Walks on the beach in Otago with friend Kiri saw waves rolling in across the Pacific from the roaring forties. Once this beaches were clothed by forest.

These southern rata Metrosideros umbellata herald summer in South Island Aotearoa especially now pest brush tail possum introduced from Australia 100 years ago, have now been reduced in number, and the forest again can bloom.

So until next week WARAMI

I am sorry I did not post last Sunday.   In Aotearoa for the celebration of the life of my friend and brother-in-law Jon, Sunday was spent at the Pokawau School Cafe.  Here the owner and chief barista Robbie made a last coffee for Jon.   This commenced a sharing among friends and family of Jon’s life. A climber, Jon de Vries, had climbed the Pacific Wall of El Capitan,  the Caroline Face of Aorangi ( Mt Cook)

Caroline Face Aorangi Mount Cook Photo by Howie Silleck, March 20, 2006

and was  perfect partner in the bush.   I had the pleasure of being in the mountains with Jon on much tamer walks.  He was always great company in the hills, Jon had a great sense of humour as well as a love of coffee, a pleasure I also share.   So I thought today I would share some stories about this magical fluid. Coffee comes from the plants Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora cv Robusta ; syn. Coffea robusta

Otto Espresso machine - the new Atomic

and is native to the mountains in the Yemen.   Discovered over a 1,000 years ago reputedly after villagers noted that goats after eating the fruit which had fallen on the ground repeatedly mounted the nannies. Also it is recorded by Arab Scholars the characteristic that after drinking several cups of the liquid made from the roasted beans , a person could stay awake and work for long hours. From this drink developed the cafe and coffee culture we celebrate today.

As the tee-shirt says life is too short to drink bad coffee.  So my friend Jon who was a craftsman in everything he did bought the most manual espresso machine one could buy and then would make the best coffee.  The Otto is a stainless steel replica of that classic espresso machine acclaimed as one of the best designs of the 20th  Century, the Atomic.  Good espresso coffee can be made from these machines. It only requires the perfect grind ( fine like sand grains) an accurate dose ( too little and its bitter, too full and you can choke it) and then if you have patience, you get a fine espresso with perfect creme.   It is not one of those machines for the lover of the quick and easy.

So finally why did I choose Totara in the heading.   Well in Aotearoa in Maori culture when a special person dies it is said a Totara has fallen the forest.

Podocarpus totara

This tree is a conifer in the Podocarpaceae which is a mainly southern hemisphere family. They are a Conifers   which were dominant in  the Mesozoic ( 250 million to 65 million years ago)  sometimes called the age of reptiles and especially dinosaurs. They have cones rather than flowers.   Members of the podocarp families’ cones have two to five fused scales, of which only one, rarely two, are fertile, each fertile scale with one apical seed. At maturity, the scales become berry-like, swollen, brightly coloured red to purple and fleshy, and are eaten by birds which then disperse the seeds in their droppings. These fruits are extremely important in the ecology of the forests of Aotearoa (New Zealand) as in heavy fruiting years many of the rare birds have timed their breeding to coincide with these mast fruiting events.  The Totara lives to over 1,000 years and has been recorded growing to 35m.  The timber was used by the Maori to build their large Waka ( War Canoes).   So it is with sadness I record the passing of my friend Jon and I hope I have shared some of the plants that have stories relating to just some aspects of my friend’s life. Until next week

Warami  Warami

Rob

Albury Botanic Gardens - family fun

Warami Warami.

You may have noticed I haven’t been writing for a couple of weeks.   Well I have been lucky enough to attend the Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand Conference in Albury this year.  This was a meeting of people working in botanic gardens on our two islands.  We meet every two years and share ideas and experiences so we can continue to provide a great and beautiful place where people can enjoy plants in a natural space.  The family above was happy to allow me to photograph them as they entered the gates of the Albury Botanic Garden on a Sunday for a picnic among the lawns and trees.  When I explained I was in their town and garden while attending the BGANZ conference and that I was interested in why they were choosing the botanic garden over any other place for their adventure, I got the smile from the kids and mums above.  For them it was a place of safety, beauty and tranquility where the kids could run and explore in a natural environment.

A walk in Albury Botanic Garden

Their botanic garden was green and tranquil and in every corner there was some one absorbing the atmosphere.   There were huge ancient trees planted by the first gardeners which now provided shade, laid down the framework of the place and amazed on lookers and kids who used the trunks to hide behind, the bark to touch and for me it seemed to be providing a place in their imaginations which was laying down memories of fun and adventure for years to come.

Agathis robusta Queensland Kauri

I watched a 7 year old marvel at the bark on this ancient Kauri from Queensland planted  over 100 years ago. The garden for these kids was already a place of play and adventure with the only limit being the child’s imagination.

Today many public gardens are considering creating children’s gardens, often the idea driven by the play space provided at the golden arches where parents can leave their kids in a secure space while they drink coffee, chat with friends and absorb lots of trans fats.  I wonder if our botanic gardens are not already spaces in kids memories and imaginations where they can play and run and have and adventure as part of a family.  For me I think we need to make sure the entire garden is a space for children and families rather than creating a place to leave them alone in.   So I would like to encourage botanic gardens to provide these spaces like the Kauri where a child can use their imagination to make an adventure.  If we intend to add elements for children in our botanic gardens, lets continue to weave them seamlessly into the landscape.

The rest of my week was spent preparing for a workshop on the continued development of the virtual botanic garden – our website, blogs, Facebook, twitter and the rest of our digital revolution.   One idea from the BGANZ conference that had caught my attention was a new type of barcode – QRcode by Addison. <img src=”http://qrcode.kaywa.com/img.php?s=5&d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au%2F__data%2Fassets%2Ffile%2F0019%2F88003%2F1_Audio_Track.mp3″ alt=”qrcode”  /

This two dimensional barcode represents a great deal more information and now http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/australias-white-hot-smartphone-revolution-20110908-1jz3k.html  37% mobile phones Australians own are smart phones with internet linkage these tools are now a new way we can link our webpages to plants our visitors see in our gardens.

This code if you scan it with your smart phone and you have a QRcode reader will open and play an audio tour of the botanic garden here at Mount Tomah – Touching Time.

Touching Time

Please enjoy and until next week

Warami my friend.

The staff at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah today dressed to wish the Royal Couple, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema a happy marriage.   Karen dressed in her beautiful Kira she brought back from Bhutan and also brought to our garden the 8 good luck symbols.   Then we meet in our new library and Karen placed the exquisite door curtain as a back drop for our staff to send our greetings to the people of Bhutan and wish her Royal Couple a happy marriage.

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden staff at Mount Tomah wish the couple a happy marriage; Kathy, Rusty, Michael, Karen, Jan, and me.

In our Asian Plant Explorers Walk this week two plants that grow in Bhutan are flowering.  With its soft white flowers and weeping form Rhododendron edgeworthii makes a backdrop for Karen’s colourful Kira.   I decided to wear my Tigers Nest Teeshirt and the yellow woven belt.   While normally worn around the waist of a slim Bhutanese woman for me the sash style seemed more appropriate.

Rhdododendron edgeworthii sets off Karen in her Kira

To the left of Karen is the red flowered Rhododendron arboreum and Karen holds the eight symbols of good luck.

Warami and Tashie Delek

Rob

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck with bride to be Jetsun Pema

Bhutan’s 31-year-old King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will marry Jetsun Pema, in Punakha Dzong on the 13th of October.  With the wedding date this week  Bhutanese people in Australia are planning many celebrations to mark this occasion.  From the land of gross national happiness this wedding marks  part of the ongoing movement, of the wonderful ecological and cultural treasure which is Bhutan, to democracy.  Jetsun Pema is a commoner and daughter of an airline pilot.   In 2008  he was crowned King Jigme Wangchuck, after his father abdicated to enable the transition to democracy

To mark the marriage I thought it would be good to have a look at the plants here in the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah which link us to Bhutan.   You may recall the botanic garden here is organised geographically with plants from Europe and Asia planted together.  In our Asian Explorer’s Walk we have on display many plants from this region.  Since Karen and my journey to Bhutan approval has been given to build a Bhutan garden here.

Daphne bholua - Photo - Piet van der Poel

One interesting plant with links to Bhutan is Daphne bholua which we hope to collect with our partners in Bhutan.  So how does this  plant link us to the royal wedding you may be wondering?

The daphne grows in wide range across the Himalaya and has a papery bark that is used for the making of paper.   In Thimphu

Daphne bholua bark soaking for paper making in Thimphu

we visited a paper making factory

Paper making in Bhutan

where this beautiful product is still manufactured using traditional methods.  In Bhutan this soft brown paper with leaves still pressed in the surface is used to wrap presents so they are subtly beautiful.  A present is given and is not opened in public.  It is taken home and opened later to be appreciated by the receiver.   No wonder Bhutan is such a happy culture.

Daphne bholua paper

Here at Mount Tomah Karen is going to wear the traditional dress of Bhutan, the Kira, on Thursday 13th and stand beside a plant that grows in Bhutan which is in flower, Rhododendron edgeworthii,  and toast the Royal couple. Watch our Facebook page for the photos.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mount-Tomah-Botanic-Garden/120351291351529

From at the staff here at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah we would like to wish the King and his new Queen

Tashie delek

Warami my friends and please join us in wishing the Royal Couple a healthy and happy marriage.

Warami Rob

The wedding will be here at Punakha Dzong

WARAMI WARAMI
It’s a holiday here in Australia, the skies are grey, and the soft pastel colours of spring are all around. I started to think, I know a dangerous thing to do even on a holiday, are there any plants which link to our holiday? So to google and the books in the library I went and if you have the time or the inclination to go with me on this journey, yes there are plants. It all begins in Europe and let’s see if we can end up in Australia.

1840 saw Samuel Parnell settle in Wellington, New Zealand migrating from the UK where as carpenter he had been required to work 14 to 16 hour days. He was committed to the concept of an 8 hour working day, with 8 hours for sleep and 8 hours for recreation and family. As New Zealand was desperately short of skilled labour he was able to convince all new migrants arriving to hold out for working only 8 hours. His promotion gained such support that by 1841 the 8 hour day movement had agreed that any new immigrant agreeing to work more than 8 hours would be thrown in the harbour. And how does this link to a plant? The NZ emblem now is the silver fern Cyathea dealbata. This tree fern is only found in NZ and its leaf is green on top and silver underneath. It was a symbol of NZ exports and included in the insignia of the NZ troops who served in the South African wars 1898 to 1902. On the 28th of October 1890 a march was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 8 hour day. By 1899 it had been declared a public holiday and in 1910 NZ settled on 4th Monday in October.

In many other countries this day is celebrated on the 1st of May. As this in a northern hemisphere it is the first day of spring. With a history harking back to pagan times flowers have been gathered and garlands woven to celebrate the end of winter.

These flowers were often woven into ribbons and sometimes a birch tree was brought into the village and then the ribbons of flowers were woven intricately together. Banned by the puritans because this pole was a seen as a phallic symbol and the interweaving of the garlands of flowers in a dance ( Morris dancing) was lewd and unchristian, the maypole was a symbol of fertility.

By 1886 in Chicago labor movements were lobbying for an 8 hour day and fair treatment. A riot occurred with shots fired and a bomb thrown. Known as the Haymarket Affair, the leaders although not linked to the bomb and being recorded as discouraging violence, were convicted of inciting the violence and executed. The campaign for the 8 hour day became an interrnational goal for labour unions and at the 2nd International the 1st of May 1890 was declared an international day of campaigning for the this. Around the world large street demonstrations were held for the campaign. So the first of May became international workers day. This celebration is marked in France with giving of lily of the valley bouquets (Convallaria majalis

While the rest of the world had to wait until the mid 20th century for the 8 hour day, in Victoria the NZ hours were taking root and on 1st October 1855 the stone masons went on strike. By the 12th of May 1856 all public works in Victoria were working the 8 hour day and by 1877 there was a public holiday. The campaign to make the 8 hour day general in Australia is linked to the shearers strike of 1891. Based in Barcaldine Queensland the plan for the strike was coordinated here and the Ghost Gum (Corymbia aparrerinja became the symbol of these rights.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/GhostGums.jpg

So thanks for taking this journey with me. We now all enjoy a public holiday and when I look at the ghost gum, the lily of the Valley or the silver fern it will remind me of the people who earned the 8 hour day.

WARAMI it has been good to journey with you again.

How can a plant create a reconciled community?  Today, Sunday 25, as the gentle soft rain of September moistens the soil and fills the new leaves of Spring, here at Mount Tomah we are celebrating that icon of Australia, the Waratah (Telopea speciosissima).

Telopea speciosissima - Waratah at Mount Tomah

Yesterday Chris Tobin, a Darug Man welcomed us all to Country and shared the Deerubbin story of the Waratah at the opening of our Wild about Waratahs Festival in the botanic garden Visitor Centre here at Mount Tomah.

Chris retold the story shared by Aunty Cindy Laws.  In this teaching she told us that the people along the Deerubbin , now known as the Hawkesbury River, were fighting and so many were killed that the river ran red with blood.   This poisoned the water so none could drink it. Biami the sky spirit looked down and was so saddened to see the desolation that he cried tears of pain.   Where these fell arose the red flower of the Waratah.   Chris explained this story shared by the old people was to help us to learn and be reminded that fighting and killing destroys our society and that the red flowers of the Waratah are there to remind us peace and reconciliation is the only way our society will flourish.

In the Visitor Centre here for the next two weeks are displayed over 100 blooms of waratah cultivars, flaunting the different colours horticultural breeders have produced over the last 20 years.

Telopea 'Wirrimbirra White' in Visitor Centre display at Mount Tomah.

Some of the colours now available are pink, white, red with white tips and there is even a yellow cultivar. The white form of T. speciosissima ‘Wirrimbirra White’ was collected near Robertson.   While no subspecies have been identified, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney’s Evolutionary Ecologist Dr Maurizio Rosseto described in 2011 from his teams genomic analysis a number of characteristics that differentiate the coastal form of the waratah from the mountains population on the Newnes Plateau.   Their work identified that there are also  intermediate characters in the populations between the mountains and the coast.

The good news from this work is that if populations of Waratah are able to have their pollen transferred beyond the boundaries of each group then these characteristics which make the individual either more cold or heat tolerant, can be transferred by pollinators to those changed environments.  It also emphasises the critical importance of having protected intermediate reserves and populations or to put it simply – reserves can not be isolated islands but must join by corridors of local native plants if plants are going to be able to adapt to global warming.

Blue Waratah by Karen Maber Waradah Goomedah Exhibition

At this time of year the Waratah flowers tempt Sydneysiders to cut a wild flower and take it home.  To stop this theft from the Bush, NPWS Rangers have had to resort to putting blue paint on the blooms.  This painting by Karen Maber merges the quest to breed the blue rose with conservation of these exquisite blooms in the bush.  Another work at Exhibition is by reknown Darug Artist Leanne Tobin and celebrates the pollinators.  The structure of the waratah bloom is called a conflorescense by botanists.  The structure is made up of hundreds of pairs of individual flowers with a nectary at the base.  Honeyeaters, Pigmy possums and some insects seek the nectar at the bottom of the curved flower and rub against the pollen presenter in the flower.  The pollen is then  transferred to next pistil when an attempt is made to get nectar from another flower.   It is interesting that Telopea speciosissimas flowers open with the bottom ones first and finally those at the apex or top open last. The other species T. oreades, T. truncata, T. aspera and T. mongaensis all open from the top down.   If you are intrigued by this type of phenomenon then have a look at the different cultivars of Shady Lady, a cross between T. speciosissima and T. oreades.   Those which have more of the speciosissima characters open from the base up and are called determinate, while those that open from the apex down are called by botanists indeterminate.   By checking these characters out you will be able to see which parent’s characters are more dominant.

Then if this seems a little too esoteric just enjoy the beauty of this reminder of reconciliation and the importance of living peacefully on our planet.

Didjurigura –  Darug for Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to read my journey today.

WARAMI DIDJURIGURA – It was good to see you, thank you.

Waratah Photo Jaime Plaza

Acacia cultriformis "Austraflora Cascade" - Photo Jan Allen

Is an Australian garden one that only grows Australian plants?   Often an Australian plant purest will look scathingly at any garden on our island continent with plants not from Australia.  Sometimes there is the undertone it is un-Australian to grow plants native to other parts of the world. I would like to share with you some thoughts about this question.

For me our island continent has large areas of protected landscapes and is home to about 25,000 plant species at last count.  These natural areas are pristine and we continue to care for them by insuring the ecosystems are protected from invaders such as human development, and pest species such as cane toads or opuntia cactus.  Our responsibility is to enable these natural areas to continue to adapt to normal environmental change.

Some people would argue to do this we should we only grow native plants.  For this to be correct we need to understand what is meant by a native plant. The general definition is a plant from the country it is found in. A country often has many different environments and  most native plant gardens display species from all those environments .   Does this protect our natural areas?  Sadly no.   A plant species from Western

Camellia possibly bred by E G Waterhouse - photo Jan Allen

Australia has the potential to transfer its genes into a population of a closely related east coast species if grown near its habitat.   So nothing is simple and growing a closely related species has potential to damage our natural environments.  So it would appear that only growing Australian plants does not protect our floras or its natural environment.

So if growing non Australian plants is not an environmental issue, what is the Australian Garden? Is it the local flora garden, or the garden only growing

Acacia ingramii - photo Rob Smith

Australian plants, or perhaps is it the garden that grows those Australian and plants from other continents that perform well and make a cultural statement about what it is to be Australian.

Our culture is built on the concept of a fair go, Sydney is one of the most multi cultural cities in the world and our gardens reflect this diversity.   The single flowered camellia above was bred by the Sydney plant breeder Professor E G WAterhouse and is probably Camellia ” Farafalla”. This cultivar definitely arose in Australia.

To the left is the rare Acacia ingramii  flowering in the Australian woodland garden at Mount Tomah.  For me a botanic garden is where the plants are celebrated and explained.   One type of Australian garden is here at Mount Tomah.   On a walk through the displays a visitor moves from Australia to South America, Africa, Europe and North America.  Here plants are displayed in geographically organised  gardens and as we move from garden room to room, the visitor is immersed in a display that evokes the unique characters of each region.   I would like to suggest that understanding of the special Australian plant characters is most easily seen and understood when seen opposite plants for the other continents.

So next time you visit the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden here at Mount Tomah take a stroll through our geographically organised displays and let me know if you think it is an Australian Garden.  The sky is blue, the diversity of the the world’s flora is celebrated and all against a framework of towering gums trees and a landscape that seems to go on for ever.  Thanks for joining me in this Ramble.  Next week we will be celebrating the waratah.  Till then Warami.

Crocus tomasiannus

Then I asked the caller which spring plants would you like to see? Was it crocus, daffodils, cherries, the new leaves on deciduous trees, the wattle in flower, waratahs, mint bushes, spanish bluebells, or magnolias?

At Tomah the crocus flower July and early August, the daffodils while starting in July are at their peak in August and we have late flowering cultivars on show in September.   Last week the large-flowered magnolia (Magnolia campbelli ) was in full bloom and this week the Japanese weeping cherry (Prunus subhirtella) was a waterfall of white petals backed by the glossy green leaves of the hedge of kalmia (Kalmia latifolia)

Prunus subhirtella - photo Rob Smith

After chatting my caller was off to arrange a visit with her garden loving friends this week.   It is interesting that the idea that on a certain week all the plants will do something and that is the time to visit has general currency.

The Botanic Garden here at Tomah has over 5,000 taxa (species , subspecies and cultivars) and everyday there is a plant that has a feature making it interesting.

So how does this lead to sustainability?  A Botanic Garden plays lots of different roles.   The most important is to inspire visitors.   I can hear you asking how is a collection of plants from all over the world and Australia here in the World Heritage Area is sustainable?

The lawn that heats our classroom

Well let me explain the different things we do here to leave as small a footprint as possible on the planet.  The roads, paths, visitor centre and storm water system were designed in the 1980s. Our 28 hectare garden has most of the hard surfaces connected through our storm water system to our dam.  The rainwater that falls on the roads is collected in the dam and then is used to water the plants.  This means we use no potable water to irrigate our garden. Now this concept is best practise in garden design,Wow how farsighted were  the Architects Geoffrey Britton and Oi Choong.  They future proofed the garden in 1980s. That for me is sustainable design.

Drinking water is collected from the roofs of the visitor centre, education centre and work depot.  This is all stored in tanks and the water is sterilised using UV light.   Now on the roof of the visitor centre is a 10KW solar power generation system which is producing 18% of the electricity used on site.

Telopea "Shady Lady" -Photo Rob Smith

In the next 10 years we aim to produce 100% of the electricity we use on site. The construction of World Heritage Waratah Centre (see information above in image) allowed us to use the ground heating  and cooling to provide temperature control in our new classroom. Passive solar cross ventilation of the building with the ground system demonstrates to students how houses in the future can be heated and cooled without air conditioning.

Another sustainable feature of the botanic garden is composting of all green material.  Over 200 cubic meters of compost are produced each quarter.   Plant collection management to be sustainable, has led us to stop using poisons such as organo-phosphates.  We now use integrated pest management encouraging beneficial insects such as ladybirds and parasitic wasps.   Any cultivars which are disease prone are removed from the collection and a certain level of pest damage is now acceptable as we need some pest insects to feed the predators.   Importantly our plant collections are monitored for weediness.  We want to ensure no plant from the garden invades

Prostanhera incisa in the Austalian woodlands AW196

(whether an Australian or non Australian) the environment that surrounds the botanic garden here in this World Heritage Area.

The journey to become sustainable is continuous and we continue to learn more ways to reduce our environmental foot print and still be an inspiring place where plant biodiversity is on show. For me by showcasing plants and explaining they are examples of environments threatened over our planet, we are galvanising a generation to push for the conservation of these ecosystems. Whether in the Himalaya, here in the Blue Mountains, the forests of PNG or old growth forests of Tasmania, there are plants from all these environments on display in the Tomah botanic garden.

Till next week when I would like to have a look at some Australian camellia cultivars and the waratahs on display here in the botanic garden at Mount Tomah in the Blue Mountains of Australia.   Warami till next week.  Rob

Last light over Mt Yengo - Photo Rob Smith

visitors are meandering along the new Residence path, the sibilant music of their footsteps resounds on the gravel, the scent of eucalypt oil is in the air and the wattles in the Australian woodland are covered in yellow – it is Spring.

Today I read an update of Dr Tim Entwisle’s blog Talking Plants http://talkingplants.blogspot.com/

on his idea that  Australia has a least 5 seasons and the period of August (the last month of winter) and September (the first month of Spring) would be better called Sprinter as plants considered to be spring flowering in the Northern Hemisphere have been in flower since July.  Tim has found support for this in an article by British author (Lamb) who in 1964 had investigated long term weather patterns in the UK and suggested 5 seasons better named the observable weather patterns.   This started me thinking.

Prunus subhirtella September 4 2011 - photo Rob Smith

Always a worry my staff say as it often leads to further work.   The concept of seasons is a very interesting one.

Our planet orbits a star (the sun) and that circuit is elliptical rather than circular.   Also the earths axis not at right angles to path of our orbit so as the planet circles the sun either the northern or southern end is closer to sun depending on the where we are in the orbit.  

Sorry about the voice but a picture is worth a 1,000 words.   However the naming of the positions in the orbit – Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn is really we humans breaking up what is a continuous journey into groups of days and calling them seasons.  This is a human construct as the angle of the sun to the earth is continuously changing.

As we humans have shifted trees into our gardens over the planet, some plants whose flowering time is triggered by temperature have flowered earlier than in their home distribution. Cherries (Prunus)  often in Australia flower in a month equivalent to Winter in the Northern Hemisphere.   And the further south of the equator they are the later the plant will experience a longer day and be triggered to flower. This is the same in the opposite part of the earths orbit for the northern hemisphere. Perhaps spring is better linked to the beginning of new growth rather than a set month.  Whether we need four, five or more seasons depends really on the signals of change we wish to mark.   I will leave it up to you whether you want the Four Seasons of Argentinian composer and bandeon player Astor Piazzolla or local Darug seasons linked to the flowering of food sources for their nectar ( Banksia serrata).

September 1 was wattle day yet there had been wattles flowering since July.

Acacias in the Australian woodlands - Photo Rob Smith

In fact wattles were planted as an Avenue of Remembrance in South Australia.  The selection included species flowering in every month of the year.

So as seasons come and go we can have as many or as little as we find useful.  I like  to measure the beginning of the end the cold here in the Blue Mountains when the first daffodil flowers in early August and I know we are on the way to the heat of summer when the waratah flowers at the end of September.

Thanks for taking the time to join me on this wander through the seasons and plants at the botanic garden here at Mount Tomah.

Rob

Prostanthera in the Australian Woodlands - Photo Rob Smith