Territory Exotics& Watergardens

Out at Herbert, on the fringes of Darwin's rural belt, this is a nursery built almost entirely around water: hardy and tropical waterlilies, lotus in their many named forms, and the smaller marginals and rushgrasses that finish off a pond. It bills itself as Darwin's favourite tropical display garden, and the plant list bears that out, running from miniature waterlilies suited to a half-barrel through to broader Nelumbo varieties for anyone with the room for a proper lotus pond. Beyond the water plants, the range extends into bromeliads, cordylines and other foliage suited to the Top End's tropical conditions, plus trees and shrubs for the wider garden — a useful spread for a climate that punishes anything not chosen with care. The named cultivars on offer, from Nymphaea Daubenyana to Woods Blue Goddess, suggest a grower who knows their stock intimately rather than one reselling generic greenery. There's a display garden to walk through as well as stock to buy, so a visit doubles as a chance to see how these plants actually perform in a Territory garden before committing. Orders can be placed online, but the real drawcard is the Herbert property itself — a working nursery where waterlilies and lotus are clearly the passion, not an afterthought.