Shadow Shot Sunday: Tropical Shadows

Tropical shadows

Refuge from the sun

Colours and flowers

Flowing water

Tropical tranquility

Tropical Shadows Nusa Dua, Bali 2005 ©Pauleen Cass

This post is part of Shadow Shot Sunday 2013.

Open garden vista & Balinese influences

There are times when I’m ambivalent about posting pictures of the Open Gardens we visit for privacy reasons. A couple of weeks ago we visited one with Balinese influences which showed in the lime,aubergine and yellow paint on the exterior feature walls, Balinese carved wall features, outdoor shower and open-air relaxation area, as well as the tropical plantings.

Bali vibe in Darwin

In case you’ve been wondering, Bali design has a big impact on Darwin garden and home design. That’s partly because Bali’s tropical climate is very much the same as Darwin’s so it’s easy to see how things will grow. it’s also because the vivid tropical colours work equally well in both cases. However it’s also because Bali is closer in flying time to Darwin than any of Australia’s capital cities so it’s a viable holiday destination for a long weekend or longer. You can choose between the cheaper holiday accommodation around Kuta with its crazy busyness or the more upmarket villas of Seminyak. These luxury villas still come at a comparable price to interstate holiday venues so are very appealing.  Ubud offers an alternative style and climate, and that’s for those who aren’t looking for the whole Eat, Pray, Love syndrome.

Seminyak luxury in Bali -you can see the style influences.

Even the reception desks are open-air.

Open Garden: Tropics anyone?

Today we visited this weekend’s open garden, and what a treat it was. Immediately on entering we were transported to a wonderfully tropical Balinese-influenced home and garden which defines indoor-outdoor living.

Welcome to the garden.

At every turn there were vivid splashes of colour from the orchids or bromeliads or just the cordelines (not quite my favourite plants).

A dramatic bromeliad with its punchy pink colours.

Don’t you love the delicacy of this hibiscus?

Then there were the statues, Balinese check fabric on the palm trees, little water ponds and the modular house design with its open-air bathroom (minimum walls) and the huge outdoor entertainment area, not to mention that delicious Bali hut with its day bed.

Good book or snooze anyone?

Strangely almost all the visitors had this strange green colouring to match the tropical green of the garden….Lotto dreams dancing in their eyes. The owners have done an absolutely fantastic job of their garden. Another indoor-outdoor style but a completely different aesthetic from last weekend’s though both were equally engaging. Add in fantastic home-made cupcakes and cakes, and fresh coffee from Coffee Angels, and what more could you want! For $6 a head+coffee+cake, this has got to be the best value entertainment in Darwin this weekend 🙂

I love the drama of this cycad.

If you’re in Darwin this weekend make this a “must see” outing!