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

Above the car park to the left of the Visitor Centre is a group of wattles, Acacia genistifolia [Section 225], all dotted with cream, fluffy flowers over these open shrubs. The Mallee Section has numerous flowering plants which include Pimelea sp. [Section 211] scattered about the garden. They have heads of cream flowers over small, open shrubs. Micromyrtus ciliata [Section 211] is another small, dainty shrub with lateral branches massed with deep pink buds just exploding into small white flowers. Grevillea rosmarinifolia [Section 211] is a small, dense, fine leafed shrub which conceals its deep red spider flowers below the foliage.

Hybanthus floribundus subsp. adpressus [Section 211] has many short, upright stems clad with pale blue to cream flowers; the curved leaves are pressed upwards against the stems, hence the subspecies name. Further along this narrow, winding path, past the patient, old Mallee Fowl standing on the large nest, waiting … to where Bossiaea walkeri [Section 211], Cactus Bossiaea, has long flattened, leafless grey stems which, being a plant of the dry inland, actually reduce water loss. The shrub is brightened with large red pea flowers.

As wattles are very close to flowering, cross over the Rainforest Gully to the Wattle Sections above the Rock Garden. Acacia boormanii [Section 2] has such soft foliage, now covered with yellow buds awaiting a few warm days, like so many wattles, to flower. Acacia costiniana [Section 15K] in the Rock Garden, is a small shrub with leaves which seem to hug the branches which are brightened with yellow flower balls. Acacia flexifolia [Section 3] is low, dense and pretty with small yellow, fluffy flower balls along the upright stems.

Across the road, Hakea purpurea [Section 20] displays its small, purplish red flowers close to the upright branches. Walk below the overhanging branch of Hakea sericea [Section 20] laden with lacy pink flowers amid an abundance of grey fruits. Hakea bakeriana [Section 21,22] differs again for this neatly rounded shrub conceals its large pinkish white flowers, clustered on the old branches and mature stems, below the green foliage. Another hakea, Hakea cristata [Section 23] bears its small axillary clusters of white, faintly perfumed flower balls on a fairly erect, open shrub. The stiff leaves have toothed margins.

Tis worth a walk towards the Sydney Region Flora to view Hardenbergia violacea [Section 112], a ground-hugging creeper purple with pea flowers surrounding the mottled grey trunk of one of the many Eucalyptus mannifera [Section 112] trees. Returning, one of the many banksias is Banksia occidentalis [Section 27], a tall open shrub with bare pink and grey mottled trunks and lovely cylindrical flower spikes coloured lemon with bright red styles. … really a beauty.

Cold, wet, but always another flower … Barbara Daly.