Garden Highlights.2.0.2015-12.a - Friends Geelong Botanic Gardens

GardenHighlights,December2015
FriendsofGeelongBotanicGardens
1.
1.PelargoniumsareinflowerinthePeleHouseandinthe
nearbybeds.APelargoniumisdistinguishedfromitsrelative,a
Geranium,byonlybeingsymmetricalaboutasingle(usuallyvertical)
line.TheGeraniumsaresymmetricalaboutthecentrelineofeachof
the5petals.Pelargoniumsandotherplantslistedheremaybe
availableintheFriendsNursery.
2.TheNZChristmastreeorPohutukawaMetrosiderosexcelsa
usuallyhasredflowers.However,twounusualtreeswerefoundin
theBayofPlentyinthe1940s.Adescendantofthosetrees,called
Metrosiderosexcelsa‘Aurea’,referringtotheirgreenish-yellow
flowers,isgrowinginthesegardens.(Photo:JonSullivan,Flickr)
2.
3.IntheCamelliabedsthereareseveralHydrangeaandDichroa
plants,bothintheHydrangeafamily.Flowercolourinsomespecies
isdeterminedbythesoilpH(acidoralkaline)andmineralsinthe
soil.Flowerscanbewhite,blue,red,pink,lightpurple,ordark
purple.Thesoilsinthesegardensarealkaline.
3.
4.TheSpiceLilyManfredamaculosaproducesflowersthatchange
colourastheymatureandage.Despiteitsname,thisplantisnota
lily,butisintheAgavefamily(Photo:Bluestem,Wikipedia)
What’sOninDecember
ExhibitionofStylisedBotanicalArtusingGoldleaf,resultingfrom
theFriends’SchoolofBotanicalArt,Saturday5andSunday6
December10:00amto4:00pm,GBGmeetingroom.
Artworkandmerchandiseforsale.
See‘AliceandPeterPaninNeverNeverland’atthegardenson
Saturday2January2016.Bookingsessential:
www.shakespeareaustralia.com.au
DiscoveryTable,Sunday20December1:00to3:00pm.
FreeGuidedWalks,EachSunday2:00pm,Wednesday11:00am.
TheFriends’NurseryisopenonWednesdays9:30amto12:30pm.
TheTeaHouseisopeneveryday.
4.
Overpage:Mapshowingtheseplants
www.friendsgbg.org.au
Phone:52226053
GeelongBotanicGardensMap
2a
2b
Curiosity
Cabinet
1b
4
1a
Friends’
Nursery
3
3
Meeting
Room
3
1a.PelargoniumHouse
2b.NZChristmastreeorPohutukawa
Metrosiderosexcelsawithredflowers
1b.Pelargoniumbed
2a.NZChristmastreeorPohutukawa
Metrosiderosexcelsa‘Aurea’withlemonflowers
3.HydrangeaandDichroa
4.SpiceLilyManfredamaculosa
ThisinformationwasdevelopedbytheVolunteerGuides
FriendsofGeelongBotanicGardens
www.friendsgbg.org.au
www.geelongaustralia.com.au/gbg/