MOUNT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDEN

Beautiful gardens to visit in peace at the foot of Mount Lofty. Free guided tours are given at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday, except when the temperature is too high (36°C and above). Departure from the Lampert Road parking lot. Of particular interest are the ATCO Heritage Rose Garden and the Garden Gullies.

Heritage Rose Garden. This is a special collection of rose species from which all modern roses have been selected. Spring blooming, fall foliage and ripening hips with their different colors, shapes and sizes make it a beautiful year-round display to delight walkers. Roses are grouped into sections based on differences in flower, foliage, quill, hip and chromosome number characteristics. Some of these characteristics are visible, others are not. They are displayed in a linear taxonomic arrangement and each group of roses is labeled to provide visitors with information specific to that group. Individual rose species are also labeled. The collection was developed in the late 1980s and continues to expand with the addition of new acquisitions from seeds of known wild origin.

Walks. Don't miss the two trails, the Lakeside Trail which circles the lake (and will show you many sculptures), and the Nature Trail. It takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to walk them.