XEROPHYTES IN GEELONG

Xerophyte |ˈzɪərə(ʊ)fʌɪt, ˈzɛrə(ʊ)fʌɪt| noun - Botany: Is a plant which needs very little water.
Etymology: Ancient Greek ξηρός (xeros, "dry") and φυτόν (phutón, “plant”).

Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, 75 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is the second largest Victorian city, with an estimated urban population of 184,182 as at June 2014, having grown 1.4 percent since June 2013.

The Geelong Botanic Gardens were established in 1851 - over a century and a half ago land was put aside for what is now Eastern Park and the Geelong Botanic Gardens. What is now referred to as the Geelong Botanic Gardens is the detailed landscape and plant collection.

The surrounding Eastern Park is an arboretum, or tree collection. Both landscapes have different water requirements due to their plant collections. The Botanic Gardens conserves plants from around the world which often have higher water requirements. Plants grown in the newer 21st Century Garden and the Eastern Park Arboretum have lower water requirements similar to indigenous plants adapted to local dry climate conditions. Thus this collection is rich in xerophytes, which belong in the typical xeriscape of most of Australia, which is in fact the driest continent on earth.

xeriscape |ˈzɪərɪskeɪp, ˈzɛrɪskeɪp| chiefly US noun:

A garden or landscape created in a style that requires little or no irrigation or other maintenance, used in arid regions.

Etymology: Ancient Greek ξηρός (xeros, "dry") and Middle Dutch lantscap, from land ‘land’ + scap (equivalent of -ship).

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,

and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.