The flowers are many, the days may be cool and moist so this walk is short but with much colour to admire.  The show of orchids inside the Visitors Information Centre is admirable. Then edging the Banks Walk, discover Dryandra quercifolia [Section 174], in a pot, a many branched shrub with a large lemon flower heads and few interesting buds.

1. Opposite, a mint bush, Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210] falls down the rock wall, having a profusion of small mauve flowers.
2. Follow the road on the far side of the Rainforest Gully where Clerodendrum floribundum var. attenuatum [Section 125] is a tall shrub with speckled white trunk and among the large, dark leaves noticeable red calyces, resembling flower petals, with dark green centre are seen. The backdrop includes Bird Nest ferns, Asplenium australasicum.
3. At the next corner Grevillea bipinnatifida ‘Jingle Bells’ [Section 124] is a picture with pendulous clusters of large red flowers and prickly divided leaves.  The plant is surrounded by a grevillea ground cover.
4. Around the corner Grevillea ‘White Wings’ [Section 124] is a large shrub with white lacy flowers.
5. Nearby, Pandorea jasminoides ‘Lady Di’ [Section 124] regally entwines itself up the branch of a bottlebush, Callistemon ‘Harkness’.  Her flowers are large, quite pink with a dark centre.
6. Opposite is Banksia spinulosa [Section 126], a large dense shrub profuse with cylindrical upright gold flower spikes.  (Banksias are now flowering throughout the Gardens )
7. Groundcover, Scaevola ‘Mauve Clusters’ [Section 124] has a dense covering of tiny mauve fan-shaped flowers.
8. Nearby is Correa ‘Canberra Bells’ [Section 124], a small open shrub bearing red and deep cream tube shaped flowers.  It is selected to commemorate Canberra’s Centenary, 1913-2013.
9. Grevillea ‘Goldfever’ [Section 124] is also small, dense with apricot coloured spider shaped flowers.
10. Opposite, Westringia eremicola [Section126] is of medium size bearing small Callistemon subulatus mauve flowers.
11. At the end of this road, the majestic Pryor’s Tree, Eucalyptus mannifera [Section 10] with long white branches, under which the pretty Thryptomene ‘Pink Lace’ is a low spreading dense plant pink with tiny flowers.
12. Taking the road to the right, a bottlebrush, [Section 10] is a dense shrub of medium size bearing red flowers.
13. At the lower right corner the winged wattle, Acacia alata var. biglandulosa, [Section 240] a medium size dense shrub with flattened zig-zag shaped leaves and cream fluffy flower balls.
14. Close by Corymbia ‘Summer Red’ [Section 240] is so attractive with clusters of pinkish buds, red fluffy flowers and spent grey gumnuts, all on the medium upright shrub.
15. Behind is a small dense shrub bright with catchy pink star shaped flowers.  It is Crowea ‘Cooper’s Hybrid’ [Section 240].
16. At the corner Banksia integrifolia var. integrifolia [Section 240], a prostrate plant with dark green leaves and with upright cream flower spikes.
17. Edging the road to the cafe, Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’[Section 240] is a low spreading plant with terminal reddish flower spikes among the large divided leaves.

Lastly, Correa ‘Summer Belle’ [Section 240] a small shrub with tubular flowers can be compared with Correa ‘Canberra Bells’, close by.

Barbara Daly.