7th Botanic Gardens Day 2023

Inspirational Plants and People

Rebecca Harcourt, Admin and Comms Officer, BGANZ Ltd

The Botanic Gardens Day project team is working hard to organise our 2023 events so that member gardens can plan accordingly. To date, our plans include:

• Botanic Gardens Day 2023 will be held on the last Sunday in May, Sunday the 28th, 2023. Put it on the calendar now!

• Next year’s theme is Inspirational Plants and People.

• We aim to have four online webinars – hosted by Costa again – every Thursday evening in May.

• The BGANZ Seasol Plant Challenge Video (or image) will be released across the month of May.

• We aim to have a BGEN or BCARM Professional Development event (TBC) during May.

• We will promote member garden botanic gardens events in the lead up to and during May.

Botanic Gardens ‘Month of May’

3rd BGANZ Seasol Plant Challenge

• Seasol International are again partnering with BGANZ to highlight the knowledge and expertise held within the amazing BGANZ membership. The Seasol Plant Challenge is open to anyone, but it has been the employees, friends and volunteers within botanic gardens who continue to steal the show.

• Remember the video can be made at any time of year – so if your favourite or inspiring plant is in flower now, get your Plant Challenge in the can today. • There will be prizes in several categories. You could win a whole year’s supply of Seasol for your botanic garden!

Please email media@bganz.org.au and advise us of your plans to participate so that we can share your images and videos across May.

Four Webinars every Thursday evening in May

In the lead up to Botanic Gardens Day on 28 May, BGANZ will again hold four online webinars, hosted by Costa Georgiadis, highlighting members and their amazing knowledge.

We welcome ideas around topics and people − members or non-members that you think could make for an entertaining and educational webinar. Get your thinking caps on! Email media@bganz.org.au with your ideas.

Botanic Gardens Day 2023 – do you want Costa to visit your garden?

Costa was in Wollongong Botanic Garden for the whole day in 2021. In 2022 he livestreamed with Charles Clarke from Cairns Botanic Gardens. Later Costa joined the botanic gardens day conversation on Melbourne Community Radio.

We are expecting to have Costa roaming and livestreaming on botanic gardens day again in 2023 – if you’d like Costa at your garden on botanic gardens day it might just happen…

Email media@bganz.org.au with ‘We want Costa’ in your subject line − the earlier the better as he is a busy fellow. Outline in brief how you could involve Costa on the day – it can be for a shorter or longer period. Last year he was at a conference in Cairns – so he decided to nip down to Cairns Botanic Gardens early morning to livestream!

Member garden events

Let me know at media@bganz.org.au what events your gardens are planning to hold during May 2023 and we’ll promote them in the lead up to and during May.

Let’s celebrate botanic gardens, their staff, our members and volunteers and the marvellous work they do, and the role you and they play in plant conservation.

The three major prize winners of the 2022 BGANZ Seasol Plant Challenge were:

Natsuo Locke, WA. ‘I love kangaroo paws, unique and bright coloured Australian iconic flower which make me happy. I’m very proud to success for growing from seeds.’

Belinda Burns, NSW. ‘Banksia spinulosa, my kids call them dinosaur toothbrushes! They look prehistoric, but oh so majestic! Beautiful native blooms in the backyard.’

Emma Karpin, NSW. ‘Memories of Snugglepot and cuddle pie and the thought that the big bad banksia man is nearby make me smile when I see this flowering!’

Belinda Burns, NSW

Emma Karpin, NSW

Natsuo Locke, WA