In Flower This Week

28 February 2003

Along Banks Walk a kangaroo paw cultivar, Anigozanthos ‘Bush Noon’ [Section 210], has a blend of pale green and orange flowers on long arching stems. Grevillea ‘Flame ’n Beauty’ [Section 174] has toothbrush flowers, coloured cream with red styles, mixed with the fine foliage.

However this walk will select plants along the Main Path, commencing at the far end of the Café building. So, passing under the arching paperbarks, find Callistemon citrinus [Section 9], on the side path, a large shrub bearing many red bottlebrush flowers. An attractive grass, Austrostipa ramosissima [Section 302], has slim silvery-green flower heads on long swaying stems encircled by short leaf blades. The Garland Lily, Calostemma purpureum [Section 302], has sprays of tubular pink flowers atop bare stems. The bed opposite is bright with yellow straw daisies, Bracteantha bracteata forms [Section 303]. Banksia burdettii [Section 30] continues to display the bright orange flower spikes on yet a small upright shrub and Banksia baxteri [Section 30] displays its squat greenish flower spikes. Opposite, Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ [Section 30] is a dwarf shrub with many lemon, maturing to golden, flower spikes.

Stroll through the section of mainly grevilleas, with only few in flower, to where Adenanthos x cunninghamii [Section 26] is a dwarf plant with small shapely burgundy flowers mixed with the short soft foliage. Correa ‘Gladys Cumpston’ [Section 112] is a low, wide shrub with slim red flowers with greenish mouths and long green stamens. Entering the Sydney Region Gully, Podolobium aciculiferum [Section 191H] is a medium prickly shrub with yellow pea flowers. Scaevola ramosissima var. ramosissima [Section 191H], seen edging the path, is prostrate with deep mauve fan flowers along its trailing stems. Grevillea rhyolitica subsp. rhyolitica [Section 191S] dangles its lovely red flower clusters on this small shapely shrub. Hibbertia pedunculata [Section 191S] is a dense ground cover bright with yellow open flowers.

If time permits, take a detour to visit the Display Glasshouse and admire the colourful orchids, including Vandopsis parishii, with sprays of brown spotted yellow flowers with pink backs, and Grammatophyllum scriptum, with long sprays of yellow flowers splashed with brown. The orchids here are not all Australian. Returning to the Main Path, Leptospermum rupicola [Section 191M] is an upright shrub with open white flowers clustered on the lower limbs. Platysace clelandii [Section 191L] is a neat rounded shrub crowned with clusters of tiny white flowers. The perfumed small wattle is Acacia linifolia [Section 44], with soft cream flower balls.

Cross the Eucalypt Lawn to the Rock Garden, the home of many small colourful plants. Artanema fimbriatum [Section 15N] is a small plant with white and blue bugle flowers and Halgania cyanea [Section 15N], of similar size, has deep blue flowers. Edging this path are the brilliant blue flowers of Scaevola ‘New Blue’ [Section 15R]. At the foot of the waterfall Lythrum salicaria [Section 15Q] has pink flowers on upright stems and a large Banksia aemula [Section 16] has a covering of pale green flower spikes over the large shrub.

On your way back wander through the Rainforest, so cool, so green.

Such wonderful plants …                                                                       Barbara Daly.