Blue Mountains Botanic Garden

from The Gardens Magazine Winter 2022, Issue 133

Rebuilding a War Zone The

WINTER BLOOMS BRIGHT

SHORTER DAYS AND SOFTER LIGHT REVEAL THE COOL BEAUTY OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN. SENIOR HORTICULTURIST MARION WHITEHEAD REPORTS.

After the drama and vibrant colours of autumn, it can feel a little sad to be surrounded by the bare branches of winter at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. When the cooler months arrive, however, the intricate architecture of the deciduous trees is suddenly visible, and the softer winter light falls on the lawns and woodlands in a different way.

If you know where to look, it’s also an opportunity to marvel at the Garden’s winter flowering wonders, which bring their own subtle magic to the shorter days. Following are some my favourites.

Hamamelis × Intermedia Hamamelis are often called Witch Hazel - a name that derives not from the plant’s magical abilities to treat mild skin conditions and leave you glowing with good health, but from the Old English ‘wice’, meaning pliant or bendable. The botanical name Hamamelis means ‘together with fruit’, as their flowers bloom at the same time as their previous year’s fruit matures. Their winter blooming flowers are unique, characterised by very fine, crinkly strap-shaped petals that catch the low winter sun and appear to blaze in the afternoon light. Found throughout the Brunet Garden and in the Jungle Lodge, the Blue Mountain Botanic Garden’s Hamamelis collection is a highlight of the cooler months.

Chimonanthus praecox Commonly known as Wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox hold clusters of delicate cream-petaled, maroon-centred flowers on their bare branches, which catch the sunlight and seem to shine like fairy lights on icy winter days. Luring you up the path in the Blue Mountain Botanic Garden’s Residence Garden, Chimonanthus praecox emit a smell similar to jonquils or lemons, which hangs in the air and is often smelt well before you lay eyes on the sprawling shrub itself. Edgeworthia chrystantha Dotted throughout the wooded areas of the Brunet Meadow, and a close relative of Daphne, Edgeworthia brings a great deal of winter interest to the area. With spherical inflorescences that are half orange and half white held aloft on bare branches, the Edgeworthia look as though they are holding hundreds of tiny paper lanterns on their naked stems. These flowers emerge from soft, silver buds which form in late summer and are delicately scented. Edgeworthia is commonly known as Paperbush, as the bark is used to make washi, a high quality Japanese paper.

Daphne genkwa While Daphne odora often get all the attention with their divine winter scent, Daphne genkwa put on a spectacular show of hundreds of small light-purple flowers on their bare branches. Flowering in late winter into early spring, Daphne genkwa grace the side of the pathway at the bottom of the Eurasian Woodland and are a frothy lilac delight in the depths of the steely Mount Tomah winter.

Cercis canadensis subsp. texensis Aptly known as Redbuds, Cercis bare reddish-pink buds on their naked branches before the warmer days of spring arrive. A member of the leguminous family Fabaceae, Cercis canadensis subsp. texensis is naturally occurring from southern Oklahoma, through central Texas to northeastern Mexico. Surrounded by wintery-blue and grey basalt, the specimen that graces the lower Formal Garden was wild collected and is a pleasing pink, taking pride of place opposite the Visitor Centre and welcoming guests to the Garden in the depths of winter.