The local black bean trees Castanospermum australe have been flowering. The actual flowers occur along the branches and are a spectacular orange/yellow in colour. This unusual tree is part of the Faberceae/pea family. They are lovely trees with larger green leaves that provides shade however the large seedpods and leaves are poisonous to livestock so... Continue Reading →

Gymea Lily                                                     Spear Lily The Gymea Lily Doryanthus excelsii is just finishing flowering in our region. This spectacular plant is from the Sydney region and in partiicular the Sutherland Shire. It's tall straight flower spike can be seen from a long way... Continue Reading →

Flannel flowers are now flowering in my garden and I know are out throughout New South Wales. These soft daisy-like flowers have petals that are quite thick and feel like a flannel cloth. The centres are raised like a soft button. They were the Centenary of federation emblem for NSW in 2001. They have a... Continue Reading →

Many people are more than aware of the non-native form of the frangipani. But there is a native form - Hymenosporum flavum - a medium to large tree (up to 20m) with medium sized ribbed leaves and delicate sweetly fragrance flowers. These are currently flowering.

The wildflowers locally are really putting on a show. These two are the tree waratah, and flame tree. These tress have the capacity to stop traffic. I once witnessed an older lady stop in the middle of a busy road, get out of her car and rush over to pull off one of the flowering... Continue Reading →