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

17 April 1998

Follow this walk and you'll surely see some interesting sculpture and some Easter banksias. In the Display Garden along Banks Walk, Crowea saligna [Section 174] has lovely waxy pink flowers and Brachyscome multifida `Evan' [Section 174] grows in small cushions with soft, mauve daisies to add extra beauty.

In front of the Cafe building, in pots, Grass Trees, Xanthorrhoea sp. [Section 136] seem sculptured with wavy, grey trunk and neatly trimmed green tops. Melaleuca `Little Beauty' [Section 131] is a small plant with clusters of rich mauve, feathery flowers.. Callistemon `Baroondah Station' [Section 143] is a neat, upright plant adorned with soft, pink bottlebrushes. Around the corner, just past Banksia `Giant Candles' [Section143] with pencil-like ochre buds, just exploding into tall, robust, cylindrical golden flower-heads, see `Furniture from the Bush' sculpture [Section 143] by Pip Giovanelli. Pass by Callistemon citrinus [Section 11], still a small shrub, adorned with red bottlebrushes which seem to dance in the breeze. Close by `Yaouk Three-seater' [Section10] is another sculpture of snowgum bush wood.

Towards the Rock Garden, Swainsona galegifolia [Section 110] continues to bear two-tone mauve pea flowers and pink seed pods. In front of the waterfall, Sturt's Desert Pea, Swainsona formosa [Section 15V], floral emblem of SA, has stunning red pea flowers with black boss amid trailing grey foliage. Close by, Goodenia amplexans [Section 15V] bears small yellow flowers along the upright stems. The brilliance of the yellow straw flowers, Bracteantha bracteata [Sections 15A, 15B, 15C] is quite eyecatching. Olearia ramulosa [Section 15A], seen near the upper steps, is covered with small, mauve-centred white daisies. Across the road, Acacia saliciformis [Section 2] is an attractive small tree well covered with fluffy cream flower clusters. Uphill an area of banksias include Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 37] a neat, rounded shrub with dark foliage and gold, ribbed flower heads. Banksia paludosa [Section 37], with differing foliage, has mustard coloured flower-heads while Banksia oblongifolia [Section 37] has green flower spikes. Notice the many juvenile flower spikes at the base of this plant. Banksia marginata [Section 37], an species, is a large, rounded shrub with an outer showing of small, pale yellow flower-heads which cover many old grey cones. In this area is Grevillea beadleana [Section 37] which has soft,velvety grey-green divided leaves and dark red, almost black, toothbrush-like flowers. Inspect now, the sculpture, `Landmark' [Section 34] arranged by Irene Briant, with old rusting paraphenalia from surrounding farms etc. ... I like it!

Barbara Daly.