Spring Colour

Peacehaven’s colour is more subtle than Toowoomba's Carnival but just as lovely.

The Gymea Lily, Doryanthes excelsa, living up to its ‘exceptional’ name shines like a light in the afternoon sun. You’ll find it in the island bed near the rotunda. This species of Doryanthes is from the Sydney area, but you’ll find our local species, D. palmeri, near the dry creek. 

Gymea Lily

The exceptional flowers

Spear Lily, Doryanthes palmeri

Bleeding Heart, Homalanthus populifolius, is hiding in the rainforest beside the dry creek. It is a small tree beautifully suited to our gardens with its delicate heart-shaped foliage. Also the fruit is relished by a variety of native birds including rainforest pigeons, bowerbirds, honeyeaters, currawongs, orioles and silvereyes. 

What colour!

Bleeding Heart 

On the other side of the rainforest nearer the southerly fence is the Syzygium wilsonii, Powderpuff Lillypilly. Right now its new foliage is a startling garnet-red against the older green leaves. The buds are a similar colour and will be beautiful rich red powder puffs before long. Go look for it on your walk. 

Powderpuff Lillypilly new foliage

Powderpuff Lillypilly buds

More shining jewels are nearby in the purple fruits of the Callicarpa pedunculata, Velvet Leaf or Beautyberry. This species comes from north Queensland where some were collected by the botanists on the Endeavour.

Velvet Leaf

In the section of the park close to Scott St, the Rusty Kurrajong, Brachychiton bidwillii, is flowering in the Brachychiton collection. It loses its leaves before flowering which makes the colour even more startling. What a lovely tree to have in your garden, and they are frost and drought tolerant from a very early age. 

Rusty Kurrajong flower

The young Rusty Kurrajong

The dry rainforest collection has little gems of its own. Beside the path is Elaeocarpus obovatus known as Blueberry Ash, Freckled Oliveberry or Hard Quandong. (Now you know why botanists use the scientific names!) You will need to go up close to see the detail of its lovely fringed bells. 

Flower detail

Massed blooms

Elaeocarpus obovatus

Or hidden in the foliage of the Deep Yellow Wood, Rhodosphaera rhodanthema, are these exquisite little flowers. The fruit will become a shiny, deep chestnut-brown.

Deep Yellow Wood flowers

Deep Yellow Wood Tree

Stump in Time

Today our stump was sliced so that the rings will be easily seen in the new display. David Harriman from Colonial Woodcrafts near Kingsthorpe used his portable sawmill. The first slice exposed live termites so more slices were taken off until there was a smooth surface.

David Harriman and the portable sawmill.

Sawdust flying as the stump is cut.

Removing the slice.

The rings are very clear and will make a good display. We had the stump treated for the white ants. It is now covered with a tarp and must stay that way so Peacehaven's native bees don't go near it or they could poison their hive and wipe it out. The stump will stay covered for a fortnight. Then the surface will be sanded and sealed.

Keith from the Friends of Peacehaven sweeping the stump
to reveal the rings.

For more about Colonial Woodcrafts check out the 2011 Studio Safari brochure, click here.

For those of you who are wondering about the rose garden this is being relocated to a more suitable area in the park. At the moment the roses are being carefully tended by council staff until a new garden is ready. 

Changes at Peacehaven

You may have seen some new work being done around the park lately. 

Firstly the mound has been lowered. The peace mound was an important element in stage 1 of Peacehaven's master plan. However after six years of trial and error it was obvious that any water just drained away instantly because the mound was too steep. The new plantings in the peace circle should reinvigorate this part of the park.  

     

The new look for the peace mound.

The mound in 2007

Not looking its best in July 2011

Stump in Time: This is the stump of a large unhealthy gum which was removed for public safety before the park was opened. Its useful life is not over though as The Friends applied for a grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund to turn this old giant into a 'time capsule' showing how long large trees take to grow. The surface will be smoothed, oiled and protected, and a number of growth rings labelled with historical events. There will be seats and an information display while the concrete path will allow visitors a closer look. Keep an eye on the progress of this project.

Starting the "Stump in Time" project.

The bells are ringing at Peacehaven

The bells on our wonga vine, Ruby Belle, that is. 

The glorious Wonga Vine, Ruby Belle,
climbing over the fence behind the Old Dairy.

Wonga Wonga Vine Pandorea pandorana is a native of the Darling Downs, as well as most of Australia. Ruby Belle is a beautiful red cultivar. 

The bells of Ruby Belle.

The flower colours of the Wonga vary from cream to brown but all have some purple in the throat. 

It loves full sun as you can see with the specimen at Peacehaven. 

Although it has a short flowering season the shiny green foliage makes an excellent screen at other times of the year.

If it is pruned after flowering its scrambling habit is kept in check.

 To learn more about Pandorea pandorana, click here