My second favourite...

Roma Street Parklandswere developed as a new city park in the year 2000 on the extensively excavated site of the disused Roma Street Station yards.  Covering 16 hectares in the centre of Brisbane, this park is able to provide a huge variety of planting collections in the relatively small area due to the dramatic topography offered by this site.

The collections are arranged according to the microclimates offered by the topography.  For example, the Fern Gully is located within the cool valley floor just above the lagoon where moist air collects, while the succulents are located on the exposed upper reaches of the park.The groupings of species to these microclimates has created distinct precincts, which showcase both Australian native and exotic plants in our Brisbane climate.

Creating unique microclimates in our own yards is a relatively simple exercise, just gaining an understanding of the plants you want, their needs and the zones of planting that you can make in your space.Primarily topographic change (even slight changes in levels), canopy cover, and water application can be used to create and control a variety of microclimates in small spaces.

Image : Andy Mitchell