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> RBG Melbourne > Garden Features > Southern Chinese
 

Southern Chinese

Meander along the winding path to see the many wild collected, some weird some wonderful rare and common plants from South China.

China has 1/8th of the worlds plants. Many of these are important in Chinese culture and have been cultivated and celebrated in art and everyday life for centuries. Some plants are medicinal or useful for fiber or festivals and others are highly ornamental.

Although not a traditional Chinese garden, the layout uses elements of Chinese garden design. Views to the Ornamental Lake reveal still water reflecting the surrounding landscape.

 

Key Plants
Curator Notes
History  


Key Plants

Prunus mume ‘Alboplena' 

Earliest blooming scented Cherry Blossom  

Magnolia denudata

Exquisite white flowers on bare stems  

Arisaema franchetianum  

Puppet-like flower from corm  

Alniphyllum fortunei  

Spring flowering deciduous tree, Styraceae  

Sarcococca ruscifolia var chinensis

Hardy evergreen shrub for shade. Winter perfume  

Salvia miltiorrhiza    

Traditional Chinese Medicinal herb. Purple Flowers in early summer  

Boehmeria nivea

Silver leaved fiber shrub  

Camellia granthamiana

Rare Camellia from Hong Kong big white flowers  

Metapanax delavayi  

Elegant evergreen dainty rare shrub for shade

Michelia x alba  

Evergreen tree, highly perfumed flowers  

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Curator Notes

  1. Beauty Bush Kolkwitzea amabilis is now rare in the wild.
  2. Feed Tree Peonies as new growth unfolds. Keep well mulched during summer
  3. After flowering remove old stems from Iris confuse, I. japonica and I.tectorum

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History 

  • The RBG has grown Chinese plants for 150 years. Thanks to support from the Sidney Myer Fund and Mr Bob Cherry this Collection was developed in 1999. Hundreds of plants collected in Yunnan, China by RBG staff during the 1990's were introduced. survived.

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Image


Best Viewed

October -November for Peonies & Kolkwitzia, Alniphyllum & Syringa.
December -February for Michelia alba, Arisaema
June- July for Magnolia denudata, Prunus mume ‘Albo Plena' & Camellia species

Location

Sinojackia Bed, Southern Chinese Bed, Grey Oak Bed, Ailanthus Bed, Mulberry Bed.

Hundreds of Chinese plants can be found within other Collections eg. Herb Garden, Viburnum and Rose Species, Bamboo and Camellia Collections as well as in the general landscape of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Southern Chines Collection

Alexandra Avenue near H gate
Visitor Map 

Grow

 

Aspidistra elatior  

 

Ophiopogon jaburan ‘Vittatus'  

 

Mahonia japonica ‘Bealei'  

 

Daphne odora  

 

Trachycarpus fortunei  

 

Camellia grijsii  

 

Sarcococca ruscifolia var chinensis

Hardy evergreen shrub for shade. Winter perfume

 

Plant Census


Find out what plants grow at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

 

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Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne incorporates the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne and the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology.