As I write we are enduring the 27th Floriade but there is another far older, far more discerning Canberra floral celebration that occurs while Floriade is doing its vulgar, contrived worst in Commonwealth Park.
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This spring's Black Mountain Wildflower Ramble on 11 October, will be the 43rd of these enlightened and enlightening excursions. The 43rd! By young Canberra's standards that's a great age.
Flowers the 11 October ramblers should see and rejoice over include those of the heavenly blue Nodding Blue Lily Stypandra glauca and of all sorts of "Bacon and Eggs" pea-flower species such as Dillwynia sericea.
Back to the venerable Ramble in a moment but first I report that God is very disappointed, He instructs me, by the way in which misguided millions flock to artificial, man-made Floriade. Meanwhile, He grumbles, these hordes ignore the way in which He has randomly and artistically sprinkled nearby Black Mountain with a natural superabundance of wild flowers unique to Australia.
"I've a good mind," He seemed to me to muse while I was speaking to Him on his Royal Telephone (I was at St John's in Reid, praying in vain for Him to guide the Scots to vote YES) "to smite Floriade with a plague of locusts, like unto the way in which I smote Egypt. Floriade is an abomination."
"Yes. Go for it!" I begged Him. I did think "abomination" a little strong, but I knew where He was coming from. For some of us regimented, bird-repelling, butterfly-horrifying Floriade is contrary to everything we believe that gardens and gardening should be about. Over the years this column has been an informal support group/confessional for Canberrans who need someone to confide in, anonymously, the treason of how much they dislike this economically important, tourist magnet of an event. Only in recent days a man, a shy native flower enthusiast (still shuddering at the recollection of a Floriade he did once go to) has confided to me that last weekend he plucked up the courage to decline to accompany his wife to Floriade. But his marriage seems to have survived, he sighed to me with relief.
Yes, every year at the same time that Floriade is underway Black Mountain's rich flora, planted by God/Nature, struts its discreetly spectacular stuff. One Ramble organiser, Jean Geue rejoices to us, poetically, that the mountain is "The jewel in the crown of Canberra Nature Park."
In his scholarly Trees and Shrubs of Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie and Mount Majura Laurence Adams says that while the vegetation of Black Mountain is "generally similar" to what's upholstering Mounts Ainslie and Majura in fact Black Mountain has "a significantly richer shrub and herbaceous flora". He thinks this is bound to be because Black Mountain is geologically far older than the other two and is made mainly of fine-grained quartz sandstone while the others, geological adolescents, are made of "younger acidic volcanics". Black Mountain's relative floral riches are because it has soils derived from sandstone.
Jean Geue says that the Ramble is a considerable outing, attracting folk from all sorts of organisations including Friends of Black Mountain, University of the Third Age, the Field Naturalists (they sound as if they may be nudists but in fact they're not), Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the National Parks Association and unattached ramblers and natural history enthusiasts galore.
The Ramble is she says "in the tradition of [legendary botanists] Nancy Burbidge and George Chippendale, going out to celebrate the spring flowering".
She promises ramblers "will discover the surprising diversity of tiny orchids, bush peas, wattles and billy buttons, with experienced guides".
"Following the tradition set by Nancy and George, this will be a social occasion with a morning tea break (BYO), relatively easy bush tracks and good company. All welcome. Bring your friends especially those who are new to plant identification. BYO morning tea, hat, sunblock, water and stout shoes, and please book at friendsofblackmountain@gmail.com so we can be sure to have enough guides."
The 43rd annual Black Mountain Wildflower Ramble is on Saturday 11 October, from 9.30am (sharp) until noon or later. Gather (look for the gay balloons) at the Belconnen Way entry to the mountain, just before the Caswell Drive turnoff.
