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.

20 June 2008

Acacia fauntleroyi - click for larger image

Banksias continue to be flowering, grevilleas and hakeas are beginning to flower while many others are covered with buds awaiting warmer weather. This walk passes by a mix of flowers and a mix of colours. At the base of the stairs leading to the Information Centre, Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’ [Section 221] is a dense low sprawling shrub with prickly leaves and now with a few stems clad with bright pink flower clusters. From Banks Walk, long flowering Woollsia pungens [Section 174] is an upright shrub with white flower clusters crowded about its terminal stems. Nearby Epacris impressa [Section 174] belongs to the same family with deep pink tubular flowers pendent from the stems. Opposite, the dwarf spreading Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ [Section 210] has an abundance of upright cylindrical golden flower spikes. Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210] has a mauve floral coverage on its shrub which falls over the rock wall while opposite Thryptomene denticulata [Section 174] covers its arching branches with tiny pink flowers

Just past the Café building a wattle, Acacia fauntleroyi [Section 182] is an open tall slim shrub with fine foliage and dotted with single yellow fluffy flower balls. Continue along this path past the Q’ld silver wattle, Acacia podalyriifolia [Section 126] is yet a small tree with silvery-green foliage and sprays of soft fluffy yellow flower balls. Rounding the corner seen below the well photographed Eucalyptus mannifera’s branches a scattering of yellow and cream straw flowers of Xerochrysum sp. [Section 10] beside which is a grouping of Thryptomene ‘Pink Lace’ [Section 10] attractively covering its low spreading branches with pink flowers. Opposite, Correa pulchella ‘Pink Mist’ [Section 119] hangs its pink tubular flowers from the top of these upright shrubs, unfortunately with a scarcity of leaves. Around the next corner a dwarf plant, Baeckea crassifolia [Section 10] has a profusion of small dark centred white flowers. At this other corner Thryptomene denticulata [Section 9] with its bright pink flowers grows with another Thryptomene sp. [Section 9] with paler flowers. Along this side path the large shrubs of a bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus [Section 9] continues to bear bright crimson flowers. In front, edging the path, Micromyrtus ciliata [Section 9] is another low shrub with arching branches which are attractively clad with tan coloured buds which will mature to tiny white flowers. In the distance the medium rounded shrub clad with tubular white flowers is that of emubush, Eremophila oppositifolia [Section 302].

Grevillea sericea - click for larger image

Following this path certain shrubs can be seen, including Banksia ericifolia var. ericifolia [Section 30] a large shrub bright with long cylindrical golden flower spikes. Banksia spinulosa [Section 27] is yet small but eye-catching with a crown of golden flower spikes. At the next corner Grevillea lanigera [Section 25] is a dense ground-cover with short hairy leaves and profuse with clusters of pink and cream flowers. Turning the corner behind the grey mottled trunk of Eucalyptus mannifera [Section 25] Grevillea dimorpha [Section 25] is splendid with red spider flowers clinging to its many upright branches. Opposite, Hakea cycloptera [Section 24] is a well designed shrub featuring small lacy clusters of pinkish flowers. Almost opposite Grevillea sericea [Section 124] is an upright open shrub tipped with pink spider flowers while behind Grevillea humifusa [Section 124] is a prostrate plant with grey-green divided leaves and short toothbrush-like scarlet flowers.

Returning along the upper path are much larger shrubs, many with flowers.

Winter time, many flowers … Barbara Daly.