Initially admired from the deck of the Visitor Centre, the Rock Garden – the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – clings to a natural hillside, zigzagged by steps and pathways along stone-walled terraces. Strewn with boulders, it features representations of rocky and alpine plant communities from around the world, grouped geographically with South and North American, African, Australian, Eurasian and New Zealand sections.
Most prominent is a vast collection of Proteaceae, a family found exclusively throughout the Southern Hemisphere that includes Australian waratahs, grevilleas and banksias as well as a significant collection of South African proteas, at their most spectacular in late winter with their feathery hues of pink, white and gold. With the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden having a similar climate to South Africa’s Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden – the only other botanic garden found within a UNESCO World Heritage site - the aim is to strengthen ties with them and to build up the collection of proteas to be the best in Australia.
Waratahs are one of our most spectacular native plants, a blaze of colour during their late spring flowering season. The signature red Telopea speciosissima – the floral emblem of NSW - can be admired amongst wild-collected specimens of the four other species of Telopeas, along with various waratah cultivars in the Rock Garden.
At the base of the Rock Garden you’ll find one of the Garden’s most impressive and surprising showstoppers – South American puyas, most notably Puya alpestris ssp. zeollneri, with their alien-like turquoise flowers atop two-metre tall spikes. Hailing from the Patagonian region of Chile, these ‘Sapphire Towers’, can take from seven to 10 years to bloom and attract a plethora of birdlife such as honeyeaters and spinebills when at their dazzling peak in early summer.
To enhance this otherworldly display, several different species of Puya have recently been planted in this section of the rock garden, including a giant Puya with a six-metre stalk, and one boasting a florescent yellow flower. These may take more than seven years to bloom – so watch this space!