Interesting and Unusual

The Wollemi Pine ( Wollemia nobilis) is one of the oldest and rarest plants in the world. Samples have been found in fossils dating back 90 million years (the days of Tyrannosaurus Rex). Today only 100 mature trees exist in the wild. They were discovered in 1994, growing in a remote location in Australia. This specimen was given to the garden by the United States Botanic Garden. (information posted by Norfolk Botanical Garden on sign)

I’ve never seen Crepe Myrtles trained and pruned like this before. There was a long border of these used as a decorative fence of sorts. Isn’t this an interesting living divider? The branches seem to be braided or weaved together. I can’t imagine how long this must of took.

This Century Plant Agave americana is native to Mexico and Texas. This was growing in the desert garden at the Botanical Garden. I should of had my husband stand next to it when I took this picture so you could get a real idea of the size of this plant. Look at the trees behind it for a better perspective of the size of this thing. These plants can live up to 25 years and dies after flowering leaving little suckers to continue the cycle. The leaves grow to about 6 ft in length and the plants flower stalk can grow up to 25 feet in height.

This Pineapple (Ananas comosus) was growing in the children’s garden area. I had never seen a pineapple plant up close before, and I thought that the children probably found this fasinating.