Hotel Native Gardens
Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’
Autumn has brought a feeling of calm to the native gardens surrounding the hotel and gardener, Rob Glazebrook has begun concentrating on renewed plantings and bed renovation. The dense, deep pink spiralling needles of the Hakea flowers are beginning to bloom and the Correa are producing abundant red and yellow bell-shaped flowers.
Correa Reflexa is sometimes referred to
as ‘Native Fuchsia’
The multi-coloured flowers of the many species of Eremophilia located throughout the grounds are producing a range of flowers in orange, pink, yellow and deep red that are attracting honey eating birds and insects. The Eremophila species, commonly called "emu bushes", are endemic to Australia and after flowering, produce fleshy fruits often eaten by birds and animals. The unusual common name derives from the erroneous belief that the fruits are commonly eaten by emus and that the chemical changes that occur in the seed during digestion assist in seed germination. In fact, the fruits of relatively few species of this native plant are eaten by emus and the time of passage through a bird is insufficient to affect germination.
Eremophila calorhabdos or
‘Beautiful Wand’. The stiff,
upright foliage produces
pink flowers
One of the few deciduous Australian natives, the Melia trees that provide shady cover for guests' cars during summer have finished flowering and their small leaves are now turning yellow and shedding as the trees also begin to produce large clusters of small round yellow berries. Melias, also known as ‘White Cedars' are popular ornamental trees that produce fragrant lilac flowers before fruiting, however can be high maintenance for gardeners. Interestingly, the berries, although eaten by birds, are poisonous to humans.
The leaves of the Melia or ‘White Cedar’
are beginning to turn yellow
Join Royal Mail gardener, Rob Glazebrook as he conducts tours of the native gardens surrounding the hotel on the first weekend of every month as part of Dunkeld Open Gardens and Galleries. Upcoming dates include Saturday June 6, Sunday July 4 and then the first Sunday of every month. $5 per person. Contact reception on (03) 5577 2241 for bookings.