The amazing floral wall at The Calyx inside Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

Located at the southern end of Sydney Royal Botanic Garden is an amazing floral wall display in The Calyx.

The Calyx — Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

It is one of the largest vertical green walls in the Southern Hemisphere according to the Botanic Garden website.

The flower wall — The Calyx — Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

“The circular component of the project, which spatially defines the entry, is made from a series of steel frames that open out in a radial shape towards the sky, much like the face of an open bloom” – PTW Architects website.

For each new theme on the wall, horticulturists use 18,000 plants for their year-round displays.

In a documentary that plays inside The Calyx, Senior Horticulturist Kayte Wilkie, says she uses a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet to create her map for each new display.

“We wanted the wall to look like a piece of art.”

The Floral Wall

“The heart of the Calyx is an amazing living artwork — Incorporating 18,000 plants! Each is carefully chosen and positioned to create a unified image. It takes many hours of work by our horticultural team to assemble and maintain its beauty. Around 6,000 plants are Heuchera, in an assortment of colours from lemon to caramel, peppermint to peach. Their kaleidoscope range is thanks to Don Heims, an American plant breeder who began crossbreeding around thirty years ago. Called ‘the plant of the century’, colourful Heuchera are now available worldwide, disease-resistant and grow well in sunny or shady gardens” — Words on display at the Calyx.

On display when I visited was the inBLOOM exhibition. Apparently 20,000 plants were used for this display.

The entry fee into The Calyx is by a $5 donation – payable at the front door. There are some chairs inside, and cafe with tables and chairs near the glasshouse.

Front reception — The Calyx — Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

The Royal Botanic Gardens is located on the eastern side of Sydney’s CBD and is easy to access. There are bus and train services a few blocks away – the closest train station is located at Martin Place.