A walk along the curvaceous Main Path at this time of the year when flowers are plentiful is a pleasant experience. It starts at the far end of the café building and wanders among the magnificent trees, through the Sydney Basin, the Rock Garden and the Rainforest Gully.

1. Calytrix leschenaultii [Section 12] is a small many-branched shrub with terminal clusters of purple feathery flowers.
2. A Thryptomene sp. [Section 11] of similar size has white flowers while others have tiny pink flowers.
3. Melaleuca fulgens ‘Hot Pink’ [Sections 10, 11] is an upright rather leggy shrub with bright pink flower clusters.
4. The opposite corner is bright with perfumed Homoranthus flavescens [Section 9]. Its layered branches are clad with clusters of nectar-laden yellow flowers.
5. The garden in front is scattered with Bulbine glauca [Section 8], lily-like self-seeding plants with yellow star-shaped flowers on succulent stems.
6. In front is a group of waratahs including Telopea ‘Canberry Gem’ [Section 30], a large many-branched shrub crowned with its popular red flower heads.
7. Not far away, Alyogyne huegelii [Section 30] displays large white hibiscus flowers, crowded by other shrubs.
8. Pass by many grevilleas including Grevillea dimorpha [Section 25], with vivid red flowers edging the upright stems.
9. Dodonaea rhombifolia [Section 25] is a large dense shrub with angled fruits mixing with the leaves. They are coloured green-pink changing to showy bright pink as seen.
10. At the intersection Grevillea flexuosa [Section 25] is a dense spreading shrub laden with cigar-shaped yellow flowers.
11. Across the road, Isopogon anemonifolius [Section 26] has drumstick-like yellow flower heads among its divided leaves, while the adjacent Isopogon formosus has larger pink feathery flowers.
12. Grevillea lavandulacea [Section 26] has grey-green foliage and deep red flowers, contrasting with the yellow flowers of a low spreading Grevillea ‘Canterbury Gold’.
13. Towards the next intersection, the upright Telopea speciosissima [Section 26] is crowned with rich red glistening flowers.
14. Crossing the road Eriostemon australasius [Section 112] is covered with bright pink 5-petalled flowers over the tidy shrub.
15. Close by Boronia muelleri [Section 112,] of similar size, is clad with tiny pink buds and 4-petalled pink to almost white flowers.
16. Cross the road to the Sydney Region Gully where a few small Telopea speciosissima × oreades [Section 191s] display their terminal red flowers.
17. Epacris longiflora [Section 191p] is upright, with narrow tubular white flowers dangling in rows from its branches.
18. At the turn-off to the Glasshouses is Blackeyed Susan, Tetratheca thymifolia [Section 191j], a low spreading shrub profuse with its downturned pink flowers.
19. Cross the Eucalyptus Lawn to pass through an area of wattles and also Helichrysum elatum ‘Helping Hand’ [Section 18], with large white daisy flowers surrounded by soft greyish leaves.
20. In an enclosure the pink and white daisies, Rhodanthe chlorocephala subsp. rosea [Section 4], are quite attractive.
21. Pass through the Rock Garden to the entry to the Rainforest Gully. Here large white and cream Rock Orchids, Thelychiton speciosus [Section 104], sit on the rocks and the small pink orchids, Thelychiton kingianus, add colour to the corner.
22. At the bottom of the ramp the perfumed Boronia megastigma ‘Virtuoso’ [Section 210] could not be missed.

Barbara Daly