Dale Chihuly brings Garden Cycle to Adelaide Botanic Gardens

In a huge coup for South Austrtalia, the world-renowned American glass artist Dale Chihuly will exhibit his Garden Cycle installation at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Red Bulbous Reeds Glass Sculpture (2022) by Dale Chihuly at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Picture: Nathaniel Willson

In a first for Australia, Adelaide Botanic Gardens will host a major outdoor exhibition of the world’s most celebrated glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Seattle-based Chihuly is renowned for large-scale coloured glass sculptures inspired by his mother’s love of gardens and his own connection with nature. The installations in his Garden Cycle exhibition, which opened yesterday and will last until the end of April next year, form an art trail throughout the Botanic Gardens, allowing visitors to see his works in a beautiful setting that is free of charge and widely accessible. Chihuly’s work in glass explores translucency, light and colour, with unique organic forms that respond to their settings and to the way the light changes with the time of day and the seasons. Adelaide is only the third city outside the US to host a Garden Cycle exhibition, following Kew Gardens in London and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. A program of additional, paid activities will complement the event, including an in-depth exhibition within the rainforest conservatory, and night visits with live music, food and drinks. botanicgardens.sa.gov.au

Ground Swell

If you’re after a trailing spillover or carpeting ground cover that is tough, waterwise and long-flowering, look at the new varieties of an old staple, Convolvulus sabatius.

‘Starry Moon’

‘Little Arctic Moon’

The Moon series from PGA, in a range of blue and white shades (including the four below), is bred to produce more and larger flowers. pga.com.au

‘Two Moons’

‘Blue Moon’

Q&A

I see all types of manure for sale on the side of country roads – alpaca, pony, chicken etc. What are the benefits of each?

Louise Morris, Riverton, SA

All manures are good sources of organic matter and beneficial microbes. Horse, cow, sheep, goat and alpaca manures are all mild, but the nutrient content can vary depending on what the animals have been fed. Horse manure has rich nutrients if mixed with stable straw that has absorbed urine. It may contain a lot of weed seeds, whereas cow manure usually has few weed seeds. If animals have been drenched with worming agents, their poo will kill earthworms. All poultry manures are concentrated and can easily burn plants; these must be aged until there’s no ammonia smell. They can also be alkaline and high in phosphorus, so are not good for many native plants.

Blueberries can be so expensive to buy. Is it possible to grow them successfully in Brisbane?

Steve S, Brisbane

Choose low-chill varieties in subtropical climates; look for ‘Blueberry Burst’, ‘Blueberry Kisses’, ‘Sunshine Blue’, ‘Gulfcoast’, ‘Biloxi’ and ‘Misty’. Most are self-fertile, but planting different varieties for cross-pollination improves fruit set and berry size, and helps extend your harvest. Blueberries must have well-drained, acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5); add powdered or liquid sulphur to increase acidity if necessary. They grow well in large pots, using a premium potting mix for azaleas. Most blueberry plants grow to about 1m tall and have pretty white to pink bell flowers. You’ll need to protect ripening fruit from birds, using netting.

Are slaters good or bad in the garden?

Jeremy Lawrance, Sydney

Slaters are useful decomposers that break down tough fibres in woody materials, but they can also eat seedlings and soft fruits. They thrive in damp conditions and are mostly active at night.

Send you questions to: [e-mail]. The best question for September wins Fiskars’ large PowerGear X Bypass Lopper, worth $145; fiskars.com.au

Fiskars’ large PowerGear X Bypass Lopper.