Download Some botanical highlights in the Gardens – January 2016

Some botanical highlights in the Gardens – January 2016
The numbers refer to the gardens as shown on your map.
Other people may have daffodils in their gardens but we have a remarkable variety of plants in trhe Gardens which
will continue to flower so long as the frosts hold off. Chris’ count of 287 plants in flower on New Year’s Day is
testament to the floral diversity on display. Magnolia campbelli alba, M.campbelli Charles Raffill (pink) and Magnolia
salicifolius Wada’s Memory, are already flowering in the Hydrangea Dell. That in itself is worthy of a visit but here
are some other things to look out.
On the South African Terrace (3), bushes of yellow flowered Daisy Bushes (Euryops) continue to put on a good show.
The showy bushes of white flowered African Hemp, Sparmannia africana, are spectacular. This shrub is native to
South Africa and Madagascar and is usually grown as a houseplant in this country. It is very rare to see bushes of this
size growing outdoors in this country. It bears clusters of white flowers each with a central mass of red and yellow
stamens which are sensitive to touch in warm weather. When an insect or finger brushes against the mass of
stamens, they puff out even further. This is an aid to pollination, ensuring that the visiting insects get covered by
pollen.
Also worth looking out for are the mounds of foliage bearing purple flowers of a species of Strobilanthus, possibly a
late flowering form of S. atropurpureus growing in the vicinity of the bench below the low wall. This is an Asian
species, so it does not really belong here, but it does lend a touch of exotic colour to the garden at this time of year.
In the Australian Garden (4) some of the Acacia species are coming into flower. Mimosas (Acacia dealbata) are
starting to flower in many gardens on the Island. On the rising bank to your left after you have passed Bob’s Bridge,
look out for the Wallangarra Wattle, Acacia adunca. This one is distinguished by long, narrow ‘leaves’ which are
technically phyllodes or long narrow flattened leaf stalks that function as leaves. It is native to the tablelands of
southern Queensland and northern New South Wales where it experiences winter frosts.
In the Americas, the Drimys winteri trees are now coming into flower, a native of Chile and Argentina where it is a
dominant tree in the temperate coastal evergreen rainforests. When Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world in
1577-80, of the four ships accompanying the Golden Hind at the outset, the only ship that successfully rounded Cape
Horn with him was the Elizabeth, captained by John Winter. The two ships separated in a storm and Winter turned
back. Presumably, he had sea sickness on board, for he sent a boat ashore to search out medicinal herbs. He
returned in 1579 with a supply of Drimys bark and, for centuries before vitamin C was isolated, ‘Winter’s Bark’ was
esteemed as a preventative and remedy for scurvy. Indeed, an infusion of the bark sustained Captain James Cook
and his crew in the South Pacific and the naturalist accompanying his voyage of exploration, Johann Reinhold
Forster, was the first to officially describe and name Drimys winteri.
On the bank below the Plantation Room Café, you will see a bush covered in pink flowers. This is the South African
Ribbon Bush, Hypoestes aristata and it will flower throughout the winter if the weather is kind. As well as being
showy and providing an important nectar source for insects, it is eaten as spinach in some parts of South Africa while
traditionally, crushed leaves are used as a poultice for sore eyes.
In the Oriental Garden (12) look out for the fine, tall flowering buddleia bush by the path alongside the lawn. Its
name, Buddleja offinalis, suggests that this is a rather ordinary plant but, in fact, it is a splendid scented winter
flowering bush generally reserved for the conservatory in this country.
In the Walled Garden (13), bushes of Giant Groundsel, Telanthophora grandifolia are starting to make an imposing
impact. The English name doesn’t sound very exciting but this oversized plant from the cloud forests of southern
Mexico is far from ordinary, with large leaves and dinner plate sized golden flower clusters. As with many of the
plants in the gardens here, elsewhere it is grown as a conservatory plant but, given room to breathe, it becomes
spectacular.
In the Olive Grove (14), there is a real treasure to seek out. Three tiny plants of Mirror Orchids, Ophrys speculum,
and a single Sawfly Orchid, Ophrys tenthredinifera, introduced this autumn, are flowering. This was an experiment
to see if some of the Mediterranean orchids would grow outdoors in this country. In their native homeland, they
flower very early in the season before the sun bakes the ground dry and it would appear that these are doing the
same here. They are located beneath of a large rock in front of the ancient olive tree. A white plastic marker denotes
the location of the group of Mirror Orchids; the Sawfly orchid is to the left and is a bit larger. Please tread very
carefully around them. There are other non-flowering orchid plants here.
This is also a good time of year to admire the many different succulents and conifer species distributed around the
gardens.
We hope you have enjoyed looking at some of the special plants
which make Ventnor Botanic Garden unique.
There is always something new to see here throughout the year
and every visit will bring new botanical surprises.