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

12 June 1998

This walk is around and about the Rock Garden where many small plants will be identified. The large rocks act as a source of heat, absorbed during the day and radiated slowly throughout the night.

Brachyscome multifida `Breakoday' [Section 15C and elsewhere] has soft mounds of mauve daisies and the large yellow and white straw daisies, Bracteantha species, [Section 15C, 15B, 15A] are forever showy. Correa `Ivory Bells' [Section 15D] is well named for its many tubular, ivory flowers hang like bells in this dense shrub. Crowea `Pink Blush' [Section 15C] is also well named, bearing delicate white, with a touch of pink, star flowers. Homoranthus darwinioides [Section 15F], a long- flowering shrub with green-grey foliage, bears unique cream fringed flowers which redden on ageing. Behind, Eremophila maculata var. brevifolia [Section15F] is a small shrub covered with carmine coloured trumpet-shaped flowers. Grevillea lanigera [Section 15W] is a dense, ground-hugging plant, brilliant with pink spider-like flowers, whereas, higher up, Grevillea `Mason's Hybrid' [Section 15H] has terminal clusters of orange-red flowers scattered over a large, dense shrub. Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus [Section 15G] is small, with silvery-grey woolly leaves and small rounded heads of grey flowers. Thryptomene saxicola [Section 15H] is also small with tiny pink flowers decorating its arching branches. Dampiera subspicata [Section 15J] in upright, low-growing and suckering, bearing pale blue flowers. Compare this plant with Dampiera lanceolata var. lanceolata [Section 15R]which is quite dense, and has much deeper blue flowers. Boronia nana var. hyssopifolia [Section 15H] is a very small plant with tiny four-petalled pink flowers displayed along its spreading branches. Brachyscome ascendens [Section 15T], with lavender coloured daisy flowers, are dotted on the slopes of this garden.

Chamelaucium `Cascade Brook' [Section 15R] is an open, graceful shrub resplendent with maroon-centred, pink wax flowers. Nearby, Eucalyptus lansdowneana subsp. lansdowneana [Section 15R], a small tree, is laden with ochre- coloured buds and many dazzling, red lacey flowers. Across the path, Grevillea maxwellii [Section 15P] is a dwarf, spreading plant with spiky foliage and dark red flowers in grape-like clusters along the undersurface of the branches.

The silver-grey foliage of Leucophyta brownii `Cape le Grande' [Section 15R, 15S] is always eye-catching. The soft pink downturned tubular flowers of Correa pulchella `Mist Pink' [Section 15S] are appealing and the miniature shrub, Epacris impressa `Mimosa Rocks National Park' [Section 15N] so well draped with rows of pink tubular flowers, should not be missed.

So interesting ... such variety ....

Barbara Daly.