My Bali and its gorgeous gardens

After 18 long months we finally made it back to Bali and my absolute favourite place to stay - the Bali Hyatt. When I arrive there it really does feel like going home, only the garden is a lot bigger and better than mine. This time around we went at the end of the dry season (November) and it was interesting to see the difference in the gardens, plants and preparations for the wet season. Normally we go in April or May, not long after the wet season.
Here are some photos from our first week there; at the Bali Hyatt which personifies Bali to me.

Looking down and across the garden from the Lobby walkway

This bridge is reminescent of Monets bridge. It crosses a narrow section of a very large pond. At certain times during the day there is a perfect reflection of the bridge in the water.

Lovely Helen! Hope you post more!! Did Made Wijaya design the Hyatt gardens? The first shot reminds me of his work. Tropical gardens in the actual tropics are so fast growing and constantly in motion. It must be interesting seeing it evolve. For me that's the signature of a great garden designer a garden that gets better with age. Like Women :)
Ann

Hi Ann,
I will be posting more photos and yes Made did redesign the garden many years ago and his Balinese partner back then is still in charge of the gardens today.
I still remember my visit to Villa Bebek; and the unity between the buildings and gardens. The Bali Hyatt has this same unity and these are my 2 favourite gardens.
I have around 800 photos of this garden taken over the 3 visits there.
Helen

This is the largest of the ponds and it is filled with Koi; wading birds and a couple of water dragons also live there.
On the left side is the Wantilan Cafe where breakfast is served each day. Along the side of the pond is a low railing and the tables there are very popular; each day guests would also stand at the railing to feed the water dragons.

This is a much better photo of the pond and Wantilan Cafe.

I love to sit in the lobby and read a book or......

just sit and look at views of the gardens.

This message was edited Nov 28, 2009 8:58 PM

Lovely pix Helen of lovely gardens.

I just checked my Passport, it was 1980 that I last visited Bali! Much has changed. I spent four weeks with a friend based in Legian who took me up to Ubud on to Singaraja, west to Gilimanuk, home to Legian then an eastern adventure up to Mount Agung. I will never forget the traditional gardens. The simple, most elegant places in the most humble of homes. Everywhere a lush beauty of plants and people. Each home we visited had a "sacred garden", something special, "a tame jungle" perhaps?... ... ... :)

The commercial use of such simple cultural and natural elements can be transcribed into something "authentic" or otherwise...Kitsch when given a heavy Western hand in the design!

Please send links here to your future articles Helen. We are looking forward to your piece on Brugmansia.

Wayne your comment
The commercial use of such simple cultural and natural elements can be transcribed into something "authentic" or otherwise...Kitsch when given a heavy Western hand in the design!
.......was very thought provoking. The western influence was decades ago and it is very muted now. It has been fully in the hands of the Balinese gentleman since then.
But it does beg a question - who was the teacher and who was the student way back then. I shall have to stop pondering this one so that I can get the articles done.
I have a feeling that the bridge is more of a folly than a link back to the west.
Will contact you soon.
Helen

I am always amazed at the excited growth in tropical areas ...we nurture and fuss over our "tropicals" and think they are doing well until we see the real deal and it's only then we realize our poor Southern efforts are nice but on valium compared to the tropic kids ...nevermind being a gardener is about "pushing " the zones, I probably would give up if I saw a real tropical garden, thanks for letting us peek.

Another of the Bali Hyatt

A small part of the garden at the Bali Zoo

A courtyard garden at the Bali Hyatt

Thats the first time I have seen beautiful photos of gardens in Bali! Now I have a reason to go. Are there many nice gardens around, or is it mostly at the resorts/hotels?
Sue

Hi Sue,
The resorts do have beautiful gardens but so do the Bali Zoo, the Bali Bird Park, the Bali Orchid Garden and the Bali Butterfly Park. Some of the temples have good gardens, the Royal Temple somewhere near Mengwi does. The Tirtaganga Water Palace has great gardens and Candidasa on the way there has gardens as well.
Driving around outside of the city is really is fascinating, there are crotons, cordylines and frangipanis growing on the nature strips and Mussaendas hanging over the fences. Along the way to Nusa Dua, there are Desert Roses growing in pots on the island dividing the roads and even driving into Nusa Dua there are gorgeous gardens. There are frangipanis in flower everywhere. This last trip we called into a nursery up in the mountains, I loved it and if I was to ever have a house over there that nursery would be my first stop.
Geez, that does sound bias.
Helen

Thanks Helen. Hubby and I are tossing up a trip there next year, so i will take note of the places you mentioned, as I'm not so much of a bar fly or a beach bum, and would rather check out the flora and fauna. The biggest problem, is how to get the plants back into the country! he he. Was there much in the way of bromeliads?
Sue

Hi Sue,
It always intrigues me when we go over to Bali, the Europeans and English laying around the pool sunbaking or out on the beach. Don't think they have any skin cancer adds over there. The Australians will sit in the shade for quite a while.
The first visit when we stayed on the west coast for the 2nd week, I would go out onto the beach every evening around 5.50 to sit and watch the sunset. Never tired of that. Think I have been on Sanur Beach once and that was to see what was there; wait a minute thats not quite right, I have been on the beach to watch the sun rise, by myself. And no I'm not a bar fly either.
I love the gardens over there and when we went to the Zoo, Bird Park and Butterfly Park, I spent most of my time checking out the plants.
When we arrive back here, unless we have something to declare, the luggage is sent through a machine to check and see if there are any forms of plant material in them. I have often longingly looked at a particular yellow frangipanni there and it has fleetingly crossed my mind; but then I think - if I did that then I would probably find that the cutting has some microscopic bug on it or the beginnings of a disease that I don't know and it would end up destroying my garden. I did see a frangipanni this time and I think I might look into legally bringing some plants home, if I need to.
I did bring some orchid flasks back last time, had a lot of hassles even with a copy of some of the pages of AQIS website. First there was a hassle because it was black agar as the guy who spoke not the best English couldn't understand the wording on the web pages. Then the Dendrobium was OKed. But he did not understand that a Cattleya was an orchid and couldn't find it on the website and that was the last I saw of the flask.
Helen

The 2nd week we stayed Hotel Sanur Beach

and another

and a close up of part of that long garden

this huge water feature is out the front of the Lobby. The statue wrapped in the balance material is in the middle of this series of ponds. Behind where we are standing to take the photo is another large pond.

This pond is out the back of the resort and there is a family of ducks that swim in there. Wouldn't mind one of these ponds in miniature.

Beautiful, Helen. The little burgundy plant is hemigraphis I think? I have planted a row of it that I'm hoping will get a go on. I had it in another part of the garden where the gum leaves kept swamping it, so now its out in the open, we'll see how it goes. Nice to see how it will look! The gardens there seem so simple, just mass planted with lovely things! I love that idea.
Thanks for the tour, and sorry about your orchids that you couldn't get through. How frustrating and disappointing!
Sue

If I had a pond like that, it would be full of gum leaves, bark and sticks!
I just noticed the time is wrong on these posts, so I'm off to change my preferences to Aust eastern daylight savings blah blah.