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

Walk between the grass trees, Xanthorrhoea species [Section 60]. Note the variations in colour and shape of these graceful plants with radiating leaves. Cross the bridge overlooking the enormous fronds of the tree ferns, mostly Dicksonia antarctica [Section 66]. In front of the Café building Crowea exalata [Section 131], with fine leaves and bright pink star flowers, can be compared with two cultivars of the species. Crowea ‘Austraflora Green Cape’ [Section 240] is a dwarf, spreading plant with pale pink flowers and Crowea ‘Pink Blush’ [Section 240] has white flowers, tinted with pink, over a small, open shrub.

Over the path Callistemon ‘Baroondah Station’ [Section 143] presents its soft pink bottlebrush flowers on the weeping branches. Callistemon viminalis [Section 239, 143] also has a weeping habit and, near the building, is a tall dense shrub well covered with red bottlebrushes. In front of the Crosbie Morrison Building, Eucalyptus ficifolia [Section 134] is stunning for this small tree is crowned with large clusters of fluffy deep red flowers. Opposite, kangaroo paw cultivars include Anigozanthos ‘Bush Dawn’ [Section 242] with low strappy leaves and stem standing tall bearing yellow flowers tinted with green.

Melaleuca sp. aff. neglecta [Section 10] is a medium open shrub, attractive with pure white, fine bottlebrush flowers. Callistemon chisholmii [Section 10] is another weeping shrub covered with soft pink bottlebrushes. Callistemon brachyandra [Section 10] is a 30-year-old shrub with a woody trunk and an abundance of small red bottlebrushes with protruding yellow styles, which make the flowers look orange.

This next area is part of the Sydney Region Gully. Grevillea rhyolitica subsp. rhyolitica [Section 191] is a neat small shrub with pendent red flower clusters at the ends of the branches. Scattered about are Flannel Flowers, Actinotus helianthi ‘Federation Star’ [Section 191] with velvet foliage and large daisy-like flowers. There, too, Goodenia heterophyla subsp. montana [Section 191], with small yellow flowers, creeps along the ground and over the rock wall. Banksia aemula [Section 191] has lemon-coloured flower spikes bright amid the dark green serrated leaves.

Take the path at the rocks where Persoonia mollis subsp. leptophylla [Section 191] displays its small yellow tubular flowers mixed with the fine foliage over a small rounded shrub. At the next corner, Thryptomene thymifolia [Section 191] has a scattering of small downturned pink flowers over the small, dense shrub. Across the Sydney Gully, Epacris longifolia [Section 191] has bright red tubular flowers with white mouths on a rather scraggy shrub. But turn to the left along the narrow path to view the colourful Christmas Bells, Blandfordia grandiflora [Section 191], in a setting amid flat rocks and foliage. The orange-red bells with bright yellow mouths are in clusters on long upright stems. Along this path, too, are numerous NSW Christmas Bush, Ceratopetalum gummiferum [Section 191], well covered with reddish calyces.

Well worth the walk …

Barbara Daly.