Friends GCRBG - GrowingGrowing MattersMatters...Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc...
Transcript of Friends GCRBG - GrowingGrowing MattersMatters...Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc...
GrowingGrowingGrowing
Volume 20 Winter 2018
Mark your calendar NOW !
20th ANNIVERSARY DINNER
October 6th, 2018
MattersMattersMatters
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P2
2018 Committee
President
Alex Jakimoff
Vice President
Alan Donaldson
Secretary
Catherine Simpson
Treasurer
Harry Ellis
Australian Plants
Lyn Reilly
Education
Rana Baguley
Members
Kate Heffernan
Cindy Murray
Richard Phillips
Patron:
Gene Rosser
Contents From the President......3
From the Curator......4
From the Secretary .....5
Gardening....6
Focus on 20 years of Friends P7
Valè Shir ley......8
Education............9
Sydney Botanic Gardens......10
Gold Coast Volunteer Awards....11
Buddha Festival Award Night.....12
Commonwealth Games...... 13
Flowers by Friends......14
Birdwing Butterfly Report....15
My Bonsai......16
Garden Guides......17
Birds of the Gardens....18
Aust Plants, Friends Centre.....19
The Rose Garden......20
Book Review - Protea.....21
Butterflies' and moths.....22
Date claimer ................22
Dick‟s Challenge..... 23
Plus.....24
20 Years of reporting
Friends
of the Gold Coast Regional
Botanic Gardens Inc
was for med in 1998.
Friends celebrate our 20th
later this year. Do join us.
Refer P22 for more
infor mation.
Important News:
Guided Walks At t he rec en t Gu ide m ee ting it
w as dec ided t o inc reas e t he
num ber of free gu ided w a lk s t ha t
w e o ff e r.
W a lk s wi ll st ill be a t 10. 00am .
T he new rost e r wi ll p robab ly
c om m enc e in J u ly.
M ore det a il s t o f ol low.
1 s t & 3r d Sunday of t he m on t h
2 n d & 4 t h W ednes day of t he
m on t h
Butt e rf ly w a lks w it h J os eph ine
w il l be 1 s t T ues day o f t he m ont h
(but no t J une and J u ly ) at
9. 00am
N a tiv e Bee w a lk s w it h Gare t h
w il l be 1 s t & 3 r d Fr iday of t he
m on t h a t 9. 00am
Cover Photo
The fruits, seeds and child are symbols of the future
of GCRBG. The 20th Anniversary Dinner of the Friends
of the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens will be
held on October 6th 2018.
Mark your calendars. More infor mation inside and
further details will be given when all is finalised.
Friends are now members of .....
The Flower Association (Q ld) which
represents growers of traditional
flowers and foliage, tropicals, natives
and wildflowers as well as florists,
wholesalers, exporters, consultants,
researchers and educators. Visit their
website at:.
www.flowersqueens land.asn.au
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P3
The Friends worked hard to please our April
Commonwealth Games visitors, inc luding twice daily
guided walks and longer opening hours. Our
volunteers and Coordinators did a great job and we
appreciate those contributions to the city‟s effort.
Although the expected visitor numbers did not
eventuate, that disappoint ment was tempered by
some lessons learned – so as a result the Guides are
planning to increase the number of free guided walks
every month.
Sadly we have lost one of our long standing
members Shir ley Newman who passed away in ear ly
May. Shir ley has been a dedicated enthusiastic
volunteer for many years and was a hard working
keen contributor to the Friends, we will miss her
greatly. Further details are within Growing Matters …
Valé Shir ley Newman.
Congratulations to a Friend who was awarded a
prize during the recent National Volunteering Week.
The Gold Coast organization Volunteering Services
Australia gave Peter Reilly a well deserved award
following 20 years of multiple varied roles, a worthy
recipient Peter well done !
Our Education Coordinator Rana Baguley has
stepped back after 10 years of organising the
wonderful program that she pioneered “Education at
the Gardens”. This Council funded program brought
many thousands of schoolchildren to the Botanic
Gardens, introducing them to the wonders of Nature.
Rana and the Friends can be truly proud of setting up
and expanding such a successful venture and now it
will be another Education provider‟s turn.
Congratulations Rana, your legacy is with a ll those
schoolchildren who have benefited in their
environmental education from your passion!
A big thank you to Southern Pacific Developments
who have again been a very generous donor.Our
sincere gratitude for Mr Charles Wang when Shelly
and I were presented with a large cheque at the
recent Buddha Birth Day Festival held at South Bank
in Brisbane. The Friends are very appreciative for any
donations, and in fact we have a tax deductible Gift
Fund that is used for purely environmental purposes.
For example over the past year we have contributed
to the design and installation of very popular
interpretive signs around the gardens such as the
Endangered Plants trail.
Our Botanic Gardens Day event on June 3rd was
very successful, attracting thousands of visitors
enjoying our displays and guided walks. This year had
a different theme and flavor with the Yugambeh
Museum and GC Food Trucks bringing different
people to the “green heart of the gold”. Across
Australia and NZ these Open Days celebrate and
showcase the Botanic Gardens, so our various Friends
groups welcomed the opportunity to interact with an
appreciative Gold Coast community.
Our next event is to be at the Botanical Bazaar Gold
Coast Garden Festival on 16th September. Held at
the Country Paradise Park lands in Nerang, we‟ll be
flying the flag for Friends and the Gardens. While this
show has been running for a few years this will be our
first time there… another exciting promotional event
where we can talk to our community.
Please mark your diaries for our Friends
20thAnniversary Dinner …yes this year it is a lready 20
years since our founding and we‟ll be celebrating in a
big way later this year (look for the date c laimer in
this Growing Matters).
We have plenty of achievements to celebrate and
also plenty to look forward to, so I really like the
chosen theme of the evening
“Celebrating the past, looking to the future”.
From the President ~ Alex Jakimoff
Peter Reilly a t the Awa rds Presentation
Celebrating the Past Looking to the Future
Valé Shir ley Newman
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P4
From the Curator - Liz Caddick
Firstly I 'd like to thank the Friends and Rotary for their generous
contributions towards the new signs in our Endangered and Indigenous
Plant Use trails. New signs were installed in April, with more to come
in June. The signs help to explain our living plant collection to
visitors, and make people aware of why plants are so important.
I 'd also like to thank the Friends garden guides, who have recent ly
done a huge job expanding their walks programme and volunteer
numbers. Guided walks are a great way to get to know the Gardens
better, as well as getting out and active. There are so many different
walks to choose from, so look on the Friends website for the ones that
interest you.
Our new Smell Bed in the Sensory Garden is starting to grow well.
Explore your senses next time you're down there with the delicious
Heliotropium arborescens (commonly known as Cherry Pie), and a
variety of weird and wonderful smelling Pelargoniums, inc luding rose,
pine and African spice. Other plants in the garden inc lude the
pungent smelling Rue (Ruta graveolens), which has been used as a
medicinal herb since before Roman times, and several Artemesias,
the bitter flavour of which are used to flavour drinks and teas. Plants
develop strong smells and bitter tastes for many reasons, inc luding to
discourage animals from grazing and to attract pollinators.
The garden also inc ludes a variety of different scented sages and
thymes, as well as some beautiful smelling flowering shrubs suitable
for subtropical gardens, inc luding Gardenia augusta ‘Florida‟,
Camellias „Marge Miller‟ and „Plantation Pink‟ and Radermachera
„Summer Scent‟.
Variegated mint scented Rue (Ruta graveolens) Heliotropium arborescens
Camellia „Plantation Pink‟
New Signage
Endangered Plant Trail sign is sponsored by Southern Pacific Developments and Friends. The Indigenous Plant Use trail is
sponsored by Rotary and Friends.
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P5
The dining room table is even
more crowded as it now has the
new Friends Centre computer on it
temporarily while I set up the new
Point-of-Sale System -(POS). The
POS will record all transactions,
how they were paid for and issue
receipts so that manual records no
longer need to be made.
All transactions will be entered by
scanning a barcode.
Friends Centre Coordinator Mary Woods has listed
everything for sale in the Friends Centre and all
items are now in the system. Some items, such as
books come with their own barcodes while the POS
system itself can print barcodes for others. So each
item will have a unique barcode which will be
scanned into the POS system.
Donations and memberships c lasses will a ls o be
issued with unique barcodes. The POS will
significant ly improve the efficiency and accuracy of
the Friends financial processes. However it is a
significant change in process and thorough training
will be needed so volunteers feel comfortable with
using it. I am developing a training manual for the
POS and training will be delivered in July. (And I will
recover a small space on my dining room table for
eating ...... or most likely more Friends' papers!)
Another significant change already in operation is
the replacement of PayPal with an EFTPOS machine
from Bendigo Bank. This is proving much simpler for
volunteers to operate and is attracting significant
sales by cards. It is wireless enabled and it was a big
improvement to be able to process sales on the spot
for the Botanic Gardens Open Day on 3 June,
especially since the Open Day activities were held
over on the other side of the lagoon and not near
the Friends Centre at a ll.
A further system improvement which is currently
being assessed, this time by the Herbarium
volunteers, is to transfer the extensive plant
database, currently in Excel, to an electronic record
system, such as that used by the Royal Botanic
Gardens in Sydney called IRIS.
On other matters, the lease of the Friends Centre
we have with Council is due to end on 30 June and
we have signed a renewal for 5 years. Preceding this
offer from Council we were required to complete a
Sustainability Audit which we passed with flying
colours.
Also on 30 June, the Agreements with Coffee at
the Gardens a lso end.
A revised Agreement has been drafted for a 12
months extension and has been presented to Sam
and Jason.
From the Secretary's Dining Room Table - Catherine Simpson
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P6
We bid farewell on the passing of our long serving
gardener Shir ley Newman. No matter whatever
happened, rain hail or shine Shir ley was such a
dedicated gardener and would turn up ready to do
her bit.
You could always count on her to arrive ear ly,
commit herself despite any physical ailments and
then butter the fruit buns for morning tea
afterwards. A strong and uncomplaining character
forged during a very different era in Australia, with a
truly inspiring deter mination.
A lovely Grevillea Dorothy Gordon that she planted
in 2014 for her 90th birthday near the Friends Centre
is thriving as a wonderful living memento to her love
of nature.
The gardening team have installed 28 signs a long
the Indigenous Use trail , and what a great
difference they make. Particular ly in the Bushfoods
Garden and Story of our Country, these signs are
really appreciated by our volunteers and visitors
alike.
We war mly welcome new gardening volunteers
Caleb Breuer and Jenny Capper who have both added
lots of new energy and enthusiasm to our group. Als o
re-energising us is the cooler wintry weather as we
enjoy crisp starts and lovely war m days.
In preparation for the Commonwealt h Games the
front entrance was planted with a selection of native
groundcover Scaevolas or Fan Flowers around a grass
tree. Have a look at them now as they‟ve thrived
and really brightened up the entrance with their
showy blue and white flowers.
However, our regular gardening tasks of weeding,
pruning and mulching in the botanic gardens are
mainly concentrated in the native vegetation
communities of the Mangroves to Mountains
precinct. Our energetic mornings are well rewarded
with scrumptious nibbles and hot drinks afterwards
on the verandah.
Gardening - Alex Jakimoff
Right: Greg, Leanne and
Santo „ lifting the skirts‟ on
a grass tree. Image Alex
Shirley Newman
Valé Shirley!
Left: A view of the BG towards
the hi lls. Somewhere there
lurks Dick the Gardener. But
where? Image Alex
Laura Ryan‟s photo of a strange
growth on a eucalypt - More info
when it comes
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P7
How do I write 20 years of Friends into a few paragraphs?
It‟s impossible, so I‟ll just recollect elements from our
beginnings that I‟m confident will give some idea of the extent
of the journey your Friends group has travelled! I‟ve pulled out
two thick folders of news letters and Growing Matters and
there‟s so much reading it‟s a lmost overwhelming.
The steering committee was for med in July 1998, after many
meetings, over many months
- 20 years ago! There were ten members, of which four are still active
members and volunteers. Sadly Ken Hunter from Gold Coast
Orchid association, who played an integral role and was on the
Steering Committee has passed away. I remember and still
value his wonderful letter of support and encouragement after I
mooted the need for a botanic garden to a group of horticulture
students in November 1997. (I had just returned from several
months motor-homing through Europe, UK and Ireland, being
inspired by botanic gardens a long the way) Later I raised the
need with Australian Institute of Horticulture and other local
groups, inc luding the Society for Growing Australian Plants
which proved vita lly important.
The first news letters were one sheet, double sided and
printed in b and w at TAFE. They spoke of getting community
support and writing to key individuals. We held meetings in
classrooms at TAFE, or at member‟s homes to plot and
strategise. There were public displays and stands at garden
events. I remember vividly the nerves I felt when Peter Reilly
and I first met with Mayor Gary Baildon to advocate for a
regional botanic garden, and the strong interest the then Mayor
showed.
In May 1999 presentation s lides to full council were prepared
by Caroline Kelly and together we stood in front of a ll
councillors and made our point! After meetings, presentations,
letters and public forums the whole vision was a lmost hijacked
by protesters. I have an enduring memory of Gene Rosser with
a placard saying the Rosser Family supported botanic gardens at
Rosser Park. Friends had participated in site selection with
council and the Master Planners from Landplan Studio and were
involved in the Master Planning process with Landscape
Architect Lawrie Smith AM from the very start. Lawrie, known
world-wide for his works in botanic gardens and public spaces
captured a vision for a regional botanic gardens promoting,
conserving and displaying our regions flora. It became Friends
mission to bring it into fruition and remains valid. Friends‟
vision finally seemed a reality after five hard working years.
Council appointed a Project Officer/Curator – Kit Smith, who
supported the first Friends planting day in the Open Eucalyptus
Woodland. The design was by Friends, a concept based on the
five rivers of the region, but regrettably a casualty of camphor
laurel competition and shade. From the June 2003 news letter
“great news – to coincide with National Tree Day on Sunday 27
July , the Friends are coordinating the inaugural community
(Continued on page 9)
Focus on 20 years of Friends......
Development of our Botanic Gardens Involvement - Kate Heffernan
She oak gr ove planting Image: Kate Heffer nan
She oak gr ove a decade later Image: Kate Heffer nan
An ear ly community celebr ation at the gar dens
Early photo of Peter, Ca roline a nd Kate - archive copy
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P8
Planning is under way for the new preschool program, ‘Little Nature Lovers’ .
I have often felt that with the educational activities that Friends currently offer, the 3-5 year age
group is not catered for. This is going to change!
A couple of years ago, this concept was put to the City of Gold Coast Council to help fund
preparation and delivery of the program. It was rejected but now Naturally GC has come on board and
agreed to fund it so it will be free for children and their parents/carers.
Little Nature Lovers will be held on the third Wednesday of the
month from 10:00 - 11:00am at the Rotary Education Pavilion.
Numbers will be limited to 15 children plus their carers.
There will be numerous themes which focus on the natural
environment inc luding trees, insects, reptiles, birds, aboriginal
culture all tying in with our Botanic Gardens. Activities will
inc lude nature trails, story reading, art, singing and roleplaying.
It promises to be lots of fun while interacting with nature!
The program will start on Wednesday 18 July this year and run
through to June next year exc luding December and January. We have a program leader but if you
would like to help out by volunteering for some or one of the activities, please let me know.
The full schedule of activities will appear in the next Naturally GC book to be published in June and
bookings will be through their website. www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/council/naturallygc
We will again have
Discover our Feathered Friends
Tuesday 10 July at 9:00am
Botanica Quest Dare to Discover
Friday 13 July with two sessions at 9:00am & 10:00am
Places are limited so bookings are essentia l
Phone: 0449 561 674
Please check out our latest display in the Friends Centre which focuses on the Richmond Birdwing
Butterfly.
Some years ago the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly vine, Pararistolochia praevenosa was planted in the
Botanic Gardens. We have had a sighting of the caterpillar and are very excited about a chrysalis
appearing and eventually a beautiful Richmond Birdwing Butterfly emerging. I wonder if it will be a gir l
or a boy?!
We’ll keep you posted!
Text and photos provided by
Rana Baguley Education Officer
Education ~ Rana Baguley
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P9
tree planting day at Rosser Park. Working in
conjunction with council, Greening Australia, Gold
Coast Tafe and Society for Growing Australian Plants
this foundation planting will celebrate the
commencement of the Botanic Gardens with a true
community event”. This was part of the first
news letter report from President Nick Bloor who
went on to serve as President through a very active
ten years of planning and planting by Friends.
It is impossible to relate the intervening years in a
few lines. It requires a book which is a project I‟ve
already begun! Anyone looking from the outside may
not fully appreciate the extent of Friends‟ growing
contribution over 20 years. It could easily be taken
for granted that it a ll just happened. The extensive
Friends roles of today are vital to Friends aims and
objectives in education, conservation, horticulture,
science and advocacy for the regions incredible
biodiversity and remain as the principal commit ment
of Friends as they begin to celebrate 20 years and
look to the future. Come and celebrate the past and the future at the
Friends 20th Birthday dinner!
(Continued from page 7) Valé It has been sad to say goodbye to Shirley Newman.
She enjoyed a long and very active life. One of her activities was bush walking and I think
she has walked and enjoyed every track in the National Parks of this part of Australia. Shirley had the ability to finish a long, difficult walk looking as
fresh and tidy as she did at the beginning. For many years she organised the walks for the Gold Coast
Bushwalkers.
Shirley also made a great contribution to society by helping deliver "Meals on Wheels". She was very
pleased and proud to to be still doing this after she
turned ninety.
Apart from her love for her family perhaps her greatest joy was gardening. As well as caring for her own beautifully manicured garden she visited
gardens opened under the "Open Garden Scheme" in southern Queensland and northern New South
Wales. Amazing distances were travelled and
favourite gardens were visited more than once. As well as this Shirley helped "Grow" the Gold
Coast Regional Botanic Gardens. She regularly attended "The Friends " Wednesday morning
working bees for many years - starting very soon
after they began.
Valé Kate and I were very sad to hear the news of Shirley‟s passing. It was a privilege to have worked beside her over approximately 13 years at
Community plantings - she was invariably the first Friend volunteer there - and at many working bees, she was there rain, hail or shine. She was always
positive about everything and it was interesting to hear recollections of her earlier life. She had a deep
love of plants and gardens and loved to talk about the gardens we had both visited. Despite her age she never looked at doing the easy jobs, in short she was
an inspiration.
Planting Grevillea „Dorothy Gordon‟
on Shirley‟s 90th Birthday....
Members of the Gardening group
include Dick, Alan, and Alex
... greeting the swans - definitely NOT feeding
them
ABC‟s Gardening Australia Sept 2014
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P10
Sydney Botanical Gardens ~ Catherine Simpson
The City of Sydney is blessed with a huge area on its fringe known as the
Domain in which sits the Art Gallery of NSW, the Royal Botanic Gardens of
Sydney and the National Herbarium of New South Wales. But we must
never forget that this was the land of the Cadigal people. It was initia lly
cleared by the settlers in 1788 to establish the first far m and thus began
the modern transformation of the Australian continent. The site continues
to play an important role for the Aboriginal people of Sydney as custodians
of an area of deep significance and the Gardens strive to support
Aboriginal people. (The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: the First 200 Years,
Halstead Press, NSW 2007). Of course the landscape is vastly transfor med
and is now dominated by towering
trees, vast lawns and extensive
plantings in manicured beds. No weeds
there I can report! I note however that
plant signage is lacking so the Friends
can well feel proud of the wonderful
signs which we have contributed to
enhance our own Gardens.
I was aware of a new facility opened in 2016 to celebrate the 200th
anniversary. It is called the Calyx. It is a huge architect designed
rotunda, one side of which is enc losed as a greenhouse with a massive
green wall standing 6 metres high and 50 metres long. This wall provides
spectacular botanical displays and when I visited it had the word
“Pollination” written along it in plants. The message was about bees and
the raised beds in front had wire framed bee sculptures a lso planted out
and there were bees hanging from the roof. It was a truly amazing sight
and was being enjoyed by students, tourists and locals a like. I could not
help thinking though of how lovely it would be to have at our disposal a
fraction of the maintenance resources clearly needed to maintain such a
project.
But what I found most compelling of a ll in my visit were the signs at the entrances to the Gardens and the
Herbarium which loudly proc laimed -
NO PLANTS NO FUTURE ... THE VITAL SCIENCE.
Lichen on Brachychiton Lichen on Brachychiton Lichen on Brachychiton - Photos Laura Ryan A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple
fungi in a symbiotic relationship. The combined lichen has properties different from those of its component
organisms. Lichens are amongst the oldest living organisms and can be used to tell the age of fossils if
present. Wikipedia
Note: There are a number of
Brachychitons in the Gold
Coast Regional Botanic
Gardens. Some have the
distinctive bottle shaped
trunk which can take up to 30
years to form.
Brachychiton Ormeau - Ormeau Bottle Tree is an endangered species. Lichens are amongst the oldest
living organisms and can be used to tell the age of fossils if present.
Bees in the Calyx
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P11
In mid-May, Friends member Peter Reilly was
nominated for the award of Gold Coast Volunteer of
the Year. He was one of three to be successful (pic
below) being awarded a week‟s holiday with C lassic
Holidays in the coming year.
Peter: „It is certainly a great honour to
realise my efforts over the years have been
appreciated. In saying that, of course, I
need to a lso say that it has been a great
pleasure - the things I have done, and still
do, are my keen interests - so I love being
involved with them. As well, it is
wonderful to be part of a team, and it is as
much the efforts of a ll the team as my
contribution that counts.‟
His nomination read:
Peter Reilly began volunteering when he became a
foundation Friend of the Gold Coast Regional Botanic
Gardens twenty years ago, a couple of years before
the Gardens became a reality.
He served as Friends‟ treasurer and membership
officer for the next ten years. During this time he
gained charity status for the Friends as an
environmental organisation, so donations to its Gift
Fund are tax-deductible. He also assisted in writing
the constitution and devising Rules for Special
Interest Groups to become part of the Friends.
Australian Plants Gold Coast became a Special
Interest Group and Peter served as its president for
the first three-year term and recent ly another ter m.
He typeset their self-published book Grow Nat ives
on the Gold Coast: a practical guide for gardeners.
Over the years Peter has prepared and presented
talks about the Gardens (and the book) to many
interested groups and Garden C lubs.
As part of his involvement with their development of
native gardens at the Gold Coast Historical Society
grounds in Elliott Street, Bundall, he designed and
built the automatic watering system there.
Eight years ago he became a volunteer in the
Garden‟s fledg ling Herbarium – a vita l part of any
botanic gardens. He spends two mornings a week
helping to collect, press and document Garden
specimens. This a lso involves recording GPS locations
and taking photographs of each specimen – in situ
and dried. W ith his for mer work background in
electrical and communications eng ineering, he
became a natural to set up and maintain the
herbarium database. He has recently developed a
searchable website for the herbarium specimens and
is currently helping to investigate the development
of a major database of Garden plants.
Text: Lyn Rei lly
Beverley Windsor keeps her eye on
the Swan family and reports sadly no
cygnets have been seen.
Award of Gold Coast Volunteer of the Year
Mothers‟ Day Flower Arrangements of
Flowers by Friends Pics: Laura Ryan
Left: Laura‟s stunning photo of the sun shining
through the leaves of this Eucal yptus 'Summer Red'
- a hybrid of E. ptychocarpa and E. ficifolia on the
Ring Road near the morning coffee cart.
Friends a re saddened to lea rn of the pa ssing of
member Tony Swan (pic Rt). With Noreen our
Friends Communications Coordina tor a nd
news letter editor, Tony has been a member for
ten yea rs. T ony a ctive ly volunteered at various
special events and planting days a nd worked on
the bbq with the ca tering tea m. Our specia l
thoughts a re with Noreen and family.
The Communica tions Team and all Friends.
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P12
Birds of the Gardens #13 - with Jenny Rosewell
Our sincere gratitude to Mr Charles Wang of
Southern Pacific Developments for his generous
donation to the Friends presented at the recent 3 day
Buddha Birth Day Festival held at South Bank
Parklands in Brisbane. Mr Wang is a wonderful
supporter of the FGCRBG and the preservation of our
regional endangered species.
Our President Alex Jakimoff and I represented the
Friends. We felt very honoured that the Friends of
the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens were chosen
for this donation together with 4 other but much
larger charitable organisations – Royal Brisbane and
Women‟s Hospital Foundation, Brisbane Lord Mayor‟s
Charitable Trust, Children‟s Hospital Foundation and
the Mater Foundation.
The South Bank Park lands were lit up with red
happiness and peace lanterns to signify the
importance of happiness and peace on Earth and it
certainly was a very happy and peaceful occasion
showcasing the diversity of Australia‟s multicultural
society.
Buddha‟s birthday is the most significant day of the
year for Buddhists celebrating the birth of the
founder of Buddhism. It is his teachings that have
given Buddhists the opportunity to understand the
importance of happiness and peace within society.
This year, the Festival celebrated its 22nd
anniversary of the event being held at South Bank.
Attended by more than 200,000 visitors, it is the
largest event of its type in the wor ld.
As volunteers ourselves, we had the greatest
admiration for the extraordinary hard work and
dedication of the volunteers helping run the
proceedings. We also appreciated the delicious
vegetarian/vegan supper they provided after the
officia l ceremony and perfor mances.
As we left we felt not only grateful but a lso felt
that we had added to our appreciation and
understanding of the wonderful multicultural country
in which we live.
Buddha Birthday Festival and Grant
Presentation ~ Shelly Kelly
Shelly & Alex with cheque
Thank you BLIA Qld for your kindness and this amazing experience.
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P13
What anticipation we all had for the Commonwealth Games being
held on the Gold Coast!
Friends organised Free Guided Walks twice daily, extended the
Friends Centre hours to be open from 9:30 till 3:30pm and provided
self guided activities for children during the school holidays inc luding
nature trails, NaturePlay passports and the Kaialgumm games. Many
Friends put in a huge effort to cater for the expected influx of visitors.
Many of Friends were also volunteers for the Games.
The Friends Centre was reorganised to promote the merchandise on
sale with special emphasis being focused on a Bush Food display as
celebration of our indigenous culture that was a central theme to the
Commonwealth Games. Borobi even made a few appearance on the
guided walks and Friends Centre!
Those who came to the Gardens were impressed … a number of
overseas and interstate visitors wrote wonderful comments in the
visitors book, especially after the free guided walks.
Overall, Friends were disappointed in the number of people who
came to the Gardens.
Friends promoted as much as possible through their website and
Facebook page and the creation of posters and flyers. Thank you to
Saraya from Naturally GC who promoted the Free Guided Walks. And
thank you to a ll the Friends for your continued wonderful support
What a pity HRH Prince Char les and Camilla didn‟t visit our Botanic
Gardens on the Gold Coast … now that would have been a sure way to
increase our visitor numbers!
Borobi
Boro
bi
Borobi
Borobi
The Commonwealth Games 2018 ~ Rana Baguley
Alex, Catherine and Kym at the Presentations of the Diversity Centre Proposal.
Kym Ba ber is the a rchitect of tha t design.
Flowers by Friends a rra ngement
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P14
„Natural‟ is in!
Australian plants and South African wildflowers have the edge when it comes to an emphasis on a more
relaxed and sustainable style that is increasingly popular.
Wildflowers are taking an important place in wedding trends, a lso, with Australian grown South African
Proteas as the focal flowers in many bridal bouquets. Eucalypt leaves and Waxflowers (mainly
Chamelaucium uncinatum) are popular foliage and fillers. The beautiful and varied range of Banksias
provides an Australian focal flower a lternative to Proteas, but does not come in the same range of pinks.
For a brief time in Spring, Waratahs (red and white) make stunning features. Whilst
amazing, native foliage is available a ll year round, field grown natives vary by season
and the seasons are varying, too. Growers are noting that there is a gradual shift in
flowering times as seasonal crops mature earlier. Christmas Bush (Ceratopetalum) is
an obvious example, as it is flowering too ear ly for Christmas.
An accompanying trend to the use of more natives is the use of natural products.
Hessian, brown paper, cardboard boxes and jute ribbons, suit freer flowing floral
designs. Bunches and vases, without excessive use of plastic and other environmentally unfriendly materials,
are favoured by a growing number of people. F lowers by Friends (FbF) experiments with sustainable
materials and utilises plant products as much as possible. Our group offers vases and wrapped bunches,
while encouraging recycling of plastics, a lso.
For Mother‟s Day, our flora inc luded
gorgeous lime green Dryandra – stunning
with bright purple Callicarpa berries –
Paper Daisies, three types of Banksia and
flowering Nutty Gum, in arrangements,
bouquets, vases and posies. This year‟s
sales were most successful.
Prior to Mother‟s Day we prepared for the
year ahead with a major clean up and
reorganisation of the Rosser garage, where
our materia ls are kept. Thanks to the GCCC
Divisional Grant from Councillor Tay lor, we
have a lockable storage cupboard, making
for a much better system.
Eight of us spent a very satisfying working day.
Flowers by Friends…with Claudia Knapman
Beverley & Gene
Sue Claudia Laura
Above are some arrangements with name of the designer.
For beautiful Australian flowers,
please contact us by phone on
0429412968 or 0407580899,
by email
or through the Friends‟ Centre.
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P15
Caterpillar sighted! - Progress of Birdwing Project at our Gardens
Our Birdwing Project has had a long incubation.
It began with this Motion in September 2010: That the Fr iends of the Gold Coast Regional Botanic
Gardens promote the conservation of the Richmond Birdwing butterfl y by seeking Council
cooperation in the planting and maintenance of a sufficient number of Pararistolochia praevenosa
vines to form a viable butter fly feeding station in the Gardens.
2011 became our ‘Birdwing year’ First, at our 5th Friends Annual Celebration Lunch in May, our guest speaker
Ray Seddon (from the Richmond Birdwing Conservation Net work) spoke
passionately about this butterfly and its successful reintroduction in the
Sunshine Coast region since their plantings of the Birdwing Butterfly vine,
Pararistolochia praevenosa.
Next came our first plantings. Thanks to Alan Donaldson‟s meticulous records,
we know that there have been three major plantings of the vine in the
Gardens –
First 20 plants on Threatened Species Community day on 20th Sept. 2011.
Then students from SCISCO Get Set For Work on 2nd April 2012. (Twelve of the GECKO plants were
put in a long the Woodlands fence line to replace losses from the first planting and to extend the
planting further a long the fence line.)
Later another 12 were planted by a group of international Horticulture Students from Envirotech on
10t h July 2013. These were also planted along the Woodlands fence, most ly replacing losses from
the first two plantings but a lso to extend the plantings even further down the fence line.
In addition Alan has planted about six GECKO plants on the lower Nursery fence line. Several of these
were unfortunately whipper snipped but a couple have survived and at least one has flowered.
Then October 2011 (following the first planting event) became the ideal time to launch our Birdwing
Butterfly children‟s book - Birdwings’ New Home (author Lynette Reilly, illustrator botanical and butterfly
artist Lois Hughes). www.birdwingsnewhome.com
My quote from that time: This planting / publ ishing project has at t imes been exhausting and
frustrating – but I’m sure when we have beautiful Birdwing Butter flies fluttering in our Gardens,
we’ll remember none of that and just rejoice in their beauty.
Fast forward to May 2018 Jubilation in the Gardens recent ly when Kerrii noticed a healthy Birdwing
caterpillar on some birdwing vine Pararistolochia praevenosa leaves. [The soft new leaves of the Birdwing
vine is the only food they can eat. No larval food, no butterflies.]
Peter confir med the sighting with his photo (attached). Fingers crossed it survives long enough to pupate
and become a beautiful adult. Will it be a boy or a girl?
(Thanks to Ray Seddon for previous per mission to use his photos of adult male and female butterflies)
Lynette Reilly
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P16
Melaleuca quinquenervia bonsai
Try a native bonsai ~ Alan Donaldson The natural for m of Australian plants which are
windswept, flood and fire ravaged survivors of often
-extreme seasons has a lways interested me,
perhaps as much or even more than the perfect
form we strive for in our gardens. To some extent
this has even influenced some of my pruning
techniques. Although a healthy well-for med plant
certainly has its place and is an attraction to me, I
think a twisted trunk with aged colourful bark and
interesting branch for mations shows real character.
It was inevitable that I became attracted to the
ancient art of Bonsai, firstly to admire others work
and then to try to grow my own, using Australian
plants.
Many Botanic Gardens have excellent bonsai
collections, two which stand out for me are Madrid
in Spain, and c loser to home, Brisbane. I was awe
stuck however when we recent ly visited the
National Arboretum in Canberra, as together with
an incredible tree collection it has wonderful
bonsai trees using Australian plants of varying
species.
When I first attempted to grow Australian plants in
a bonsai for m (pre-internet days) there was little
infor mation available, so rather than having an
educated approach based on the somewhat strict
bonsai disciplines shown in books, for me it was a
matter of trial and (many) errors.
My first attempts with some aged root bound plants
I had in pots at home showed little promise, either
in their appearance or long-ter m survival. It was not
until 1996 after finding some small windswept
twisted for ms of Melaleuca quinquenervia in full
flower in a sa ltwater wet land on the Sunshine Coast
that I thought of growing a bonsai from seed.
From the seeds I collected and ger minated, I chose
the most stunted and twisted seedling to pot on.
Interestingly enough, the better specimens of
seedlings grew into nice for ms in my then home
garden and other places where they were
eventually planted.
After approximately 18 months in a small pot I tried
my first root pruning, planting into a bonsai pot
followed by trunk shaping with copper wire and
branch thinning. I continued this process off and on
for approximately 15 years until I undertook a
practical bonsai course (a birthday present from
Kate). The course finally gave me an idea how to
present the plant with a legitimate bonsai for m, the
“Shaskan” or s lanting style, trying to emulate a tree
overhanging a creek. To do this I had to repot the
plant virtually sideways, exposing many of the roots
on one side. In addition, many of the branches on
the lower side of the plant needed removal.
Fortunately, the shape of the trunk seemed to fit
with this design and the plant took on a whole new
character.
Now 22 years after collecting and growing the seed,
the plant has passed through several for ms and is in
its second year of flowering. I keep it well watered
in a sunny sheltered position and it seems to be
thriving from the most recent root prune and
repotting. While I can‟t pretend that it is a perfect
form of bonsai with a ll the strict protocols, it does
give me pleasure to admire and care for. If you
have the time and patience why not try one
yourself?
Alan and parent plant at Coolum wetland
National Arboretum
Canberra
Bonsai collection
(Left & Right)
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P17
Volunteer Garden Guides ~ Shelly Kelly
Our big effort with guiding during the Commonwealth Games visitor
period 24th March to 20th April has had many benefits. The guide
training course that we ran earlier this year to increase the number
of guides in our group has given us not only some additional guides
but a lso an input of fresh ideas.
One of our guides who undertook this course and led several guided
walks through the Story of our Country garden over the
Commonwealth Games period was from Northern New South Wales.
Graeme volunteers with the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens and
both guiding groups benefited with the exchange of ideas.
With our increase in marketing the varied walks in March and April,
a large number of local, interstate and overseas visitors are now
aware that the Gold Coast does have their own Botanic Gardens. The
feedback we received from those who joined the walks made us feel
very proud of our unique and beautiful gardens. We conducted 56
Guided Garden Walks, 8 Native Bee Walks, 4 Butterfly Walks and 4
Bird Walks over the 4 weeks. A big thank you to a ll our wonderful
and generous volunteer guides for helping over this busy period.
Thanks Sarah Jane for rising with the birds to take the 6.30am bird
walk - time for some s leep-ins now.
From July we will be increasing the number of free guided walks.
The Guided Garden Walks will now be available on the 1st and 3rd
Sundays of the month and the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 10.00 am.
Josephine will conduct Butterfly Walks at 9.00 am on the 1st Tuesday
of the month (but not June or July). Gareth will conduct the Native
Bee Walks at 9.00 am on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month
commencing in July .
Our new specialised walks:
“For the Love of Trees”
This guided walk is for tree lovers. We will walk a long treed
pathways, through groves of trees and tree corridors. We will enjoy
the shade of trees, and with reference to some tree families and
individual trees we will appreciate anew the precious, vital and
bountiful role of trees in a biodiverse wor ld.
“This Fragile World”
Take a “rare walk” through the Endangered Plant Trail & find out
why the Or meau Bottle Tree and Wallum Banksia have become
endangered in the wild. The Wallum Banksia is the Gold Coast floral
emblem and is a lso the emblem and logo for Friends and the Gold
Coast Regional Botanic Gardens.
“Indigenous Use of Bush Foods and Flora”
Walk along the Mangroves to Mountains path past the Butterfly
Garden and Fruits of the Forest to the bountiful Bush Foods Garden,
discovering plants that have contributed to the survival of indigenous
Australians for thousands of years, providing food, shelter, tools and
medicine.
The guides had been looking forward to our excursion to Lismore
Rainforest Botanic Gardens for a long time. Due to the number of
walks in March and April we finally saw an opening in May on
Wednesday 16th. We were not disappointed with our efforts to get to
(Continued on page 18)
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P18
Birds of the Gardens #14 ~ Jenny Rosewell
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)
As the large gum trees come into flower here in The Gardens, expect to see these noisy lorikeets visiting in
large numbers. Often seen in the company of their more boisterous relatives, the Rainbow Lorikeets, Scaly
-breasted Lorikeets (Scalies or Greenies as they are often called) frequent ly go unnoticed.
Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are well camouflaged with their green upper wing and body plumage marked only
with yellow, scale-like feathers on their breast and neck. Both their beak and eyes are reddish. Their red/
orange underwings are clear ly visible when in flight. They are the second largest lorikeet, only s lightly
smaller than a Rainbow Lorikeet, having a shorter tail and lacking the bright colouring.
Habitat inc ludes eucalypt forests, woodlands, heathlands and well-treed urban areas across coastal,
eastern Australia from Cape York in Q ld, south to Wollongong in NSW. They are common in urban areas,
taking advantage of nectar bearing plants in parks and gardens. Leading
a nomadic life, they are seasonally common with numbers fluctuating in
response to local flowering eucalypts. Best spotting sites in the Gardens
inc lude high in the large gum trees near the lakes, among the grevilleas
throughout the gardens, or looking out from the Friends Centre
verandah.
Feeding in flocks, Scaly-breasted Lorikeets often join Rainbow Lorikeets
to feast on nectar and pollen harvested with their brush-like tongues
mostly from eucalypts, melaleucas, callistemons, banksia and grevilleas.
Readily foraging from a range of plants in our Botanic Gardens collecting
nectar, pollen, seeds and fruit from our vast array of plants, they
certainly have a varied diet on offer. In more rural areas they can cause
damage to orchard and grain crops.
Scalies fly swift ly on a straight path often flashing past in near
proximity. You can easily hear their rapid wing beats accompanied by
their high-pitched call, a continuous screech.
Breeding during the war mer weather, the female usually lays 2 white
eggs in a bed of rotting wood in a hollow tree trunk or broken eucalypt
branch. Both the male and female spend a lengthy time modifying the nest hollow by nibbling away the
decayed wood until the cavity is a suitable size. Only the female incubates the eggs with the male
providing her with food. Both sexes are active at caring for the hatchlings.
In some areas the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet is in s light dec line, possibly due to the increasing abundance of
Rainbow Lorikeets, perhaps due to the provision of artificia l food supplies.
Using their beak to grasp, they are nimble c limbers, making it difficult to capture a photo. When vis iting
The Gardens, take the time to seek out the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet among the raucous squabbling of the
lorikeet flock, or more easily, spot them in flight with their reddish underwing, or locate them from their
high pitched screeching and chattering.
Scaly
these wonderful botanic gardens run by the hardworking group of Friends. We were very well looked
after by their President Marie plus Denis, Geoff, Tracey and Graeme who guided us knowledgeably
through their special areas of the gardens.
If you wish to book a group guided walk or have any other queries,
email [email protected] or phone us on 0449 561 674.
(Continued from page 17)
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P19
a map of the Gardens
brochures on Friends Guided walks, our C limate
Watch project, Kaia lgumm Games and other
children‟s activities
flower arrangements from Flowers by Friends
flyers on upcoming events and activities
fact sheets on plants and wildlife in our
Gardens
changing displays, like the current Bushfoods
display
membership for ms
Friends Picture Gallery and digita l image
display of flowers in our Gardens
plants for sa le from the Friends Nursery
volunteers
books – in our extensive reference Library; and,
for sale, eg local plants, birds, bees, frogs,
butterflies, and bushwalks
gift ideas, inc luding unique items from botanic
artist Minjung Oh and pottery based on leaves
of plants in our Gardens by Helen Parer, and,
works from our Friends Craft Group members
local honey and beeswax candles
botanic coaster and Aroma Bloqs from BellArt
designs
organic teas, bush food spreads and cooking
ingredients
Mary Woods
Friends Centre Coordinator
Hello and Welcome to new Friends Since the beginning of Friends current financial year
on 1 October 2017, there have been 25 new
memberships – 10 Individual, 10 Pensioner and 5
Family memberships. When new members join
Friends of the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens,
there is the option to be acknowledged in our
news letter. We are pleased to acknowledge the
following new Friends who joined since our last
edition of Growing Matters:
Ana Gonzales Ruth Lane Caleb Breuer Jannette Janssen Elizabeth Mullan Myrilla Skye
Peter Elliott Kathryn Bils land Leanne Reynolds
Samantha Hawthorn Rob Molhoek MP
Junko Mitsumoto
News from the Australian Plants Special Interest group
Our May event, organised by Richard Phillipps, was a bushwalk at Twin Falls,
Springbrook on Saturday 12th.
We met for lunch at Tallanbana picnic ground. We were amazed at the large
number of people walk ing the tracks (and the large number of parked cars
along the road!).
Many plants had grown up in the years since we last walked here and some of
the views are now obscured, especially my favourite of the two leaning
eucalypts. We determined to come back next time in the spring when more
of the heath plants would be in flower.
After the walk, we gathered at the home of a local orchid grower who
specialises in native Dendrobium species.
Next „event‟ will be the beautiful presentation „My Obsession with
Proteaceae‟ by Lew Matthews (see book review P21).
Dendrobium kingianum x
D. bigibbum
View from Twin Falls 2008
Gareth, Ma ry. Peter & Richa rd
Shall we see you at the Friends Centre for this
presentation on Saturday 9th June at 2pm?
What you will find at the Friends Centre
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P20
Fires tar
„Doub le Delight‟
Double Delight
A saying by Cicero: „If you have a garden and a library
you have everything you need‟.
„Eyes for You‟
„Firestar‟ „Peter Brock‟
Above Sue W, Harbhajan & Sally-Anne
Photos: Leanne Ware & Sally-Anne Simankowicz
ROSE GARDEN - Sally-Anne Simankowicz
With the extreme heat of Summer over what a wonderful
time to be out and in the garden enjoying nature‟s bounty.
Whether it be weeding, planting or pruning, as we will be
doing short ly in the rose garden, try to find time to just
sit, read, relax and absorb.
Signs at Sydney BG tell their own s tory Gareth conducting a bee walk Early days from the Rosser Ga rden
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P21
Protea: a guide to cultivated species and varieties by Lewis J. Matthews
NOTE: in spite of its title, this beautiful book refers to the whole Family Proteaceae, wor ld-wide, not just
the African genus we know as Protea.
A Latitude 20 book, published in 2016 by the University of Hawai‟i,
Honolulu, this is Lewis Matthews‟ fifth book on this topic. Lew now lives
on the Gold Coast and is an Australian Plants group member of the
Friends. We thank him most sincerely for this generous donation to our
library.
F irst of a ll, it is difficult to decide whether to describe this book as a
reference book or a „coffee-table book‟. The quality of the author‟s
colour photographs which adorn each page, easily put it in the coffee-
table book c lass. However it is the depth of infor mation it contains that
makes it an excellent reference for the Proteaceae.
This ancient family contains more than 850 species (in 42 genera)
from Australia, 400 species (in 14 genera) in Africa, 90 species in
Central and Southern America while the rest of the 1500 species are
scattered through Madagascar, New Guinea, New Caledonia, SE Asia,
China, India and New Zealand. It is an exciting experience to see
representatives of all these Gondwanan plants brought together here.
The first sections of the book deal with the requirements for successful
cultivation of the Proteaceae (site selection, weeds, pruning, pests and
propagation), their uses in the garden (inc luding lists of various-height plants
from ground-covers to the trees in the „screening‟ and „shelter‟ sections, and in the genera descriptions).
Planting for seasonal colour and picking, and their value as bird-attractors and cut flowers are a lso
highlighted.
The main section of the book is an alphabetical listing of genera with descriptions of the characteristics of
many species, varieties and garden hybrids from Adenanthos, through A lloxylon, Banksia, Buckinghamia,
Dryandra, Grevillea, Hakea, Isopogon, Lomatia, Macadamia and Persoonia, to Stenocarpus and Telopea –
and those are just the Australian genera!
Finally, there is a comprehensive g lossary, a list of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta with significant
collections of Proteaceae, wholesale and retail nurseries (inc luding mail-order) and Protea Associations
around the wor ld.
Importantly, there is a lso a link to the online library of the author‟s professional images available at:
www.matthewsbotanicalimages.com
Details:
216 pages
over 350 colour photos
index
ISBN 9780824856700
Book Review ~ with Lyn Reilly
Paper wasp nest Grevillea ‘Blood O range’ Pic Laura
Flow ers by Friends
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P22
Butterflies & Moths in the Gardens ~
Josephine Romeo It has been very exciting this Autumn with the
discovery of the Caterpillar of the Richmond
Birdwing Butterfly on the Birdwing Vine Plant
(Pararistolochia praevenosa) which grows on the
fence bet ween the units and the gardens in the
Mangroves to Mountains area. I have not been able
to find where it has pupated but they usually leave
the vine so it may be anywhere. It will not hatch
until October now but we can look forward to more
visits from the Butterfly in Spring. There have been many small grass yellow Butterflies
around lately which can often be found on the Paper
Daisies near the Friends Centre. The white Jezebels
are a lso around during Autumn. As winter
approaches, there is not much action from the
Butterflies. Butterflies are cold blooded insects and
migrate north to war mer areas in winter or spend
winter as a Caterpillar or Pupa. The Butterfly Trail Walk for the Public is held on the
first Tuesday of the month, meeting at 9am at the
Friends Centre. The next one will be on 7th August
(not on during the winter months of June and July).
I usually do the walk on a week ly basis for C limate
Watch recording and Friends are quite welcome to
join me. There were quite a few visitors joining us
on the Walk during the Commonwealth Games
which was encouraging. I have included the Moths in the research I am
doing now in the Gardens as there are quite a few.
We found many of these colourful caterpillars on
the Orchrosia minima. I hatched a couple at home
and they are these scary looking Hawk Moths.
Saturday 6th
October, 2018 Emerald Lakes
Golf Club
20th Anniversary Dinner20th Anniversary Dinner
20th Anniversary Dinner20th Anniversary Dinner20th Anniversary Dinner
Celebrating the Past
Looking Towards the Future
Save the
date
Friends of Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens Inc Growing Matters Winter 2018 P23
DICK’s CHALLENGE #12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8
9 10
11
12 13 14 15
16
17 18
19 20 21
22
23 24 25 26
27 28
29
30 31
Across
1 Famous Australian poet, author & environmentalist
(surname)
4 Feather leaved herb, great on your fish or sa lad
8 Historic town on the Murray river
9 ..... flower, perennial white, pink or mauve flowers
common in GCRBG
10 An „airwalk‟ on the Avon Valley, Tasmania
11 A small is land
12 „of the South‟
15 Darling ....., rich Q ld agricultural region
17 A bud under the bark of a tree which can sprout
after a fire
18 „Alt ernative‟ town of northern NSW
19 Communication between different people or parties
20 ...... Point, the First F leet‟s astronomer for whom a
Sydney suburb is named
22 A small is land for med on a Coral Reef
23 .... Point, suburb of the Redc liffe peninsular
25 A sharp protective structure on a plant
27 One of the threatened cockatoos
29 The prongs on a garden fork
30 A microc limate can create this in your garden
31 Matthew Flinders‟ Botanical artist
Down
1 ...... line an ecological dividing line to
Australia‟s north
2 HMS ......... in which Matthew Flinders
circumnavigated Australia
3 Meaning „four‟
4 Bjarne ..... Norwegian forester and GCRBG
benefactor
5 Australia‟s south-western Cape
6 ........ Bush, NSW native shrub, red/pink
flowers in December
7 Damage to leaves and stems from insect
infestation
13 Underground parts of a plant
14 Spectacular National Park adjoining the
Gold Coast
15 Describes relatively few Australian trees
16 ....... Mountains, Australia‟s highest
19 Author of The Drover‟s Wife‟
21 Pandorea Vine
24 Eucalyptus cornuta, endemic to WA
26 Rose genus
28 To take action in law
Guided Walks - June 2018 to June 2019
Month Description of walk
June
2018
The World‟s Most Remarkabl e Tree – Com e and
walk amongst the world‟s most remarkable trees and
realise why our gum tree deserves that fant astic
nomination.
July
2018
Stepping Back in Time – Find out more about the
history, the people and the plants that have survived
for more than a century.
August
2018
Yugambeh – The Story of Our Country – Discover
plants that sust ained Aboriginal Australi ans for
thousands of years.
Month Description of walk
Sept
2018
This Fragile World – Take a “ rare walk” through the
Endangered Plant Trail & find out why the Ormeau
Bottle Tree and others have becom e endangered in
October
2018
Spring is here! What‟s in flower? – Walk through the
Mangroves to Mount ains loop and the Horticultural
Display Gardens where the rose garden is blooming.
Nov
2018
Destination Bushfoods Gardens – Taste the delights
of Australian bushfoods and let us introduce you to
some of the plants from whi ch native fruits com e.
Dec
2018
A Saunter for the Senses - Stimulate all 5 senses
whilst discovering the Rotary Sensory Garden and
the Closed Forest Gorge (held only on Sunday 2nd
January Due to high summer heat and humidity, there will be
no guided walks in January.
February
2019
Beat the heat and save your feet – a virtual tour of
the Botani c Gardens will be held in the air-
conditioned Fri ends Cent re inst ead of the guided
March
2019
Be Upli ft ed – Familiarise yoursel f with som e of the
amazing vegetation that is found in the beauti ful
April
2019
The Banksia Woodl and – This heathl and ecosystem
covered much of the local coast al area before the
advent of agriculture and pastoralism on the coast.
May
2019
A Discovery of History and Horti culture- Find out
about its diverse past and the living collection of this
June
2019 The World‟s Most Remarkabl e Tree .
** PO Box 5653 GCMC QLD 9726 ** Email: [email protected] **Web: www.friendsgcrbg.org.au
** Ph: 0449 561 674 ** www.facebook.com/friendsgcrbg ** 230 Ashmore Road Benowa 4217
Our thanks to City of
Gold Coast Council for
their continued
assistance with this
News letter.
coffee at the ga rdens
FbF Mother‟s Day Arrangement
Sherwood Probus „doing it on their
own‟
Enjoying refreshments and the view from
the verandah
Dick’s Challenge # 12 Solution
Across: 1. Wright 4. Dill 8. Echuca 9. Love 10. Tahune 11. Isle
12. Austral 15. Downs 17. Epicormic 18. Nimbin 19. Liaison
20. Dawes 22. Cay 23. Woody 25. Thorn 27. Glossy 29. Tynes
30. Niche 31. Bauer
Down: 1. Wallace 2. Investigator 3. Tetra 4. Dahl 5. Leeuwin
6. Christmas 7. Scale 13 Roots 14 Lamington 15. Deciduous
16. Snowy 19. Lawson 21 Wonga 24. Yate 26. Rosa 28. Sue