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

30 January 1998

This walk is to view the colourful flowers around the nearby buildings. Firstly wonder at the variety of flowers, including the bright yellow flowers of Goodenia grandiflora, in the pots outside the Visitor Centre doors. Edging the steps, Lomandra longifolia [Sections 221, 224, 223] is a tussock-like plant with long, strap-like leaves and odd, crowded flat, spiny greenish flowers on long spikes. In the car park, in a most colourful bed of straw flowers, Bracteantha sp. [Section 168] see the tall, graceful grass-like herb, Swamp Foxtail, Pennisetum alopecuroides [Section 168] with feathery, purplish flower-heads on long stems and Scaevola albida [Section 168] which bears small, mauve fan-like flowers on top of neat, rounded foliage.

Towards the Tasmanian Garden, NSW Christmas Bush, Ceratopetalum gummiferum [Section 142] displays its waxy, red calyces which followed the tiny white flowers. Lythrum salicaria [Section 236], rooted in the shallow water of the pond, bears purple flower spikes above the tall foliage. Crossing the stepping stones to the Crosbie Morrison Building, see the deep red flower clusters of Eucalyptus ficifolia [Section 134] Red-flowering Gum, covering the small tree. In front of this building is a display of varying coloured kangaroo paws, Anigozanthos sp. [Section 242] The flowers vary from yellows, reds and greens.

Towards the cafe building, Grevillea juniperina [Section 240] has red flowers along its prostrate branches. Towards the centre of this garden, Crowea `Cooper`s Hybrid' [Section 240] is a small shrub with cheery pink star flowers. Edging the building, Melaleuca thymifolia [Section 131], a small, upright shrub shows off its lacy mauve flowers and Chrysocephalum semiamplexicaule [Section 131] has brilliant orange flower heads along its collapsing stems. At the end of the building and across the corner, Callistemon viminalis [Section 143] is quite a tall shrub with dark, grooved trunks and a dense canopy dotted with dark red bottlebrush flowers. On the edge of the Rainforest Gully, Melicope micrococca [Section 125] is a dense, tall shrub laden with clusters of cream flower buds which are just exploding into lacy flowers. Into the Rainforest, below the stairs, Helmholtzia glaberrima [Sections 144, 145] is a flax-like plant with long, wide leaves and lovely pink, plume-like flower heads on long, upright stems. Halfway up the far stairs, the Dorrigo Waratah, Alloxylon pinnatum [Section 148] bears its open, red flowers at the top of the small tree.

Out, into the sunshine and between the rocks the large purple fan-flowers of Scaevola aemula [Section 210] are quite splendid.

Always another flower to admire ...

Barbara Daly.