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

The gardens that surround the Visitor Centre are well worth wandering around. In particular look for the rare Allocasuarina portuensis [Section 221], with tiny red fuzzy male flowers at the ends of its branches, and Lomandra longifolia [Section 221], a strappy type of plant which still has one bright clump of cheerful yellow fruit. In a pot on the right of the Visitor Centre doors is Hibbertia glaberrima, not a very big plant but with attractive small yellow flowers. Eremophila ‘Murchison Magic’ [Section 210] is a grey foliage plant dotted with orange-red flowers and Alyogyne smithii ‘West Coast Gem’ [Section 210] has only one large, purple flower open but the number of buds on the plant promises many more still to come.

Along the edge of the Rainforest Gully an interesting group of plants is easily seen. Acmena smithii [Section 125] has already finished flowering but still has some fleshy pink fruit and further on is Tasmania insipida [Section 125], with its reddish green, multi-coloured leaves. Acronychia littoralis [Section 114] is in flower, with dainty greenish-yellow flowers and very shiny leaves. Telfordia eriocephala [Section 114] is an attractive grey-green foliage plant which was named after a previous member of the Gardens staff. The Main Path crosses here and a little way along it you can actually see a specimen of Wollemia nobilis [Section 110], the Wollemi Pine, in its birdcage for protection.

On up the hill to see Epacris calvertiana [Section 17], with its dainty, tubular cream coloured flowers, and Grevillea alpina [Section 17], a low spreading bush with small, yellow-orange flowers all over it. Nearby is a group of Crowea ‘Festival’ [Section 123] with their vivid pink flowers and Acacia pravissima [Section 123] covered in tiny cheerful yellow flowers.

At the corner of a path to the right is Eucalyptus pulverulenta [Section 37], a straggly looking tree with lovely silver-green foliage in whorls up its stems and cream flowers nestling in between the leaves. Follow this path to see two specimens of Banksia oblongifolia [Section 37], the larger bush is in front of the smaller. The bush in front has longer, slimmer cones while the smaller one has shorter but much fatter cones. Next to these are three specimens of Banksia media [Section 37] at all different stages of flowering, from orange cones with black styles to cones that are nearly completely black.

Just before the Picnic Shelter is Telopea mongaensis [Section 37], still with a few bright red flowers. Just below the Picnic Shelter is Grevillea dielsiana [Section 37], with its clusters of orange and red drooping flowers. In the same area compare Banksia plagiocarpa [Section 37], with very dark green cones, with the golden yellow cones of Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 37] at its side.

From here one can wander on to the Eucalypt Lawn and further on up the Gardens, or take the Main Path back to the car park.

Enjoy,

Naomi Bell