This week, Gardens in Focus IT Manager, Cheryl Hill has been holidaying in far north Queensland. She took the opportunity to visit the Cairns Botanic Gardens which are renowned for having one of the best Australian exhibitions of tropical plants.

This beautiful garden hosts both native and exotic tropical plants. Many treasures where to be found, presenting plenty of opportunities for photography. The flowers and trees were abundant and interesting and the pathways were bathed in cool, dappled light. The lawn area was partly covered in dry, crunchy leaves under the trees but the open areas were just right for enjoying the sunny day relaxing on the grass.

One of the outstanding plants on display is the Giant Amorphophallus (Amorphophallus gigas) from Sumatra which is just beginning to flower now in early October. A garden caretaker took the time to describe the features of this distinctive, interesting plant that only flowers once each year. Cheryl's mum was amazed at the huge flower which was so much taller than her!

Elsewhere in the garden, Cheryl found the Cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) from South America. What a strange-looking plant with flowers and giant fruit emerging direct from the trunk.

Cheryl says, "If you're in the area, why not visit the Cairns Botanic Garden? Exploring the cool, lush garden is a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours and the delicious lunch served in the cafe shouldn't be missed."

Of course - remember to take your camera!

See more of Cheryl's photos in our Flickr photo set: Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Have you been to a tropical botanic garden like the Cairns Botanic Garden? Share your experiences below and upload your tropical botanic garden photos to Flickr for us to see.

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