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Editorial Insights
Editorial Insights
Rebecca Harcourt, Managing Editor
Welcome to Issue 60 of THE BOTANIC GARDENer! I’d like to acknowledge that I live and work on the land of the Garigal Clan of the Wannanginni Guringai people, who are the ancestral custodians of Bulbararing, Allagai and Tdjudibaring, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
The theme of this issue is Community engagement in botanic gardens. After reading it I think you’ll agree it should have been Community engagement in botanic gardens − and beyond! The reach of our gardens extends far beyond their official boundaries, into both local and distant communities. If we consider digital engagement as well as physical, the reach of our gardens is even greater.
Reading this issue, I was reminded of my interview for the magazine a year ago with Peter Symes, from Cooktown Botanic Gardens. He suggested that gardens need to move ‘beyond the botanic garden fence’ into the community with outreach and extension projects. This would hopefully encourage more people to appreciate and protect their environment. This issue contains several articles along this theme. Peter’s other suggestions were that BGANZ holds a forum to discuss such ideas, and that community ambassadors are appointed to promote botanic gardens. Imagine if every garden had its own Costa Georgiadis to promote it!
My interview this issue is with Vanessa Fuchs from Botanic Gardens of Sydney, whose job revolves around digital engagement. She shares some useful tips on how gardens, especially smaller, regional ones, can capitalise on this medium.
The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens is our feature garden in this edition. Like many of our regional gardens, it was established by volunteers. They had a vision of building a fernery, which, through the efforts of their multi-talented and engaged community, has finally been realised with the construction of the Kevin Stokes Fernery.
At first glance, our feature article by Fiona Buining, an urban farmer in Canberra, may seem unrelated to this issue’s theme. On further reading you’ll discover how Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture program, Windy City Harvest, engages with Chicago’s less affluent communities. Food for thought for some of our bigger gardens.
We also have a great second feature article − in fact three mini-articles. Members of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’s Community Greening team, Darren Martin, Cliodhna Maguire and Paddie Lane, share their stories about their inspirational work outside the garden walls, engaging with different communities throughout NSW.
In the Pollinating Great Ideas section, you’ll find two articles, from the Friends of Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens and the WAMA Botanic Gardens, that highlight the enormous impact an engaged community can have on their own garden − and on the wider community.
Matthew Nicholson, our volunteer Notes from the Nursery editor, shares his thoughts on the ways in which gardens engage with communities have changed over the years, as well as the messages they communicate. With his book reviewer’s hat on, Matthew then takes us into a world where botany is used to uncover the origins of an ancient manuscript.
Finally, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Eamonn for his tireless support, advice, patience and sense of humour. It won’t be the same without you Eamonn. I’ll miss the craic.
I’d love to hear any feedback on this issue or suggestions for future themes. Please feel free to email me at managing.editor@bganz.org.au
Until next issue, enjoy your garden.
Rebecca
Where’s the Hort Section?
If you’re wondering why the Hort Section is missing, it’s because we’re in search of a volunteer editor! The Hort Section is an opportunity for horticulturalists to highlight their work in curating and developing living collections throughout botanic gardens in Australia and New Zealand.
If you have a passion for plants and publishing, then we invite you to contact us at the email above indicating your interest in editing the Hort Section.
