Celebrating Botanic Gardens Day #1

On Sunday 26 May (ie just after this posting) we will be celebrating Botanic Gardens Day. I'd love to offer you a potted history of the day but that appears to be a tightly guarded secret. After considerable and largely fruitless research I have established that it was initiated by Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ) in 2015, but that's about as much as they're prepared to divulge. It's not celebrated on the same date every year, but on the last Sunday in May. BGANZ itself (not the most elegant acronym I've ever met, but you can only work with what you've got!) was founded in 2004 and is the peak body for some 90 botanic gardens across the two countries. The idea of the day is to be an 'annual day of celebration to shed light on the role of plants in our lives and the important work botanic gardens undertake every day to conserve them for future generations', (according at least to one member garden - hello Mackay!). 

And with that I'll give up on trying to find out more about the day's origins and just get on with doing some celebrating! When we travel in regional Australia we always keep an eye out for botanic gardens (though clearly we've got a lot more to find yet!), and especially those that have an emphasis on native plants, which we find is increasingly the case as new gardens are developed. 

Here are some welcomes to visitors in regional botanic gardens across three states; in each case I'll introduce the gardens properly in due course. Overall I'll be using photos from 18 gardens today and next week, nearly all of them regional. 

North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, Coffs Harbour, north coast NSW

Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, Port Augusta, at the arid head of
Spencer Gulf, South Australia.

Entrance to the Australian section, Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens,
central southern NSW.

Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Gardens, south coast NSW.

Botanic Garden of Western Woodlands, Goondiwindi, central southern Queensland

Inevitably the range and diversity of these gardens are huge; here are some settings and scenes from three very different gardens in very different parts of the country.

Wollongong Botanic Gardens, looking up to Mount Keira on the coastal escarpment
south of Sydney. (Covers 30ha, opened 1971. More on it here in a post I wrote earlier this year.)

Even lusher are the very green tropical Darwin Botanic Gardens (more formally the George
Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens), covering 42ha and opening in 1886. (Brown worked at the
gardens as a curator from 1969 to 1990 and led the recovery effort after Cyclone Tracy.)

At the other end of the country and the other extreme of conditions is the splendid Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden (AALBG) just outside of Port Augusta at the head of Spencer Gulf in South Australia.

Looking across the site (in a very dry year) towards the visitor centre and plantings.
It looks a bit scrappy from this perspective but it really is a gem, focussing solely on
native dryland plants; for this purpose the arid lands which are home to the garden's plants
comprise that (huge) part of Australia which receives less than 300mm per annum.
The AALBG covers over 250ha and was opened in 1996.

This photo introduces a significant aspect of many regional gardens, especially the newer ones - it is common to find important elements of the original vegetation within the gardens, both as reserved sections in their own right and as complements to the plantings. As time goes on and plantings develop, the line between the two areas begins to blur. In the Arid Lands Botanic Garden my own experience there tells me that the undeveloped section is considerably larger than the area of plantings, though I can't find figures on that. Much of this comprises chenopod shrublands (saltbush and bluebush) with old Western Myalls Acacia papyrocarpa.

Old wind-bent Western Myall over a diverse understorey of chenopods.
But this isn't the only habitat preserved with the AABG grounds.

Looking out from Red Cliff Lookout across the head of Spencer Gulf
to the Flinders Range beyond. In the foreground are Grey Mangroves
Avicennia marina which are within the garden management area.

Mangroves aren't necessarily a feature of most botanic gardens but we know of a couple of others - both on the east coast - which showcase their mangroves.

This boardwalk is on the edge of the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden at Coffs Harbour
on the north coast (obviously!) of NSW. More than a place to stroll, the boardwalk features good
information on this crucial habitat. (This superb modern regional garden opened in 1988 and
has an area of 20ha, more than half of which comprises original vegetation.)

Mangroves along a boardwalk at Puckey's Estate, a coastal annexe of the
Wollongong Botanic Gardens mentioned (and linked) above.

An associated watery habitat at Puckey's Estate is this coastal saltmarsh.

Here the soil is impregnated with salt and the plants are regularly inundated by salt water.

Much further north, the Cairns Botanic Gardens has a wetland area with boardwalk too. (Some people regard the relatively small and formal Flecker Botanic Gardens as 'the' Cairns Gardens, but officially the much bigger surrounding area of some 38ha, which includes the Centenary Lakes, is all part of it.)

Swampy palm forest with huge paperbarks Melaleuca leucodendra, along the path
between the Flecker Gardens and the Centenary Lakes in Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Original vegetation may range from rainforest...

Rainforest remnants along the creek line, Wollongong Botanic Gardens.

Boardwalk through vine forest (a drier more open rainforest that occurs in high rainfall
areas which also have a well-defined dry season) in Cooktown Botanic Gardens.
(This 62ha garden began to be established in 1878 but it was an ongoing process.
It fell into disuse and disrepair in 1917 and was only restored and reopened in 1984,
featuring the original layout of the gardens. Now it's a delight, one of my favourite
parts of it being a garden featuring plant species collected there by Banks and Solander
during their enforced stay in the area in 1770 while repairs were made to
the Endeavour following its unfortunate encounter with the reef.)

... to eucalypt forest...

A scribbly gum (there are several of that name) Eucalyptus signata in original wet forest in the
North Coast  Regional Botanic Garden at Coffs Harbour (see earlier in this post).

Large eucalypts (which I'm afraid I can't identify from this photo) in the Eurobodalla
Regional Botanic Gardens just south of Batemans Bay on the south coast of NSW.
Some of the foreground trees are probably planted, but significant areas of forest are found
within the grounds. (This 42 garden was largely community-driven and volunteers play
a major role, as they do in all regional gardens. It opened in 2001, but has been
plagued by bad luck, with a bushfire destroying all buildings in 1994 before it even
opened, damaging storms and then the devastating fires of the last day of 2019
which destroyed many plantings and much infrastructure. Each time it has
been restored and this alone deserves our support, but it has always been
a most delightful destination, for plants, animals, peace and even good food and coffee!)

Drier eucalypt forest in the Wollongong Botanic Gardens; I'm not sure about
the gums, but the rough-stockinged eucalypt is Blackbutt E. pilularis.

... to dry woodland...

Woodland remnant in Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens. This 25ha gardens is a delightful
surprise (unless you've done your homework of course!) featuring plants native
to the Upper Darling River catchment; it opened in 1988. Here's a link to an
post on both these gardens, and those at Emerald which we'll get to soon.

...to mallee...

Mallee remnants in the Inland Botanic Gardens at Buronga (in NSW across
the river Murray from the larger Victorian town of Mildura).
This is an interesting garden, community- and science-driven, which opened
in 1992 in 250ha of land. A lot of this is original mallee and woodland. It's hard
to find a 'vision statement', but the emphasis is on semi-arid land flora, much of
it from other continents. (Not easy to see where the very extensive rose garden
fits in, but I guess that in such a venture compromise is necessary.) When we were
there a lot of the bushland was closed due to the very wet season, but we found
plenty to enjoy and we aim to return.

In some gardens, especially smaller ones, individual old trees feature.

Old Bangalay E. botryoides, Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Gardens in
the village of Shoalhaven Heads at the mouth of the Shoalhaven River,
south coast of NSW. At the beginning of the project, this was the only native plant
visible on the site! This remarkable little garden is squeezed into
just one hectare of land, and is entirely the work of park care volunteers.
Excellent plantings are enjoyed from a very cleverly designed set of winding
tracks which make the place seem bigger than it is! The plantings comprise species that
range north to tropical Queensland and across to the south-west of WA.
I posted about it here, back when I first discovered it.

Old Brittle Gum E. mannifera, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra.
Such trees are scattered throughout this, surely Australia's premier native plant
botanic garden - as of course it should be! There are also areas of undeveloped
original forest on the fringes. I'll be featuring it again, especially in a further post of the
wildlife of the gardens, but I wrote about it long, long ago here and here.
Because of those postings, and today's emphasis on regional gardens, I won't
be giving this gem among our national institutions the coverage that it deserves.

And in some lucky places the original vegetation doesn't have to persist only as trees or even shrubs. One such place is the famous Kings Park in central Perth, on a raised site above the River Swan. It covers an enormous 400ha, two thirds of which is bushland (though last time I was there, there was a serious weed problem that they were grappling with). It was opened in 1895.

Red and Green Kangaroo Paw Anigozanthos manglesii, the state floral emblem of course.

Carousel Spider Orchid Caladenia (or Arachnorchis) arenicola, a common
spider orchid - but still...

Large Pansy Orchid Diuris magnifica.

More expected in a botanic gardens are plantings, and of course I can't do much justice to the range of such plantings today, but here's a taster. 

 

Some plantings feature local species...

Youthful Baobabs Adansonia gregorii, Darwin Botanic Gardens.

Ferns, especially Cyathea spp., North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, Coffs Harbour.

Sturt's Desert Peas Swainsona formosa, Arid Lands BG, Port Augusta.

 

Central Australian plantings in the lovely Olive Pink BG, Alice Springs.
This 16ha garden of central Australian plants was founded in 1956.
For more about it, including the remarkable eponymous Olive Pink, see an old post of mine here.

... other plantings are from further afield...

Wallangarra White Gum E. scoparia (I'm fairly sure), from a small
area of New England, here in the Wagga Wagga BG.
These gardens cover 20ha on the lower slopes of
Willans Hill, and have more than doubled in size since opening in
1969. The native section is much smaller than that, but well worth a visit.

Palms (which I don't think are local, though most of the plantings are from the region),
Emerald Botanic Gardens, central Queensland. These are lovely gardens on the banks
of the Nogoa River, founded in 1987 and covering 42ha. Here's link to an
post I did on these gardens, plus the ones at Goondiwindi.

The new (2023) cycad collection, featuring threatened species though not all Australian,
Wollongong Botanic Gardens. More on this here.

 

Kentia Palm Howea forsteriana, which is endemic to Lord Howe Island, here at
Shoalhaven Heads BG.

The National Botanic Gardens (whose staff I sometimes suspect of having access to white magic) have created entire habitats which are seemingly at odds with a setting with frosty winters and an annual rainfall of just 600mm a year, plus notoriously clayey soils.

Rainforest gully, an extensive and extraordinary achievement.

Red Centre garden; this was taken just a year after its opening in 2013. Since then it has
developed well, then began to struggle in recent years, sadly. This may be due to some
very wet La Niña years, though there are also always issues with chronic underfunding.
More on this ambitious project here.

Of course there are nearly always some form of buildings and structures in a botanic gardens, often attractive and productive in their own right, including conservatories and glasshouses...

Conservatory in Cairns Botanic Gardens, a magnificent space which supports an
array of animals (see more next week).

Cactus collection in the Sir Joseph Banks Glasshouse, Wollongong BG.

... visitor centres, which often include a cafe ....

The approach from the carpark to the visitor centre and cafe,
Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens.

Visitor centre and cafe, Cooktown Botanic Gardens.
Below is a view of the very attractive cafe deck.

Some of the more informal cafe seating at the delightful Olive Pink Botanic Gardens,
Alice Springs. (This is a very nice cafe with more formal seating too; see next photo.)

... most gardens have various shelters and seating for picnics...

Emerald Botanic Gardens.

Actually this one at Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens is more like a bandstand!

... and some of the more enlightened gardens even have bird hides!

This hide at the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens at Port Augusta
looks into a small artificial pool surrounded by protective bushes (below).

The view to a small lake from the hide at Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens.

Some gardens feature nature-themed art, either as permanent fixtures or temporary exhibits. Here are a few examples; lizards are popular!

Dubbo Botanic Gardens, central-western NSW.
Unfortunately there is only the sketchiest on-line information about these gardens,
which opened early this century. They are reasonably extensive, though not all the
area comprises native plantings. However what there is, is certainly worth visiting.

Shoalhaven Botanic Gardens

Goanna in stones, Inland Botanic Gardens, Buronga.

This magnificent wooden python in Cooktown BG is probably 5 metres long
(though I confess it's been a while - too long in fact - since I saw it).

Gate detail, Darwin BG; Rufous Owls apparently often roost in the gardens,
though we've never managed to find them.

This is the only time the venerable Sydney Botanic Gardens will appear today, noting
my emphasis on regional gardens, but these fabulous 'living' sculptures (click to enlarge the
photo to see the plants that comprise the Echidna's quills and fur) are too
good to omit. There were several more that I could have shown you,
but these two give you the idea. When we were there recently, the sculptures had gone.

And finally just some general scenes from some of the gardens we've visited today, which might hopefully give you more of a feeling for them. Ponds - or even a lake or a river! - are always welcome.

One of the Centenary Lakes, Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens; this is a converted quarry.

At the entrance to the North Coast Regional BG, Coffs Harbour.

Nogoa River, Emerald BG.

And open spaces can give some context to plantings, as well as providing space to relax and perhaps share a picnic.

Looking down from a viewing platform, Darwin BG.

Goondiwindi BG.

Wagga Wagga BG.

Succulent hill, Wollongong BG.

Cooktown BG.

And that's the end of our botanic gardens odyssey for today; I hope you've enjoyed them, and even found somewhere you might like to visit some day. You won't regret it, whichever of these you choose. As we discover more, I'll be adding more posts on individual gardens - meantime you might like to follow some of the links in this post for more information on some of the gardens.

I'm breaking my usual practice to post again next week, on animals of the gardens. This is partly to 'bracket' Botanic Gardens Day with a post on the two surrounding Thursdays, and partly because we're planning to be away in outback Queensland for much of June and I wanted to finish this mini-series before that. More on that (ie the coming hiatus in my blog posts) next week.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 30 MAY

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