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In Flower This Week

A weekly news sheet prepared by a Gardens' volunteer.
Numbers before each plant refer to temporary IFTW labels in the gardens.
Numbers in square brackets
[ ] refer to garden bed Sections. Plants in flower are in bold type.

View past issues of 'In Flower This Week'.

14 June 2013

Rulingia magniflora

Rulingia magniflora
click for larger image
 

This walk, regardless of fog if a bit cool, has many flowers to enjoy.  It starts close to the Visitor Information Centre.

  1. At the base of the stairs a sheoak, Allocasuarina littoralis [Section 174] bears pine-like leaves and its dark red rounded flowers on branches above the path.
  2. The sloping bank is clad with Thryptomene saxicola [Section 174].  Its low arching branches are covered with tiny pink flowers.
  3. Edging Banks Walk Rulingia magniflora [Section 210] is a small upright shrub with soft hairy foliage and pink flowers.
  4. Alyogyne huegelii [Section 210] is an as-yet small upright plant with large purple hibiscus-like flowers.
  5. A mint bush, Prostanthera phylicifolia [Section 210], which falls over the rock wall is clad with small mauve flowers.
  6. Opposite is Epacris impressa [Section 174], a wiry scraggy shrub with pink tubular flowers dangling in rows from the branches. It is the floral emblem of Victoria.
  7. In a pot, Chorizema cordatum [Section 174] has small bright orange-red pea flowers on branches overhanging the rim.
  8. Take the road on the far side of the Rainforest Gully to view Clerodendrum floribundum [Section 125]. This interesting small tree has button-sized dark green fruits set in enlarged roughened dark red calyces seen among its dense foliage.
  9. Opposite, Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘Rosy Posy’ [Section 128] is a small shrub with many pendulous pink-cream flower clusters.
  10. Grevillea bipinnatifida ‘Jingle Bells’ [Section 124] continues to be eye-catching.  It is a standard plant featuring many large pendulous terminal red flower spikes among its foliage.
  11. Close by a small waratah, Telopea speciosissima x oreades [Section 124], bears a few opening red buds.
  12. Babingtonia pluriflora [Section 124] is a tall shrub with bare trunks and a canopy of small white‑petalled flowers.
  13. Grevillea ‘Goldfever’ [Section 124] has short apricot toothbrush‑like flowers over the low spreading plant.
  14. Opposite the Brittle Gum Lawn Acronychia littoralis [Sections 114,104] is a large dense shrub with large shiny leaves and clusters of small lemon flowers.
  15. Edging the lawn Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa [Section 109] is one of many banksias, having large upright cylindrical golden flower spikes ribbed with red styles.
  16. Continue along this road to where a bottlebrush, Callistemon montanus [Section 104], spreads its branches towards the road.  The terminal branches are vivid with red‑toned new growth.
  17. Opposite, in the triangle garden, Epacris calvertiana var. calvertiana [Section 17] is an open shrub of medium size bearing many short white tubular flowers.
  18. Beside is a Geraldton Wax, Chamelaucium ‘Cascade Brook’ [Section 17], a larger shrub profuse with tiny red‑toned buds and with many pink‑toned flowers.
  19. In the Rainforest corner a Lilly-pilly, Acmena smithii [Section 140], is a tall shrub dense with clusters of attractive pink fruits among the shiny leaves.
  20. The other corner contains few small dense shrubs of Crowea ‘Festival’ [Section 123] which are well clad with bright red five‑petalled flowers.
  21. At the next corner is the Showy Banksia, Banksia speciosa [Section 36], a large spreading shrub with long narrow deeply indented leaves and many spent flower spikes with fresh yellow spikes on top.

Follow the path to the right to view many other banksias then head downhill to the Rock Garden.

Barbara Daly