Australian National Botanic Gardens

In Flower this Week

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

18 June 2004

This walk is to discover the early winter flowering plants in the Rock Garden where rocks act as a source of heat absorbed during the day and dissipated slowly at night.  Soil mixes in the different beds provide suitable growing conditions for a range of special plants.

Acacia terminalis - click for larger image

Starting at the base of the stairs at the waterfall, Banksia integrifolia var. integrifolia [Section 15C] is a prostrate plant spreading over the footpath.  It has dull green silver backed leaves and upright cylindrical lemon flower spikes.  Opposite, also over the footpath , Correa ‘Ivory Bells’ [Section 15D], is a dense rounded shrub revealing small ivory tubular flowers.  Nearby Banksia ‘Honeypots’ [Section 15D] is a dwarf shrub with honey coloured flower spikes arising from the lateral branches.  Throughout the Rock Gardens the warmth of the yellow straw daisies, Xerochrysum bracteatum add cheer to the area.  Homoranthus darwinioides [Section 15F] is a rounded shrub with grey-blue foliage and unique cream flowers which redden on ageing.  Hypocalymma xanthopetalum [Section 15F] nestled between the rocks has small yellow feathery flowers along the radiating branches.  Around the corner in the center of the garden Eremophila maculata var. brevifolia [Section 15F] is well covered with lovely magenta coloured bugle flowers.  Almost opposite, a sheoak, Allocasuarina rigida subsp. rigida [Section 15A] is dense and well covered with fine ochre coloured male flowers suspended from the branches.

Grevillea lanigera [Section 15W] drapes this slope with deep red buds now exploding to pink and cream spider flowers.  At the top of the stairs, Grevillea ‘Masons Hybrid’ [Section 15H] is a large shrub resplendent with terminal red-yellow flower spikes.

Acacia alata - click for larger image

Across the road  Acacia terminalis [Section 3] with angular trunk has soft fluffy yellow flower balls while Olearia astroloba [Section 15H] is a many branched upright shrub displaying large mauve daisies.  Pimelea avonensis [Section 15H] is a many branched dwarf shrub laden with terminal heads of tiny white flowers.  Continue past the collection of grass trees, Xanthorrhoea johnsonii [Section15N] complete with ageing flower spikes, better seen from path below.  Eremophila oldfieldii subsp. angustifolia [Section 15N] is an upright shrub with fine foliage and red bugle flowers mixed with fine lobed yellow-green calyces which add interest to this plant.  Opposite, Hakea laurina [Section 20] displays many dark red pincushion-like flowers over this tall shrub, while opposite Hakea orthorrhyncha [Section 20] displays its deep red flowers on old wood behind the foliage.

Returning along the lower path, Verticordia pennigera [Section 15N] has tiny feathery pink flowers over the dwarf shrub, and Dampiera latealata [Section 15K], also dwarf, has blue flowers on upright bare stems.  Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ [Section 15L] shows off its upright golden flower spikes above the foliage of yet another dwarf plant while Dampiera linearis [Section 15S] displays its blue flowers on upright stems.  Correa pulchella ‘Pink Mist’ [Section 15S] is a small dense shrub which hangs its soft tubular pink flowers over the shrub and Acacia alata [Section 15S], an unusual low shrub has fluffy white flower balls attached to the zig-zag stems.

Cooler days  –  many flowers.

Barbara Daly.