What's Looking Good In The Garden

<p><em>Amaryllis belladonna</em></p>

Amaryllis belladonna

Autumn Approaches, Splashes of Colour and a Bite in the Air...

 

Autumn is here. There's a splash of yellow in the carpark - the amazing Golden Ash, Fraxinus excelsior cv Aurea. Behind the Waratah Education Centre are the reds and  oranges of the Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum. The leaves of the Formosan Gum Liquidambar formosana glow pink and the  Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' is a rainbow of yellow, peach and red. The lovely Acer palmatum cv Suninagashi is starting to form a red and orange border around our Residence Garden. 

 

The bright pink blooms of the Belladonna Lily Amaryllis belladonna are still rampant throughout the Garden, and there are still patches of the glorious Red Spider Lily Lycoris radiata to be seen all about.

Rosa cv Leander

 

In our Formal Garden. The spectacular Dahlia 'Bishop of Landaff'  with its red flowers and purplish foliage is still strutting his stuff against the backdrop of the beautiful Canna Lily Canna tropicana.  The amazing Life-everlasting, Hylotelephium 'Autumn  Joy', is a mass of dark pink blossoms.

 

In the Rosarium the red Polyantha,  Rosa cv Claret Cup, and the lovely apricot David Austin rose, Rosa cv 'Leander' will not disappoint you. If it is the gaorgeous perfume of a rose that makes you happy, make sure you pause a while to breathe in the beautiful aroma of Rosa x borboniana cv  ' Madame Isaac Periere'. This gorgeous French rose has blooms of a deep cerise shade. 

<p><em>Anemone</em> x <em>hybrida</em> Honorine Jobert </p>

Anemone x hybrida Honorine Jobert

In the Rock Garden and in other parts of the Garden, there are lovely stands of the popular Japanese Windflower, Anemone x hybrida, to be found.The single white variety ' Honorine Jobert ' looks particularly fetching in the Residence Garden.

 

Don't miss the delicate white blooms of the Kinlochruel Heather Calluna vulgaris cv Kinlochruel in the Heath and Heather Garden. Along the banks of our pond beside the Southern Hemisphere Woodland, the spectacular Gunnera tinctoria displays large heads of tiny orange flowers amongst its spiky rhubarb-like leaves.  Stand on The Beach and admire the marvellous red flower spikes of the Devils Tobacco Lobelia tupa from Chile.

Gang Gang feeding

 

Dont forget that Autumn is a great time to observe birds in the Garden. There are migratory honeyeaters supping on sweet nectar in the Rock Garden. The parrots are still happily feeding on all the fruits of Autumn like the Sweet Chestnuts Castanea sativa and the Sand Pear Pyrus pyrifolia at the bottom of the Brunet Meadow. 

 

The cheeky Gang Gangs are feasting away on the fruits of the Ivy-leafed Maple, Acer cissifolium and other  parrots, including the pretty King Parrots are chomping into the edible fruits of the Himalayan Dogwood, Cornus capitata.

 'The Jungle' is now open to all Garden Visitors and its well-formed paths provide a gentle interaction with real Blue Mountains rainforest. Add to this the availability of a vehicle ride back up the hill to the Visitor Centre and Restaurant and the allure of the wild becomes more compelling. 

Dont forget that on Wednesday 24th March we are celebrating a Seniors Day as part of Seniors Week. All Senior Card Holders will be allowed free entry into the Garden - so why not make it a family day here at the Gardens?

See you then!

 

Many of these plants have featured as a Plant of the Season