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

This walk along the gully through the Sydney Region Flora area is so pleasant and there are many flowers to be found on the way. In the triangular bed in front of the Café building, see Crowea saligna [Section 240] with deep pink waxy flowers and leaves and Crowea 'Pink Blush' [Section 240] displaying white star flowers with that added tint of pink. Grevillea 'Poorinda Spinebill' [Section 240] is low and rambling, brightened with red toothbrush-like flowers. Beside it is Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia [Section 240], a prostrate shrub with long branches bearing many pale yellow flower spikes. Closer to the Banks Centre, Banksia 'Giant Candles' [Section 43] is of medium size and displays its upright, elongated deep orange flower spikes.

Down a narrow path overlooking a rocky area where a wombat sleeps, Banksia ericifolia var. ericifolia [Section 143] is quite a large shrub covered with orange, almost red, flower spikes. This banksia is one parent of Banksia 'Giant Candles'. Leaving this area, Banksia robur [Section 13] with large leathery leaves presents its immature, vivid green flower spikes and mature deep bottle-green flowers.

Along this road, Callistemon citrinus 'Austraflora Firebrand' [Section 32] displays its red bottlebrush flowers over its dense foliage. After viewing many banksias along this road, see Hakea nodosa [Section 33], dense with minute lacy, lemon-perfumed flowers clinging to every small branch of this neat shrub. Leptospermum squarrosum [Section 192] is a small, open shrub, pretty with mottled pink, peach blossom flowers clinging to its branches.

View from the narrow, winding path on the far side of the Sydney Region Flora gully, Epacris longifolia [Section 191], an open wiry plant bright with fine tubular pendent red flowers with white mouth. Epacris sp. aff. impressa [Section 191] differs, having cherry red flowers. Acacia saliciformis [Section 191] is a small tree with weeping habit covered with buds just beginning to explode into soft fluffy cream flower balls. The pink-grey trunks of the Smooth-barked Apple, Angophora costata subsp. costata [Section 191], is attractive with its peeled rust-coloured bark surrounding the base of the tree. Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 191] has gold flower spikes ribbed with dark stamens. There is also a patch of Dampiera stricta [Section 191], a suckering, low-growing plant dotted with deep blue flowers.

The path overlooks the stream, covered with the large fronds of tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica [Section 191]. Crimson rosellas and other birds can be heard, or seen, splashing in the water below. Then, at the crossroads, Acacia terminalis, another small wattle, is well covered with large, cream fluffy flower balls. Banksia oblongifolia [Section 191], along the crossroad is a low, spreading shrub well covered with lime-green flower spikes.

Such an attractive and relaxing walk . Barbara Daly.