In Flower This Week A weekly news-sheet prepared by a Gardens volunteer  Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to garden bed 'Sections'.

After viewing the exhibition 'Floral Impressions' in the Visitor Centre, this walk will view the real live wonders of our Australian plants. In the car park the grey gum Eucalyptus canaliculata [Section 169], with dark trunk splashed with green lichen, has a canopy of soft white fluffy flowers. Beside the Joseph Banks memorial, the dwarf banksia cultivar Banksia spinulosa 'Birthday Candles' [Section 174] is dense and vivid with 50 or more pale yellow upright cylindrical flower spikes. Eremophila nivea [Section 174] has pale mauve bugle-shaped flowers amid its soft grey foliage and Scaevola 'Pink Perfection' [Section 174], so very small, shows off its bright pink fan flowers growing along its trailing stems.

The triangular bed in front of the Café building abounds in flowers. There are various crowea species which include Crowea 'Southern Stars' [Section 240] with small, fine-petalled flowers, Crowea saligna [Section 240] with waxy leaves and larger flowers and Crowea exalata [Section 240] with larger star-like flowers over a denser shrub. Grevillea 'Poorinda Spinebill' [Section 240] is a low, rambling shrub with many buds and a few bright red toothbrush-like flowers and Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 240] is prostrate and dense with long branches bearing the first of its pale yellow flower spikes. Over the path Callistemon 'Baroonda Station' [Section 143] is an upright shrub bearing pale pink bottlebrush flowers. Callistemon viminalis [Section 143] is larger with vivid red bottlebrushes hanging from its arching branches. Towards the front of the Banks Building, Banksia 'Giant Candles' [Section 143] is of medium size and displays its upright, elongated orange flower spikes. Nearby, Correa 'Dusky Bells' [Section 143], with many red tubular flowers, hugs the brown trunk of Eucalyptus rodwayi [Section 143].

Leaving this road, Grevillea diminuta [Section 178] is a compact shrub decorated with fine pendulous strands of rust-coloured flowers. Swamp Banksia, Banksia robur [Section 13], beside the small stream, has many trunks with mostly old, brown spikes but note the vivid green young flower spikes at the base. Banksia ericifolia var. ericifolia [Section 143] is quite large and is producing young, pencil-thin green spikes which mature to vivid orange flower spikes. It is one parent of Banksia 'Giant Candles'.

'Tis worth walking further afield to an area of many banksias. Banksia aemula [Section 32] is dense with dark, serrated leaves highlighted with gross creamy-green flower spikes ageing to a rich chocolate before greying. Large fruits may be seen on these ageing spikes. Banksia conferta var. conferta [Section 28] is a small tree with pale yellow to brown flower spikes while, further back, Banksia conferta var. penicillata [Section 28] is a large round shrub bearing many long green flower spikes. Banksia paludosa [Section 27] has cream flower spikes with a bronze sheen and, like all banksias, is a great source of nectar for our many birds.

There's always another flower to see … Barbara Daly.