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

Our fair city is brightened with the gold of the many wattles. These gardens, too, are well illuminated with many acacia species and as they are the harbingers of spring this news sheet includes some of the 1000 species growing in Australia. The pots outside the Visitor Centre include Dampiera linearis, with striking blue flowers mixed with grey-green foliage.

Observe the varying leaf shapes and floral arrangements of these wattles. The spectacular display of wattles which cascade over the car park retaining walls are the prostrate Acacia baileyana [Section 227], Cootamundra Wattle, with golden fluffy flower balls mixed with the blue grey foliage, and Acacia cardiophylla ‘Gold Lace’ [Section 226] over the upper wall. Its foliage is a darker green, its golden flowers just opening. Close by Hardenbergia voilacea [Section 226] is massed with deep purple pea flowers over the entanglement of trailers. The upper bank includes small shrubs of Pomaderris intermedia [Section 225] covered with clusters of deep cream flowers. Golden Wattle, Australia’s national floral emblem, Acacia pycnantha [Section 224] is a small tree now bursting into lovely globular golden balls.

Above Banks Walk, the Snowy River Wattle, Acacia boormanii [Section 210] has dense clusters of perfumed flower balls mixed with short, fine foliage. Opposite, Grevillea ‘Scarlet Sprite’ [Section 174] is equally attractive with red spider flowers over a neat, rounded shrub. Banksias still producing flowers include Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 131] at the far end of the Café building, its deep gold flower spikes ribbed with dark styles.

The Queensland Silver Wattle, Acacia podalyriifolia [Section 119], another small tree, mixes its fluffy golden balls with grey-green foliage. Nearby Grevillea sericea [Section 117] is open and graceful, bearing lovely cerise-coloured spider flowers. Acacia aphylla [Section 17] has really unusual foliage. This rounded shrub has slender, cylindrical spiny foliage, its flower heads concentrated about the base of the shrub. Grevillea alpina (Goldfields Form) [Section 17] is speckled with pale orange flowers while Epacris calvertiana var. calvertiana [Section 17] continues to produce many small tubular cream flowers along the upright branches.

Overlooking the Rock Garden, Phebalium stenophyllum [Section 15A] has bright yellow flowers over a small, neat shrub. Nearby, Westringia glabra [Section 15A] is of similar size, dotted with soft, mauve flowers. There is a small patch of daisies, Brachyscome formosa [Section 15H], with spreading habit exhibiting large, yellow-centred pink flowers. Looking down, the brilliance of Micromyrtus ciliata [Section 15G], with a mix of white and red flowers along lateral, flowing branches, is stunning. Also flowering is Hakea purpurea [Section 20], upright and leggy but glowing with red, well-designed flowers. Hakea corymbosa [Section 20] is upright and compact with sharp pointed leaves and terminal clusters of greenish flowers … very interesting!

Spring flowering is on its way! … Barbara Daly.