Attila Kapitany gave a very enthusiastic and amusing talk about botanical gardens he and his wife Michelle regularly visit in major cities and regional areas in Australia and overseas. His definition of a garden is a “Place where imagination grows”. Attila told us in Australia 13 million visitors visit botanic gardens in a year, making botanic gardens the 2nd most visited place in the country after cinemas.
Attila explained that he and Michelle will often visit the same garden several times to view the garden in different seasons and at different times of the day, as a garden can reveal so many different aspects depending on the season and time of day. He particularly loves the sounds and sights of birds in a garden, believing it adds to the magic and entertainment he finds in the garden. Attila was able to convey the delight he finds exploring gardens and emphasised exploring a garden, even if it means going to sections of a garden you wouldn’t ordinarily think would interest you, because you never know what you may discover.
Attila and Michelle take many photos and document plants that interest them. He showed members many spectacular photos they had taken of beautiful, unusual and amazing plants they have discovered in their travels.
Succulents are Attila’s keen interest in gardens. He commented that people will say to him they are deterred from growing them believing them to be thorny, so he showed a series of photos of fearsome looking palms with spikes to demonstrate that in comparison succulents are not to be feared.
Attila brought in a large assortment of succulent cuttings and potted plants for sale.
He very kindly donated a potted jade plant and branches of a unique balloon plant to raffle.
