham enjoyed his daily swim after a jog in the Reserve, an elephant’s ear bulb floated by. He fished it from the water and planted it between the roots of a nearby coral tree. To his surprise, it grew. He had recently met Ruby and together they watched the growing plant. They began to add other plants and cuttings to that first one. And so began this amazing garden which now covers more than a hectare. The gardens have been built from so little, as an enormous labour of love.

The steep slopes had been used as a tip for decades. Thickets of privet and Lantana, and masses of vines grew over the rubbish. Gradually Lex and Ruby cleared the weeds to discover all manner of junk – mattresses, refrigerators, hundreds of bricks, thousands of bottles, whalebone corsets and a kitchen sink. The rubbish was reburied and used as a base for plants and paths. Logs and rocks were positioned to form beds along the cliff and the weeds broken up and used as mulch or fill.

They planted whatever they could find that might grow happily and hold the soil. The tree ferns, less than 15cm high, came from crevices in the rocks along the foreshore. Clivias and agapanthus discarded by local gardeners were very effective in clumping and building the soil. Without these plants the erosion caused by torrents of storm water, which still flushes through the garden, would be greater than it is.

Friends gave cuttings from their gardens. Some plants were donated for special reasons. Others had simply outgrown their pots. The soil on the steep slopes was thin and poor, so Lex collected barrow-loads of leaves from the pathways for mulch. Water was carried down in containers and neighbours, above the garden, assisted with their hoses. Council installed taps in 1978 and Lex then set up a permanent network of hoses and sprinklers.

To Lex and Ruby the garden became a special place with each path and corner given a name, favourite spots to sit and watch the moon rising over the water, delightful bird life and a feeling of great peace. Others say they find the same peaceful feeling in the garden. For ten years Lex and Ruby spent the weekends in the garden. In 1969, when Lex retired, they spent weekdays in the garden instead. Lex died in 1988 but Ruby continued to work several days a week in the garden they created together. Ruby passed away in February 2009. The descendants of the first elephant’s ear bulb still thrive in their garden.”

My local area is so beautiful and even though I've lived here for close to 8 years, it still takes my breath away. I love sitting in the sunshine, even on a Winter's day, with my dog Macy just taking in the stunning scenery. It never fails to amaze me and with all that is going on in the world, I feel truly blessed to live where I do because it is so peaceful and filled with such awe inspiring scenery.

It's been wonderful recently exploring the hectare of land that this garden forms. It's truly magical. I've walked past the garden many times but it is only now that I have really started to explore all it's trails and paths. There are many trails that meander down to the water's edge. As you fossick through all the garden's nooks and crannies you keep discovering new things, especially the wide array of flowers.

I could take photos of all the flowers everyday. I'm always discovering new ones on my daily walk with Macy. It's also helping me to develop a love of photography and the ability to see what I can capture on my phone.

I have loved capturing the images of all the flowers in this beautiful garden. Here's a sample of some of the incredible flowers you can find in this garden.

Even though I have wandered along the path many times, it's only recently that I discovered the garden actually has these beautiful Orchids pictured above. They are divine but were not obvious to the naked eye. They were well hidden amongst dense shrubs and other plant growth.

I don't know the name of all the plants, shrubs and flowers but now having discovered the treasure that is this beautiful garden, I am keen to know more about the genus of various species of flowers and plants.

I love seeing the magic of the sunlight as it falls on the many Bird of Paradise plants that fill the area.

It's winter here now and in the middle of the day, the sun is still warm and the sun's rays dance among these plants bringing them to life. There are often loads of bees swarming between all the plants in this large garden.

This is one of my favourite shots of this half eaten Magnolia flower. To me it's kind of raw and still very beautiful. The birds have been pecking at it and eating it. It was surrounded by a perfectly formed Magnolia bush but this particular flower stood out on its own, half eaten but easy to capture through my phone's camera lens.

In Summer this is a really great place to just sit and soak up the tropical nature of this rain forest like part of the garden. It's so cool, shady and just really tranquil, really peaceful. When I sit there I never want to leave.

After heavy rain it's along these paths that water cascades in very mini waterfalls and the rocks become slippery and uneasy to walk on and climb. I've fallen over a few times scampering around on a wet day.

It's easy to love where I live. It's difficult to put into words and describe all the natural beauty that surrounds me on Sydney Harbour.

When I wake up each day I feel grateful to be where I am and that I can walk my dog each day and I'm safe, alive and healthy. I feel blessed that even in winter in Sydney we have sunshine and it's quite warm and I can take photos on my phone and enjoy my day.

So many people are struggling with what's going on in the world right now but most of us are pretty lucky here in Australia. Not everyone as some are out of work and having a hard time but for me I am blessed and I don't ever forget it.

So here's to celebrating being alive and getting through difficult times in 2020. Here's to taking photos of nature in all it's magic and natural beauty, or at least where I live anyway.

The photo below is of the Robertsons Point Lighthouse. It is separate to the Lex and Ruby Graham Garden and at the other end of Cremorne Point on Sydney's Harbour.

Built in 1909 this lighthouse is of the same form and construction as the Bradley’s Head lighthouse (close by to here) which was the first of this design to be erected. These lights were built with the first pre-cast reinforced concrete sections. Light is supplied with mains power. (from https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/robertson-point-lighthouse/).

This photo was taken in Summer 2020 before the full effects of Covid 19 were felt and cruise ships were still docking in Sydney Harbour. The smaller vessel is the Mosman Bay Ferry that picks up passengers and transport them to Circular Quay in the heart of Sydney's Central Business District.

I am not a professional photographer by any means (thought I would love to learn the art of being a decent photographer). All these photos of my local area are straight off (unedited) my Samsung A50 phone.

I have loved venturing around my neighbourhood trying to capture it's natural beauty for this outdoor shots piece. Hope you like the photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them and the story behind the Lex and Ruby Graham garden.