• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Port Places

Transition & transformation in Port Melbourne, Fishermans Bend & Docklands

  • Home
  • About
  • All posts
  • Fishermans Bend & Montague
  • Port & South Melbourne
  • Docklands & Southbank
  • Webb Dock & Port of Melbourne
  • Yarra & Bay
  • Port Walks
  • Get in touch

Flowering gums

January 21, 2015 by JanetBolitho Leave a Comment

For years I’ve been a snob about flowering gums. They were so brash, so bright, so harsh. They weren’t locally indigenous. But this season, I changed my mind.

Just when everything in nature seems to be turning to brown, the flowering gums let loose with colour.

The Danks St median in Albert Park is ablaze with flowering gums of various sizes and colours – orange, red and pink. It’s alive with feasting bees and screeching lorikeets flying low and horizontal between the trees. On grey dull days, the trees light up the suburb’s streets.

Take a closer look

The trees shape also seems to become more definite and sculptural when they are in flower as if arranged for floral display.

Only a wowser could take exception to so much colour, abundance and life.

The flowering gum’s proper name is Corymbia ficifolia… a “corymb” referring to floral clusters where all flowers branch from the stem at different levels but ultimately terminate at about the same level.

Until ten years ago, the median in Danks St between Pickles St and Esplanade East was used for carparking.

Resistance to the removal of parking was intense. New trees have been planted, and although some of them are struggling in the summer heat, a median edged with flowering gums gives much more joy.

 

Filed Under: Port & South Melbourne Tagged With: trees

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Search this website

Explorations in Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend

Subscribe to Port Places by Email

Privacy Policy

Port Places respectfully acknowledges the Yaluk-ut Weelam Clan of the Boon Wurrung of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders –  past and present. We acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.

 

Copyright © 2021 · Atmosphere Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in