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

This week the walk begins at the Display Glasshouse to view the magnificent array of flowering orchids, as well as many other fascinating tropical plants ... open between 10 am and 12 am, Monday to Friday. Just follow the signs.

Towards the top of the Sydney Region Gully Hibbertia saligna [Section 191l] is bright with large yellow flowers. Opposite in the display bed, Indigofera australis has long arching branches of pink pea-flowers. Around the corner, Prostanthera sp. (Rylstone) [Section 191l], a mint bush, is a dense, medium-sized shrub clad with pink bugle-shaped flowers.

Amble along the winding path through the Eucalypt Lawn to an area of wattles. Acacia fimbriata [Section 18], with long waving branches covered with soft yellow fluffy flowers, trails along the ground. Opposite, Eutaxia obovata [Section 19] is a neat rounded shrub with yellow pea flowers with a dark keel clustered along the stems. Acacia cognata [Section 18] has a weeping habit lightened with cream flowers.

Towards the Rock Garden, Hakea purpurea [Section 20] is bright with scarlet lacy flowers along the upright branches. The Rock Garden needs extra time to seek out all the many small wonders. However along the Main Path you can see the chocolate and lemon bell-shaped flowers of Boronia megastigma [Section 4], with its renowned perfume, and Chorizema cordatum - C. varium intermediate [Section 4], bright with loosely arranged orange-red pea flowers. Opposite, Lechenaultia formosa [Section 15R] has an abundance of china blue flowers while nearby another boronia, Boronia megastigma ‘Heaven Scent’ [Section 15R], with almost black flowers, is aptly named. The waratah Telopea speciosissima ‘Wirrimbirra White’ [Section 15D] is of medium size with large buds just opening to almost white flowers.

Read about the encaged Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis [Section 110], and then walk through the cool, green Rainforest. At the entrance, on the rocks, are orchids Dendrobium speciosum [Section 160] with buds on many long spikes (seen in full flower in the Display Glasshouse) and Dendrobium kingianum [Section 160] with small mauve flowers. At the other end of the Rainforest, the fragrant Zieria arborescens [Section 148] is covered with tiny white flowers amid the dark foliage.

Down the ramp, Hibbertia empetrifolia [Section 210] is vivid with yellow flowers and Telopea ‘Braidwood Brilliant’ [Section 210] is just exploding to its magnificent red flowers.

Just some of the beauties along the Main Path ... Barbara Daly.