Royal Botanical Garden Sydney. 6th July 2012

The garden was established in 1816 and covers some 30 hectares (74 acres) in one of Sydney's most spectacular positions.
This is where, in early 1788 on this area set aside as a private reserve for Governor Phillip, a small grain farm was established. The first harvest was in July 1788, however most of the crop failed due to being planted out of season, being eaten by rats and the poor soil.
This morning started out with rain showers but, by lunch time the sun came out and once again I was to enjoy another sunny, but cool Friday.

Please walk on the grass.

 

 

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Costus barbatus  -  Red Spiral Ginger
from Costa Rica.



Musa venutina  -  Banana family,
from N/E India.

Erythrina sp.  -  Coral Tree

Part of the succulent garden.

One of the Devil's Trumpet (Datura) plants.

Ficus dammaropsis  -  Dinner-plate Fig,
from New Guinea.



(not sure)



Camellia azalea  -  du juan ye shan cha (Chinese),
from southern China. (label says summer flowering).



Alstroemeria  -  Peruvian Lily .



Cactus flower.

Noisy Miner feeding on the nectar from
one of the Aloe sp. in the succulent garden.

The drinking fountain (with bubblers on all four corners) was built in 1889.

Camellia reticulata  -  'Ellies Girl'

Rhododendron loranthiflorum,
(epiphytic habit) from New Britain / Solomon Islands.

Snail attacked Clivia.

Fruits of Monsterio Delisio  -  Fruit Salad Plant,
from southern Mexico.

Montanoa bipinnatifida  -  Mexican tree daisy.

Idiospermum australiense  -  Ribbonwood,
N/E Queensland.

Ficus macrophylla  -  Moreton Bay Fig,
Central Qld to southern NSW.

Friuts of Ficus macrophylla  -  Moreton Bay Fig.



Lemaireocereus thurberi  -  Organ-pipe Cactus,
southern Arizona / west Mexico.

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. 29th June 2012



 Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is part of the Guringai people Country.
Created in 1894 it is the second oldest national park in NSW and conserves some 15,000 hectares (37,066 acres) of sandstone bushland only 25 km from the centre of Sydney.
So it was on this fine winters day that I took the camera to 3 areas of the park, the Basin Trail (heath), West Head (forest) and the Waratah Trail (scruby heath, part of it had been burnt recently).

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Grevillea buxifolia  -  Grey Spider-flower

 


Hakea sp.



Xanthorrhoea sp  -  Grass Tree




Grevillea sericea  -  Pink Spider-flower



Banksia Spinulosa  -  Hairpin Banksia.
Profile and viewed from above.




Hibbertia bracteata  - Guinea Flower



(not sure)




Banksia ericifolia  -  Heath Banksia



Darwinia fascicularis ssp. fascicularis



Acacia sauveolens  -  Sweet Scented Wattle



(not sure, looks like Linum marginale)




Boronia sp.




Leptospermum sp.  (squarrosum?)  PinkTea Tree



Golden-tai​led Spiny Ant
feeding on nectar from  Hakea gibbosa.




Knotted branches of
 Angophora costata  -  Sydney Red Gum



Epacris longiflora  -  Native Fuchsia



Lives on after the fire,
 Xanthorrhoea sp  -  Grass Tree



Lobelia dentata  -  Angel Sword




Calytrix tetragona  -  Fringe-myrtle




Philotheca salsolifolia  -  Philotheca.

Rookwood Necropolis (Cemetery) Lidcombe. 22nd June 2012

Agave. Probably a good idea at the time.

 Rookwood Necropolis is one of Australia's oldest cemeteries, and, at 283 hectares (700 acres), is one of the largest burial grounds in the world. Over 800,000 people have been interred within it's grounds since it was established in 1886. The original 81 hectare (200 acres) is subject to a Permanent Conservation Order and represents the largest, and one of the finest, surviving examples of a Victorian public cemetery anywhere in the world.
So it was on a windy, cold and cloudy winters day that I went to find out what lives in the world of the dead.
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Vinca minor

All tied down.

Cheerful Jonquils

Beauty in a old rose garden.

I don't know what this is, looks like sugar popcorn
that's been cut open.

Bulbil Watsonia

Coreopsis

I don't know.

Lemon-scented Gum (Corymbia citriodora) blown to
the ground by the wind.

Acacia sp.

Mother-of-millions run wild.

Jonquil, happy faces in a sad place.

Real and not real.

Honey Suckle

Cotoneaster berries

Camelia

Hibiscus

Norfolk Island Pine

This plant, which had dark blue/black berries, was wide
spread through the grounds.