Free day to discover - Saturday 19th March 2016

The end of my first two weeks of the scholarship and I am not sure if I am totally zoned into plant material or it is my passion to seek different as many aspects of plant material in the quest for new ideas, I think it is the latter.

The day started off wet but not to be closeted up I ventured to across town to Shiokanedai to a wonderful shop/nursery and of course a café. Wandering through small streets with even smaller gardens often reduced to a pot or two by the front door finally came across Biotop. Not quite knowing what to expect I was very pleasantly surprised though maybe a touch home sick when I saw beautiful Flannel Flowers, Kangaroo paws and a large variety of wattle in pots of varying sizes.

Entering the shop there was a range of succulents, ‘grandfather beard’ and a treasured small leaf Strelitzia for an exorbitant price. Actually it gave me a reality check because I often take so many plants for granted because they grow so freely in my garden.

Biotop had another surprise a tree house and you could climb up to it. It was built in a Camphor Laurel tree, which has been growing in the courtyard for over 20 years. Takashi Kobayashi, renowned tree house designer – worth researching his work, certainly nothing like my tree house as a child.