what's flowering blurb july

July 2009

June showers and cold weather followed by a warm period has confused many plants and we have a mini spring thing happening at the moment with the Hakea orthorrhyncha all round the garden wearing brilliant red flowers right up the bare stems. Stunning. Beside the gallery near the high tank is a delightful area to wander while enjoying your cuppa from the thermos. Eucalyptus youngiana, lansdowneana, and kruseana are flowering here. As July progresses we should see more acacias in particular, in full flower. The low growing Spiny Cryptandras are covered in tiny white flowers. Careful! The silver Sennas will explode into yellow blossom and are often mistaken for wattles. They will stagger their flowering over several weeks.

Travel clockwise around the garden by going past the front of the gallery towards the accommodation and you can look out for the plants I mention here.

Our interpretive signs are away for refurbishment, apologies for those who are looking for more information. A host of new signage will appear soon under a Q150 grant and add to the educational function of the garden.

In front of the double picnic tables at the Garden for all Seasons are the brilliant cerise flowered Eremophila maculata brevifolia in various stages of blooming; with the larger flowered Eremophila duttonii beside the tables.

Visitors can’t but help notice that some plants have cages around them and others may be fenced in. This is for protection against hungry kangaroos, wallabies and hares. Previously we have used individual cages of varying proportions and materials. However the wildlife is smart enough to know that if they persist, they can knock the cage over and feed on the plants within. We have started using floppy mesh fences around groups of new plants or an area of significance. All fenced areas have a gate or gates to allow visitor access, but please close gate behind you.

A favourite plant for artists and photographers is the Hakea lorea with its long needle leaves and furrowed corky bark and it’s now loaded with buds. A treasure.

The Bendee picnic table showcases Hakea subsulcata with their pink pompoms and intense perfume. The bees are very busy here. A risky photo opportunity?

The top of the garden has too many grevilleas in flower to list – I’ll let you discover these for yourself on foot. Look carefully - some are harder to see. Many types of Honeyeaters are a noisy distraction early morning and late afternoon.

The original “Robyn Gordon” plant is found near the Gordon Grevilleas sign: follow the track and if you can, find all the parent plants of the three Gordon Grevilleas.

Have a squiz at the University of Queensland Trial Plot – inside a square fence. Which one is not an Australian native? These plants have had more water, fertiliser and weed protection than most of our plants, but is similar to a home gardens.

An avenue of small gums arches across the road, some may only be in bud – look at the interesting shapes. If you want some gum nuts, please do not take them from the trees or the ground, but ask the caretakers and they will give you some.

At Honeyeater Walk a mass of glossy green hopbushes have come up after the rain and line one side of the road, almost forming a hedge. They are a local species - Dodonaea viscosa, and really love these conditions. Flowers are tiny and the sepals are showy. Sometimes we hold off mowing areas with self sown plants.

Please remember, this is a botanic garden and you are not allowed to remove any plant material. I hope you enjoy the garden as much as the volunteers who look after it do. Please share your comments with us and recommend us to other travellers.

July 2008

As July progresses, more buds will open and we should see acacias and eucalypts in particular, in full flower. Close up photos of the gum caps lifting to reveal the bulging stamens, bursting to escape, are addictive. Beside the gallery near the high tank is a delightful area to wander while enjoying your cuppa from the thermos. Eucalypts pachyphylla, youngiana, and kruseana are the ones flowering here.

Sharp eyed visitors will see the naked stems of Hakea orthorrhyncha clothed in bright red flowers. They so look like they are on fire in the late afternoon light. Contrast these with Hakea fraseri with cream flowers at the ends of fine weeping foliage. The birds are waiting for the grevilleas to open, as they are a nectar feast for honeyeaters. Honeyeater Walk is the best place to watch out for these, early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Those who stay in the accommodation or camp in the grounds get the best viewing.

In spite of our very dry conditions, there are still flowers to see. Do remember to wear your hat and sturdy boots in the garden.

The spiny cryptandras near the picnic tables at the Garden for all Seasons are in various stages of blooming; covered with tiny white flowers.

Banksia ashbyi, sometimes known as ‘golden candles’ is always good to view in winter with its large orange flowers. Also Eucalyptus grossa sprawls behind it in bud. The far western end of the garden has a local species, Babingtonia jucunda, with small white flowers along the low arching branches. Walk this area for better appreciation.

The original “Robyn Gordon” plant is found near the Gordon Grevilleas sign: follow the track and see if you can find all the parent plants of the three Gordon Grevilleas.

There are a number of walks and trails in the garden that give more appreciation of the plants within an area. If you have the time, pick one that interests you and take a brochure and walk the trail. I recommend the Gumnut Walk (look for Eucalyptus youngiana with the giant gumnuts) and Honeyeater walk (check out Grevillea kennedyana – no it is not dying!). Please remember, this is a botanic garden and it is not allowed to remove any plant material. I hope you enjoy the garden as much as the volunteers who look after it do.

July 2007

The good news is that we have had some good rain at last – 76mm for June, most of it gentle and soaking in. The general appearance of the Garden is healthier, with some new growth in spite of the cold weather. Flower buds are starting to grow, so if this keeps happening we could see a good spring flowering. In spite of our previous dry conditions, there are still flowers to see in the Garden at the moment. The loop road is 4km – a pleasant stroll in balmy winter weather, but do take a hat, water bottle and wear sturdy shoes. Or else drive and park along the way to stroll in different sections of the Garden.

Beside the gallery near the high tank are some pretty eucalypts - orbifolia, youngiana, kruseana and the brilliant crimson lansdowneana. A good place to stroll with a cuppa.

The plants must be very confused with very cold windy weather closely followed by unseasonably warm weather. The April/May plantings have some good new shoots, even flowers happening. Very heartening to see. The plastic tubes around some plantings make them more visible, so the Garden looks like it is going forward.

July 2005

Travel clockwise around the Garden on the white gravel loop road with these notes.

Click on the hyperlink to see an image of the plant.

The star of the Garden at the moment is the brilliant red flowering Hakea orthorrhyncha that displays its flowers on the bare stems beneath the leaves. You will find it in several places in the Garden. Viewed against the sun it can look like it is on fire! Bright green shoots also add to its splendour. And contrast this with the red earth of the termite mounds – these are a very natural part of our Garden that we have to live with.

Pass through the natural area and the end of the white gums walking trail. Many acacias are bursting into yellow blooms – see how many different colours of yellow there are.

Behind the Bendee picnic table the bay grass trees shiver in the slightest breeze.

Here also is Hakea subsulcata with its pink pom poms, a drawcard for the bees – watch out for them too.

The row of Eucalyptus salubris is always worth a stop as the glorious colours of the bark are ever changing with the light – I like to give one a hug.

Banksia ashbyi with the last of its orange winter candles is worth a close up photo. And Eucalyptus grossa with its chunky buds and branch distortions is a study in character.

The top end of the Garden in the Western Walk has a selection of grevilleas and even the sad Hakea bucculenta, maybe on its last legs with a valiant effort at flowering. So pretty. To take its place – nearby is a small Hakea laurina in its first flowering – one of the pincushion hakeas. Look for Grevilleas disjuncta and insignis in flower and smell the honey on the white flowered grevilleas. Do stop and park at the bus turnaround and walk around to get the best value here.

Over the road are the Babingtonias with the delicate arches of tiny white flowers.

The Gordon grevilleas are more obvious now that it has been cleared in front of them, with a new planting of Robyns and Sandras. Behind these grevilleas are some Allocasuarina acutivalvis – the male is in flower in rusty red. Look for the taller Grevillea parallela with white flowers at the top. After the rain – a luminous green moss carpets the ground.

Eucalyptus angustissima, the tiniest eucalypt is in flower beside the road at 34 on map.

Senna artemisiodes previously the Silver cassia, with its sliver leaves and cape of gold looks like a wattle from a distance. It is in flower on some roadsides now.

At Honey Eater Walk the Grevilleas to look for are the round bush of G thelemanniana and G kennedyana with its grey leaves (don't be fooled, it only looks like it is dying!) On the outside of the road is G petrophiloides with its watermelon colours. Should get better each day.

Many more will burst into colour, so do mention any more that you see and they can be added to the list for others to enjoy.