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

21 August 1998

Growing from the retaining wall, in the car-park, is Hardenbergia violacea [Section 168], a trailing plant bearing purple pea flowers and beside the bus stop is Acacia phasmoides [Section 174], a medium sized, open shrub with narrow, curved leaves and bright yellow rod-shaped flower heads. The arrangement of pots outside the doors of the Visitor Centre includes a dwarf banksia, Banksia spinulosa `Birthday Candles' with dense green foliage almost concealing its upright golden flower spikes Nearby is Chorizema varium which displays vivid orange-red pea flowers.

Some plants now in flower can be seen in the Mallee Shrublands section. They include Acacia notabilis [Section 211] with somewhat lance-shaped leaves and brilliant with golden flower balls. Grevillea alpina [Section 211] is of medium size and has small hairy leaves among which small yellow and red flowers appear. This plant grows in the bushland of Black Mountain. Hybanthus floribundus [Section 211] is a showy, small shrub bearing dainty mauve flowers in profusion along its branches. Bossiaea walkeri [Section 211] is rather odd in appearance for it is leafless with flattened stems, greyish-green in colour and with bright red pea-shaped flowers. On the upper level, Pimelea linifolia subsp. linifolia [Section 211] is a neat, rounded shrub densely crowned with heads of tiny white flowers. This plant is also indigenous to this area. The plant with bright yellow daisy-like flowers growing in various places is Solanum coactiliferum [Section 211].

Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 210] is of medium size and is ablaze with golden, cylindrical flower spikes ribbed with dark styles. Walking up hill, beside the Rainforest Gully, see Helichrysum elatum [Section 219] bearing clusters of white papery flowers on top of the erect plants. Crossing the Gully, Lomandra spicata [Section 104] is a dense, tussocky plant with strap-like leaves highlighted with attractive orange fruits clustered along long, arching stems. As wattles are becoming more brilliant, this section is a scenic area to walk. There is Acacia caesiella [Section 2] of medium height, showing some bright yellow flower balls, and Acacia covenyi [Section 2] with bluish foliage, just bursting into yellow flower balls and Acacia podalyriifolia [Section 3] also with bluish foliage, showing off its clusters of soft, yellow flower balls. Acacia baileyana [Section 2], Cootamundra Wattle, has bipinnate, blue-green leaves and also is so attractive with its soft yellow flower clusters. Acacia baileyana var. purpurea [Section 3], facing the Rock Garden, is similar but with purple-tipped new growth ... and many more.

Also worth viewing, is Calothamnus villosus [Section 6], an open shrub with branches tipped with fine needle leaves and bright red somewhat tubular flowers clustered on one side of the stem.

Good walking, much colour ... Barbara Daly.