In Flower This Week A weekly news-sheet prepared by a Gardens volunteer Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to garden bed 'Sections'.

31 October 1997

As today's temperature is 31*C this walk will be short, interesting and colourful. In the pots outside the Visitor Centre doors, see the bright yellow daisies of Podolepis monticola and the lovely mauve-blue hibiscus-like flowers of Alyogyne huegelii.

The plants on both sides of Banks Walk are of very varied and most attractive at present. Eriostemon myoporoides subsp. acutus [Section 174] is a rounded shrub, well covered with white star-like flowers. Beside it is Grevillea johnsonii [Section 174] which is much taller and open with unique waxy pink and cream flowers. Chamelaucium ciliatum [Section 174] is quite a small, rounded shrub massed with small white flowers ageing to pink ... really a beauty. Eutaxia obovata [Section 174] has low, arching branches covered with yellow pea flowers. Another plant with pea flowers is Hardenbergia violacea `Mini Ha Ha' [Section 174]. The cushion-like plant at the end of the garden is Rhodanthe anthemioides `Chamomile Cascade' [Section 174]. which is most attractively covered with white, starry paper daisies.

Across the road and edging the road, Vanilla lily, Sowerbaea juncea [Section 210] bears its purple flowers on top of long, slender stems. Hibbertia empetrifolia [Section 210] is a mounded plant with bright yellow, open flowers Chorizema cordatum [Section 212] curls between the rocks and shows off its small red and orange pea flowers, but overlooking all plants is a waratah, Telopea `Braidwood Brilliant' [Sections 210, 212] with heads of brilliant red globe-shaped flowers.

Entering the cool Rainforest area on the boardwalk see, on both sides, Zieria arborescens [Section 148]. These medium sized shrubs have tiny white flowers dotted over the dark foliage. Mingling with these plants are pink toothbrush-like flowers of Grevillea barklyana subsp. barklyana [Section 148]. On the left side, growing on the trunk of Pittosporum undulatum [Section 148] see an epiphytic orchid with small white flowers, Sarcochilus falcatus [Section 148]. A closer viewing can be seen on the trunk of Eucryphia moorei [Section 148] also on the left side. Climbing high over the rainforest trees above the boardwalk are dense Wonga Wonga Vines, Pandorea pandorana [Sections 148, 65] covered with cream coloured tubular perfumed flowers. Other flowering plants seen are Pittosporum undulatum [Section 148], which has fragrant cream flowers in terminal clusters and Vesselowskya rubifolia [Section 148], with rough surfaced leaves and terminal tassels of cream flowers. Tasmannia purpurescens, [Sections 148, 65] is of medium size and bears clusters of white lacy flowers. Another epiphytic orchid can be seen on the trunk of Nothofagus moorei [Section 147B]. This orchid is Dendrobium falcorostrum [Section 147B], also bearing white flowers.

So much beauty ...

Barbara Daly