Garden of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, Ethiopia

One of the places my wife and I wanted to visit while in Ethiopia last December was the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, established many years ago by an Australian doctor, Catherine Hamlin and her husband. We had heard about this wonderful hospital some years ago and had financially supported its work.

Last year, just when we were planning our trip to Ethiopia, an hour long documentary on the work was shown on Australian television, further fostering a growing passion to support this hospital. In December we planned to visit our daughter who was teaching at Bingham Academy, an international school about 20 minutes by taxi from the hospital.

We asked her if she could contact the hospital to enquire if we could visit. She went one better and arranged an appointment for us. It so happened that the son of the CEO of the hospital was a student in her class. We later met the CEO and his family at a church service and found them to be lovely people.

Over the coming days I plan to show more photos of the garden of this wonderful hospital. I was not permitted to take any photos of the patients which is completely understandable. The grounds, however, were amazing; so peaceful and therapeutic for the patients.

I challenge my readers to find out more about the work of this hospital in treating women suffering from obstetric fistula. In fact, I challenge you to financially support this amazing work. Click here to go to their website for more information.

Garden of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, Ethiopia

Garden of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, Ethiopia

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Chamelaucium bush, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

A spectacular Australian plant in a huge field of spectacular plants would have to be the Chamelaucium group of native plants, two of them shown here. When not in flower they are a nondescript plant, but when they burst into flower the colours can be almost overwhelming.

These photos were taken of several bushes in the Pangarinda Arboretum near Wellington in South Australia earlier this year. In a huge collection of wonderful plants it is hard to stand out from the crowd, but this species certainly does, especially on a dull winter’s day like our last visit.

You can see more flowers and plants from this collection in recent posts here on this site, and there  is more to come in the next few weeks.

Chamelaucium bush, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Chamelaucium bush, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Chamelaucium bush, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Eremophila flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

My wife and I both enjoy seeing the various species of Eremophila plants in flower. Eremophilas – commonly called Emu Bushes – are found in many parts of Australia and especially in the drier inland regions. They are becoming a very popular garden plant too, mainly for their wonderful show of colourful flowers over many months. They also attract many of our nectivorous birds like honeyeaters.

This series of photographs was taken earlier this year at the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington, South Australia. This is just over an hour’s drive south east of Adelaide. I’ve featured this special collection of plants and flowers over recent days here on this site, so look back through recent posts for more beautiful flowers.

Eremophila flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Eremophila flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum

Australian native plants display an amazing variety of colours and shapes. One of our favourite gardens we like to visit on a regular basis is the Pangarinda arboretum at Wellington on the River Murray in South Australia. It is only a half hour drive from our home so we are frequent visitors.

This huge collection of Australian native plants has been planted and is maintained by an enthusiastic group of local people on land provided by the local council. It is open to the public every day at all hours through an unlocked gate. Note: please shut the gate after walking or driving through. This is to keep the local rabbit population out, which helps the plants to thrive.

Over recent days I have been showcasing photos of flowers taken on my most recent visit a few weeks ago. I’ll show more over the coming days.

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum

Banksia flower, Pangarinda Arboretum

Over recent days I have been showing photos of the flowers of Australian native plants growing in the Pangarinda Arboretum. This huge collection of plants is found at Wellington on the Murray river in South Australia, just over an hour’s drive south east of the capital Adelaide.

No matter what time of the year you visit there will be something flowering. Some of the most spectacular flowers are found on the various species of Banksias. Today I feature several of these wonderful blooms.Click on the photos to enlarge the image.

Banksia flower, Pangarinda Arboretum

Banksia flower, Pangarinda Arboretum

Banksia flower, Pangarinda Arboretum

Banksia flower, Pangarinda Arboretum

Flowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Flowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Flowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Flowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Australian Native Plants, Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Over recent days I have been showing photos of the flowers of Australian native plants I took earlier this year at Pangarinda Arboretum near Wellington in South Australia. I feature several more plants today with more to come in the next week.

Australian Native Plants, Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Australian Native Plants, Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Australian Native Plants, Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Pangarinda Arboretum is on the eastern side of the River Murray at Wellington, South Australia, just a short distance east of the ferry crossing. This large garden has been planted up and maintained by local native plant enthusiasts on land provided by the local council.

The huge collection of many thousands of plants from all over Australia always has something in flower, so every time we visit the camera is kept busy. The whole property is fenced to keep out rabbits, so if you ever visit, make sure the gate is securely closed. Entry is free at any time.

Australian Native Plants, Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Australian Native Plants, Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Over recent days I have been sharing some photos of Australian native flowers taken at one of our favourite places to visit. Pangarinda Arboretum near Wellington is about a half hour drive from home in Murray Bridge and just over an hour SE of Adelaide.

The arboretum is a large collection of native plants from all over Australia. In my many visits there I have always found a good variety of plants flowering, so my camera always gets a good workout.

It is always open to the public for free. All we ask is that you make sure the gate is closed after you drive through. This is to keep the rabbits out.

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Wildflowers at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia