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