9th BGANZ Congress – Wellington, New Zealand
A few personal perspectives from the congress Janet O’Hehir, Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum One of the defining characteristics of many New Zealand plants is divaricating foliage. Wikipedia tells us that divaricate is a botanical term meaning spreading at a wide angle. Plants are said to be divaricating when their growth form is such that each internode diverges widely from the previous internode producing an often tightly interlaced shrub or small tree. The branches and twigs shoot off in different directions, but they make an interlaced whole, and their structure is part of their mechanism for survival. You can see where this is going. I’m seeing a parallel with BGANZ and the botanic gardens network. My take-aways from the 2019 bi-annual congress in Wellington were about networks, diversity and inclusion. Diversity in the styles, growing conditions and ages of gardens, in vegetation and collections, in engagement strategies and activities, and even in the presentation styles of speakers. Who wasn’t captivated by Robbie Blackhall-Miles and his intense pauses, or engaged by Greg Bourke’s determination to bring the conversation back to carnivorous plants, and Nick Waipara’s fluency in naming Maori places and projects (which was a bit startling to the Aussie ear, with ‘wh’ sounds pronounced as ‘f’)? The Australian contingent could not help but be inspired by the inclusion of the Maori presence, from the wonderful performance by singers from a Maori school at the reception in Wellington Botanic Garden’s conservatory, to the mihi whakatau, the welcome speech, and frequent references to people, places, projects and plant names in the Maori language. Organisers of the 2021 congress will no doubt be considering what they have learned and in what ways they can similarly embrace Melbourne’s indigenous peoples and cultural heritage, as well as acknowledging the city’s growing multiculturalism.
THE BOTANIC GARDENer | ISS 53 SUMMER 2019/20
7
