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.

6 February 2009

Because of the hot days this walk is quite short, still with many flowers to see. Those in pots outside the Visitors Information Centre continue to bear flowers. They are Grevillea leptobotrys, the tangled grevillea which is a low-growing shrub with wiry branches and leaves and with the desirable terminal pink flowers. Beside is Rhododendron lochiae, also a low-growing shrub clad with its red-orange trumpet flowers. Also, there is Sturt’s Desert Pea, Swainsona formosa, a trailing plant with the large dark-centred red pea-shaped flowers which are also seen along the Banks Walk. Note also from the Banks Walk the brilliance of the small eucalyptus cultivars, including Eucalyptus ‘Dwarf Crimson’ [Section 174], Eucalyptus ‘Wildfire’ [Section 174], the flowers having a darker shade of crimson and Eucalyptus ficifolia [Section 174], its flowers coloured orange-red. Kangaroo paws continue to flower. They include Anigozanthos ‘Bush Haze’ [Section 210] with yellow-green flowers and Anigozanthos ‘Bush Sunset’ [Section 210] with rust red coloured flowers.

Taking the road up the far side of the Rainforest Gully, the Swamp Lily, Crinum pedunculatum [Section 125,114] is a large bulbous plant with long fleshy leaves and long stems terminating with sprays of open white flowers. On the other side of the road, Grevillea ‘Goldfever’ [Section 124] is a low dense shrub with many apricot-coloured flowers. Close by, a Honey-myrtle, Melaleuca thymifolia [Section 124] is clad with white lacy flowers while the Magenta Cherry, Syzygium paniculatum [Section 124], bears white fluffy flowers over this tall shiny-leaved shrub. Hibiscus heterophyllus [Section 114,104] displays its large, white, pink-streaked flowers over the open shrubs. Hibiscus divaricatus [Section 114] has large bright yellow flowers.

At the next corner where the Main Path crosses, a Lemon Myrtle, Backhousia citriodora [Section 78], is a tall neat shrub bearing large clusters of white fluffy flowers in profusion towards the top. At the entry to the Rainforest, Conjevoi Lily, Alocasia brisbanensis [Section 114] has swollen stems and large spade-shaped leaves surrounding a yellow floral spike on a long stem which appears to be almost enclosed in a pale green shield. Below these large leaves is a bulbous plant, Proiphys cunninghamii [Section 114] with short, ovate leaves and a spray of white flowers on long stems.

Continue along this path to a triangular-shaped garden where a showy display of kangaroo paws grows: among them Anigozanthos ‘Bush Haze’ [Section 17] with its yellow-toned flowers mixes with Anigozanthos ‘Bush Ruby’ [Section 17] with its ruby-toned flowers. Geraldton Wax, Chamelaucium ‘Cascade Brook’ [Section 17] has many buds and soft pink waxy flowers over this quite dense shrub with short soft foliage.

Opposite this section, edging the Rainforest, a bottlebrush, Callistemon montanus [Section 104], has deep red bottlebrush flowers on the shrub which leans towards the path. There also is a teatree, Leptospermum amboinense [Section 104] with an abundance of open white flowers. Hibiscus splendens [Section 104] displays its lovely deep red flowers on its long branches.

When returning through the cool shaded Rainforest Gully, the path that descends to the depths of the gully takes you to the Dorrego waratah, Alloxylon pinnatum [Section 148] displaying its loose red ‘waratah’ flowers on the top of the small tree. Descending to the stream, the Stream Lily, Helmholtzia glaberrima [Section 145,144] is a herb with long leathery leaves and long stems carrying attractive large plume-like pink flower heads. This lower path continues to the car-park.

Many flowers to enjoy … Barbara Daly.