1 n 2.ongaoffin

3w

4juCA

5tabu

. Start at the Visitor Centre doors and walk orth (right) 10 metres towards the Lily Pond: Casuarina (Allocasuarina monilifera) This plant is native to dry areas in Tasmania and Victoria. Its leaves are barely visible, but you can feel them as ridges along the needle stems.

Stay on this path until you come to the steps your right. Walk down and follow the curve of the rden bed at the front of the restaurant. At the edge the bed, on either side of the concrete path you will d:

Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha). Native to Mexico and tropical America. This low bush has purple and mauve flowers and hairy foliage.

. Continue past the building to the small narrow bed ith a low wall behind it:

Large flowered tea tree (Leptospermum grandiflorum) A plant native to Tasmania and easy to recognise due to its soft, grey foliage. Over summer it is covered in large white flowers.

. Continue towards the Conservatory. At the nction of the two main paths outside the onservatory, you will find a triangular garden bed. t the point furthest from the Conservatory: Golden Thyme (Thymus serpyllum ‘Aureus’).

This tightly packed ground cover is native to Northern Europe. Its prostrate form protects it from harsh winds and the under leaves are able to retain moisture successfully.

. Go into the Conservatory Garden, turn right and ke the path around the upper side of the ilding. On the raised terrace bed to the right:

Josephine’s Lily (Brunsvigia josephinae) Native to South Africa, this striking, winter dormant bulb produces tall flowering stems in late summer. These are followed by impressive green straplike leaves.

6. Walk along the path above the conservatory, two thirds along the building: Heather ( Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Queen’) This European native has very small grey leaves covered in fine hairs.

7. Continue to beyond the end of the building. Look to the upper bed on your right: Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa) Native to Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.This large shrub (grows 1-4 metres) produces russet-yellow flowers that resemble hair rollers. 8. Walk around the Syme Fountain to the curved stone seat, turn left and walk 3 metres towards the Cactus House (a great source of drought tolerant plants in its own right). On your right: Gazania (Gazania ‘Variegata’). This South African ground cover is another tightly packed, prostrate variety. It has small, blade-like grey leaves with white underleaves. The underleaves are very hairy and help the plant conserve water. 9. Continue towards the Cactus House to the new Rain Garden – opened in 2005. On your right: White Kunzea (Kunzea ambigua) This attractive shrub is native to Tasmania, Victoria and NSW. It grows in coastal areas and has copious amounts of creamy, honey scented flowers in late Spring. 10. To conclude this walk, retrace your steps and continue to the Herb Garden behind the Subantarctic Plant House. Go to the raised square garden bed in the centre: Italian Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), a native of the Mediterranean is circling the roses. The hairy stems and leaves evident are similar to many plants in the herb garden, many are also excellent in dry conditions.

A self-guided tour of selected plants in the Botanical Gardens

Water is the world’s most valuable resource. In Australia gardening is one of our most popular pleasures and we need to make sure that we garden in ways that don’t over-use or waste water. There are many attractive plants, both native and exotic, that will grow well with minimal watering. You can use the map over-leaf to locate just a few of the drought-resistant shrubs and ground-covers planted in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. This walk begins at the entrance to the Visitor Centre and will take around 20 minutes to complete. Along the way, look out for other plants that possess drought tolerant characteristics, such as: • Needle-like stems with barely visible leaves

(the smaller the surface area of leaf, the better the plant’s efficiency in dry conditions).

• Grey, hairy foliage and leaves with hairy under-sides.

• Tightly packed foliage, often prostrate (horizontal on the ground).

• Species that originate from dry climates such as Africa and the Mediterranean.

• Many conifer species. • Plants that have water storing capacity in the

form of bulbs, corms or rhizomes. Revised October 2005

Gardening without

water waste

Glasshouse

Glasshouse

ShadeclothArea

Office

Glasshouse

10m

9

Rain Garden

6

78

GARDENING WITHOUT WATER WASTE

4

5

1

1 Allocasuarina monilifera2 Salvia leucantha3 Leptospermum grandiflorum4 Thymus serpyllum5 Brunsvigia josephinae6 Calluna vulgaris 'Silver Queen'7 Banksia spinulosa8 Gazania 'Variegata'9 Kunzea ambigua10 Lavandula stoechas

'Aureus'

2

10

3 FFF

Main G

ate

Administration

Easy Access Garden

Pete's Vegie Patch

Training Centre

Cactus House

FuchsiaHouse

Main Lawn

Conservatory

FriendsCottage

Visitor Centre

LilyPond

SubantarcticPlant HouseHerb

Epacrids