Telopea mongaensis click for larger image

Flowers, flowers everywhere including those seen from the Main Path. View first the Sturt’s Desert Pea, Swainsona formosa, with vivid red black-centred pea-shaped flowers, in a pot along Banks Walk, and the Kangaroo Paws, Anigozanthos sp. [Section 131] coloured burnt red, yellow and crimson in front of the Café building.

Following the Main Path, about 50m past the café and Ellis Rowan buildings is a scenic view of a planting of Melaleuca fulgens ‘HotPink’ [Section10], upright shrubs with clusters of “hot pink” flowers along the branches, then Homoranthus flavescens [Section 9] with terminal horizontal yellow flower clusters. Another scenic view is of a group of waratahs, Telopea ‘Canberry Gem’ [Section 30] and Telopea mongaensis [Section 30], varying in design and shades of red. Almost opposite, Leptospermum novae-angliae [Section 9] is a medium open shrub with white-petalled flowers. Smaller plants include Hypocalymma sp. Lake King [Section 30], a dwarf plant with weeping branches clad with downturned pink-petalled flowers, and beside is Grevillea nana subsp. abbreviata x G. tenuiloba [Section 30], a dwarf spreading plant clad with extended hairy toothbrush-like orange flowers. A group of dense shrubs of Isopogon anemonifolius [Section 25] has yellow ‘drumstick-like’ terminal flower heads. At the next corner Grevillea oleoides [Section 25] is an upright spreading shrub profuse with red spider-like flowers while opposite, Grevillea flexuosa [Section 25] is low and spreading with bright cigar-shaped yellow flowers amid its dark foliage.

Continuing across the road Isopogon formosus subsp. formosus [Section 26] has floppy rose-pink flower heads. Surrounding the seat Grevillea ‘Bonfire’ [Section 24] has lovely red waxy flower clusters amid the foliage of the tall shrubs. Grevillea dielsiana [Section 26] differs, having orange-red spider-like flowers dangling from the fine sharp foliage. Pass by many grevilleas and across the road to where Eriostemon australasius [Section 112] is a small attractive shrub with pink buds opening to five-petalled flowers. Boronias include Boronia muelleri [Section 112] with pale pink buds opening to four-petalled flowers while Boronia clavata [Section 112] is a more upright shrub clad with yellow buds opening to lime-green flowers.

Patersonia sericea click for larger image

The path then wanders through the Sydney Region Gully where there is a Native Iris, Patersonia sericea [Section 191g], with strappy leaves and large deep-mauve three-petalled flowers. At the crossroads, Blackeyed Susan, Tetratheca thymifolia [Section 191j] is a low dense shrub clad with pink down-turned flowers. Grevillea acanthifolia subsp. acanthifolia [Section 191m] is a large shrub with very long lateral branches clad with pink toothbrush-like flowers, while opposite, Melaleuca capitata [Section 191e] is a shrub of medium size with attractive terminal fluffy cream flower heads. The redeveloped area displays Telopea speciosissima [Section 191L].

Cross the Eucalyptus Lawn to view Helichrysum ‘Helping Hand’[Section 18] with grey foliage and yellow-centred white daisy-like flowers, down to the Rock Garden passing Hakea purpurea [Section 20] with crimson lacy flowers on upright plants. An enclosure of daisies, Rhodanthe chlorocephala subsp. rosea [Section 4] is dense with a variety of pink and white daisies. Among many flowers, the Rock Garden includes Chorizema cordatum [Section 4] which creeps along the ground and over close-by shrubs, with its orange-red pea-shaped flowers. An emu-bush, Eremophila dalyana [Section 15v] has pale pink tubular flowers blending with its grey foliage.

A walk through the Rainforest where orchids Dendrobium kingianum [Section 104] displays small pink flowers and Dendrobium delicatum [Section 104] displays long loose sprays of cream flowers amid large leathery leaves. Then other flowers to view down the ramp to the coffee shop.

Such a colourful spring walk … Barbara Daly.