The Gardens Magazine Autumn 2022, Issue 132

AUTUMN 22 Issue 132 $9.95

MAPLE MADNESS THE ACERS ARE WILD AT MOUNT TOMAH

BOTANICAL INVESTIGATORS • WHAT’S ON • INSIDE THE TIDE • EXHIBITION UPDATE

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South Wales. As such, it is a fairly familiar tree in the landscape. However, this magnificent specimen adjacent to the Main Pond on Lawn 44 in the Royal Botanic Garden is very special, not only for its size and spread, but also for its age, having been planted around 1860.

This was at a time when work was well underway to reclaim land in what we now call the Lower West section of the Garden. Land reclamation and building

of the sea wall took place over a long period from 1848–1878. Before the sea wall was constructed, the shoreline extended inland as far as today’s kiosk and restaurant. Nowadays there is a light fence around and beyond the outer perimeter of the dripline of the tree to deter foot traffic, which may compress and damage surface roots to the detriment of the tree’s wellbeing.

Margaret Hanks

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Moreton Bay Fig Ficus macrophylla This venerable specimen may well have the broadest spread of any tree in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

With a height and spread of 30–40m, it is notable for its great canopy and the massive, buttressed trunk. This fig species has a wide natural distribution ranging from south-eastern Queensland, down to the Shoalhaven River in New

CONTENTS 8

FEATURES 18 Botanical Identification Service

Unravelling plant mysteries 22 Rescuing Gondwanan rainforests Strategies to enhance resilience 24 Inside the Tide A deep dive inside The Calyx

GARDENS NEWS 8 Exhibitions

A double dose of Artisans

12 Life membership

Honouring two legends

20 Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Maple mania

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IN EACH ISSUE 4 Garden Art Month

Exhibitions not to miss

6 Books

Reviews and a chance to win 7 Travel Explore Australia on two new tours 14 Cutting edge What’s new in the world of botanical research?

16 First Person Meet Carolyn Connelly, Molecular Laboratory Coordinator 27 Plants Some tips on what to look out for this autumn 30 What’s on Your guide to activities and events

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On the co ver

The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden’s Acer collection boasts almost 200 species and cultivars.

There is no better time to enjoy their varied and vibrant colours than autumn.

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NEWS

AUTUMN UPDATE From left: Jane Rodgers, Shelley Roden-Smith, Carol Griesser, Pete Thomas, Susan Hutchinson and Narelle Richardson

This year’s Garden Art Month (April–early May) is set to entice visitors with a selection of outstanding exhibitions, Wednesday art-andsculpture walks and children’s activities.

The marquee event this year is the much-anticipated Artisans in the Gardens (26 March–3 April), which returns after a COVID-induced break in 2021. Showcasing established and emerging Australian artists and craftspeople, the exhibition will incorporate more than 2,000 artworks, including sculpture, ceramics, handblown glass, jewellery, textiles and more (full story page 8).

World-class botanical art will also feature in two major exhibitions: A Flash of Red by artist Jean Dennis and Botanic Endeavour, presented by the Florilegium Society.

Inspired by Dennis’ first sighting of a red flower in an otherwise dry-brown bush in the Northern Territory, A Flash

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Gardening Australia presenters Costa Georgiadis and Clarence Slockee recently made special ‘on-screen’ appearances at The Calyx as part of a special ‘thank you’ event for volunteers across the Gardens.

The much-loved presenters took part in a video tracing 40 years of volunteer guiding at the Gardens.

While celebrating the contributions of all those who donate their time and energy, the event paid special tribute to long-term volunteers.

Not surprisingly, Foundation & Friends was well represented, with more than 50 members recognised for passing important milestones over the past two years. Among them were Janet Snodgrass (information booth and catering), Ann Rasmussen (information booth, events and catering) and Robin McIntyre (Growing Friends), all of whom have now contributed more than 25 years’ service.

of Red (The Calyx, 25 April–8 May) will offer watercolours of parts of trees and shrubs of the Indigenous Brachychiton genus. The works were painted from living specimens over a 13-year period, with the majority of specimens collected by the artist.

The Florilegium Society is a selffunded, voluntary organisation dedicated to building a collection of contemporary botanical paintings of plants in the Gardens' Living Collection.

Its Botanic Endeavour exhibition (Lion Gate Lodge, 7–22 May) presents recent botanical paintings of plants that feature in the Living Collection and are also among the historic specimens collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander.

On sale at the exhibition will be an accompanying, limited edition Botanic Endeavour publication, featuring 48 new paintings.

For more information visit botanicgardens.org.au/gardenartmonth.

Lambertia formosa by Elaine Musgrave from the Botanic Endeavour exhibition

Photos: Jessica Lindsay, Alice B, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

GARDEN ART MONTH

CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS

NEWS HELP CREATE A HEALING SEA OF HANDS

To celebrate the theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is partnering with ANTaR, the national organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reconciliation and rights, to create a ‘live’ Sea of Hands exhibition, to which visitors can contribute.

The immersive exhibition is designed to signify unity, aligning it with the “Heal Country” theme of NAIDOC Week 2022, which takes place in early July.

Between 4–10 April, visitors to the Garden are welcome to contribute to the installation by helping plant hands.

The aim is for the final design, set to be unveiled on 11 April, to incorporate 10,000 hands in the colours of charred and burnt banksia pods.

Sea of Hands will be curated by New South Wales painter and installation artist Frances Belle Parker, a Yaegl woman based in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Belle Parker came to prominence in 2000 when she became the youngest winner and first Indigenous recipient of the Blake Prize, which since 1951 has celebrated Australian art that explores spirituality.

The installation will be positioned just inside the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s Woolloomooloo Gate. If you would like to help plant hands, visit between 10am–3pm.

TOMATO FESTIVAL SYDNEY GOES VIRTUAL

This year’s Tomato Festival Sydney (19–20 February) is going virtual, with live sessions conducted by Festival Ambassador Costa Georgiadis, the Gardens’ horticulture staff and members of Foundation & Friends.

For more information on the live sessions visit botanicgardens.org. au/tomatofestival.

The website also offers a variety of additional information, including tomato growing tips, interesting insights into different varieties and recipes from the award-winning Executive Chef of the Longest Tomato Lunch, Luca Ciano.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT

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ne of the core pillars of strength that supports all the work of Foundation & Friends is our volunteer program. So much of what we do is powered by more than 330 passionate and dedicated volunteers, and it is incredibly motivating for all of us to work with such a committed group.

Over the past few months, we have seen just what our volunteers can do. We had a superb Transformation exhibition in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, which received rave reviews and raised important funds. Importantly, it also highlighted the critical issues of waste and recycling in our modern society, including through an excellent segment on ABC TV’s Art Works.

Our Growing Friends worked through a wet and humid summer, continuing to build our sales and a unique range of plants. Over the past year the team has sold over 540 different types of plants, a huge range you will struggle to find anywhere else. Despite lockdowns, plant sales remain a vital source of funds for Foundation & Friends.

Our catering volunteers have helped across a wide range of events, including our successful AGM. Despite the often-challenging COVID rules, the quality has continued to be outstanding.

Also supporting so many of our activities

is the works crew, playing such a key role in ensuring that we put on high-quality events and activities.

Through rain, hail and shine we have our Information Booth volunteers helping countless visitors enjoy a deeper experience of our beautiful gardens. And across our three Gardens you will find our Helping Hands side by side with our talented horticulturalists.

We are also fortunate to have a large team of office volunteers, supporting processing, front of house, events and so much more. And as our successful New Year’s Eve picnic showed, we have a large group of volunteers ready to put their hands up and help for our many one-off events and activities.

One of the highlights of late last year was the volunteer ‘thank you’ held in conjunction with the Gardens at The Calyx. Not only did we thank our combined volunteer army of well over 600, we also recognised 91 volunteers with service awards that reached up to 25 years. The Gardens would not be the special places they are today without the incredible commitment of our volunteers.

Peter Thomas PS - Subscribe to our e-news for updates on volunteer opportunities.

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BOOKS

THE BOTANICAL ART OF WILLIAM T. COOPER

Wendy Cooper NLA Publishing RRP: AU $65.00 William Thomas “Bill” Cooper – who passed away at his home in Far North Queensland in 2015 – was one of the world’s most admired and prolific bird painters, but he was also a passionate botanical artist. This generously illustrated hardback book, written by his wife Wendy Cooper, offers a vast collection of sketches, studies and paintings that celebrate Australian flora – from rainforest trees to dry country, swamps, mangroves and beach forest.

Hundreds of works are reproduced from the National Library of Australia and the State Library of New South Wales, as well as Wendy Cooper’s private collection (including plenty of examples of Cooper’s spectacular bird illustrations).

Wendy Cooper is herself a respected botanist and her notes – particularly those detailing where a specimen was collected or what attracted Bill to a particular branch or fruit or flower – add another layer to the artworks.

She also includes detailed botanical descriptions of each plant and personal notes about where a particular specimen was found.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BOOK

ILLUSTRATED PLANT GLOSSARY

Enid Mayfield CSIRO Publishing RRP $69.99 Queensland-based Enid Mayfield is an Honorary Associate of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Victoria, a contributor to a range of botanical publications, and the author of a two-volume Flora of the Otway Plain and Ranges. The Illustrated Plant Glossary demonstrates her obvious talent and passion for researching incredibly complex topics and then making them accessible to a wider audience. Compiled over a seven-year period, the 321-page publication is designed for everyone from botanists, ecologists and horticulturalists to teachers and home gardeners. It covers more than 4,000 scientific and botanical terms across an exceptionally broad range of topics and fields, with Mayfield going beyond many traditional plant glossaries by including DNA-based terminology, palynology and modern systematics.

Material is organised under themes and sub-topics, then alphabetically with useful cross referencing. Features are clearly labelled, and copious, attractive colour illustrations of plants and structures – all by Mayfield herself – are included to aid understanding.

EYE OF THE CALM

Clare Reilly Exisle Publishing RRP $55.00 New Zealand artist Clare Reilly’s career began in 1976 with an exhibition in Wellington with a group of six other emerging artists. Her work – sometimes described as “primitive neo-romantic” – has gone on to garner international recognition. This beautiful book uses autobiographical writing and prints of more than 100 of Reilly’s gentle and dreamy paintings to provide insight into her life and career as an artist.

They reflect on her first encounters with tui, bellbirds and kereru at her grandmother’s house in Dunedin, her love of dance, her marriage to painter Max Podstolski, and her involvement in various conservation and wildlife support projects. The works illustrate many of Reilly’s favourite themes, including habitat destruction and renewal, and the healing qualities of nature. More than anything, however, the book is a tribute to New Zealand’s unique birds, trees and coastal landscapes, with which, Reilly, who now lives in Blueskin Bay, an estuary in coastal Otago on the South Island, clearly shares a powerful connection.

Foundation & Friends has a few copies to give away of the books featured above. To be in the running to win, just email foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au or write to Letters, Foundation & Friends, Cottage 6, Mrs Macquaries Rd, Sydney NSW 2000 by 1 April.

Be sure to include your contact details. In our Summer 2021/22 edition we gave members the chance to win The Science of Hope (Dr Wiebke Finkler and Scott Davis), Flight of the Budgerigar (Dr Penny Olsen) and The Good Life (Hannah Moloney). Congratulations to our winners: Jane Hanks, Lowana Chapman, Sally Jane Williams, Wendy Estall, Raewyn McGregor, David Prieto and Charity Dizon. Other winners: Marilyn Wise (Solander musical tickets) and Isobel Fleming (Photo Guide to the Common Cicadas).

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TRAVEL

NORTH AND SOUTH AFTER TWO YEARS OF TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BREAK FREE. FOUNDATION & FRIENDS IS OFFERING TWO NEW TOURS LATER THIS YEAR FOR MEMBERS WHO WANT TO EXPLORE SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S UNRIVALLED NATURAL ATTRACTIONS.

Members can book Foundation & Friends’ small-group tours with confidence thanks to a flexible cancellations policy and the adoption of extensive COVID-safety measures. For more information or to book please contact Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens at foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au.

Photos: Tourism and Events Queensland

FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND

11–18 July 2022 Grade: Introductory to Moderate* Activities: guided walks, cultural experience, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Accommodation: seven nights in four-star hotels Experience some of Far North Queensland’s world-famous national parks and unique public and private gardens. Highlights include a tour of Australia’s only Wet Tropics Botanic Garden, a journey through the Daintree Rainforest, a traditional smoking ceremony at Mossman Gorge, a ride on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and visit to Kuranda Village. Guests also receive their own field guides to the plants and animals of the Wet Tropics.

Member price: $4,590pp twin share (land content only) Escort: Relle Mott has been associated with the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for many years as a member of the Education team and the Volunteer Guides group. She has previously led tours to Uzbekistan and China, and also leads small group pilgrimages to the mountains of Japan.

GARDENS AND NATURAL LANDSCAPES OF TASMANIA

18–26 November 2022 Grade: Introductory* Activities: guided walks, food & wine tasting, Bruny Island excursion Accommodation: eight nights in four-star properties Thanks to its productive climate, Tasmania boasts some of Australia’s best gardens and national parks, as well as a host of historic buildings that date back to the arrival of the first European settlers early in the nineteenth century. The itinerary incorporates walking tours around Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and Mount Field National Park, along with visits to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart and the Inala Jurassic Garden on Bruny Island – home to a variety of rare and endangered plants and animals.

There are also plenty of opportunities to enjoy local food, wine and art (with a visit to MONA), and to explore the UNESCO World Heritage listed Woolmer’s Estate, outside Launceston, which boasts one of the finest collections of historic roses in the southern hemisphere.

Member price: $5,995pp twin share (land content only) Escort: Sandy Pratten ran her own landscape design business for almost 35 years – creating expansive rural gardens and small urban sanctuaries. She is also a guide at the Royal Botanic Garden.

An experienced escort, Tasmania is her favourite destination.

*These adventures are not suitable for people with limited mobility. They are designed for participants with a reasonable level of fitness and competent swimming ability. Some days may be quite active and involve steep walks. Prepare with some regular moderate exercise.

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EXHIBITIONS Emma Young (image by Michael Haines)

EXHIBITION REBOOT: 2022 AFTER TWO YEARS OF COVID DISRUPTIONS, FOUNDATION & FRIENDS IS REINVIGORATING ITS EXHIBITION PROGRAM WITH A DOUBLE DOSE OF ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS AND A NEW EVENT HIGHLIGHTING ENDANGERED SPECIES. DAVID CARROLL REPORTS.

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rtisans has traditionally been Foundation & Friends’ most successful exhibition, attracting major crowds and raising vital funds.

For the first time, two separate shows will take place this year – the first in March and the second in late October.

Due to lockdowns, last year’s Artisans exhibition was restricted to an online event, which Exhibition Project Manager Julia Sparkes says was surprisingly successful, with strong sales of smaller, easily-shipped works, particularly homewares and jewellery.

“We learnt a lot from the success of the online event, which made the smaller artworks accessible to a wider

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audience, including people located right across Australia,” says Sparkes.

“As a result, we are working towards loading more artworks onto our online store, Botanic Gardens Gallery, and making those works available yearround. We will also, during the physical exhibitions, include more information online about the featured artists and their work, so that people can learn more about them.”

While the response to the online exhibition was pleasing, Sparkes says a digital gallery is no substitute for seeing artworks in person.

“There is certainly an overwhelming desire among the artists and the public

to return Artisans to the Garden this year in order to reconnect with a treasured public space. The two Artisans events will also have their own distinct personalities, providing even more opportunities for leading artists to show their works.”

Planning has also begun on Endangered, a new exhibition due to open in 2023 and designed to further expand a portfolio of scientificallythemed shows that currently includes Botanica, Fungi and Transformation.

Sparkes says artworks chosen for the show will reference threatened Australian species and environments – from plants to animals and insects.

EXHIBITIONS Britt-Johnson

“We will take a broad view, but the works will focus on something we need to draw attention to,” she says.

“The broader aim of our sciencethemed exhibitions is to raise awareness among the public of the important research being undertaken at the Gardens. At the same time, we want these events to attract people who might not normally follow and collect art, but who have a connection or an interest in science, conservation and the environment.”

One thing all future exhibitions will have in common, says Sparkes, is “greater diversity in terms of the kinds of artwork on offer.

“The last two years has shown us that while it’s great to have big, showstopping artworks in our exhibitions, it’s also vital that we offer a really broad selection of smaller pieces at a range of price points. We want to make it easier than ever before for people to buy a little bit of art, and in doing so, to take a little piece of the Garden home with them. Ultimately, art makes people happy and enriches their personal spaces, and thanks to COVID we all know how important those spaces are.”

ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS 2022 26 MARCH–3 APRIL 10AM–4PM Opening Night: 25 March 29 OCTOBER–6 NOVEMBER 10AM–4PM Opening Night: 28 October Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden botanicgardens.org.au/artisans

Araceli Adams

THE ARTISANS ARE FINALLY BACK IN THE GARDEN With 10 new artists, an expanded range of artworks and a new curator, the first Artisans in the Gardens exhibition for 2022 will be anything but a re-staging of the event scuttled by last year’s lockdowns.

Among the artists whose work will take centre stage – after not being featured on last year’s onlineonly exhibition – are Jen Mallinson, Scott Ingram and Jimmy Tobin, all of whom will contribute major outdoor sculptures.

Also taking part in March will be Barbara Romalis and Elisabeth Cummings, who are revered for their collaborative painted ceramics. And visitors to the exhibition will get to see some of the last pottery created by the always-popular Liz Hardy, who passed away in 2021.

Exhibition Project Manager Julia Sparkes says many of the artists who did feature in the online exhibition have also created new pieces. Overall, the show features more than 2,000 artworks across a broad range of

mediums, with jewellery, ceramics, sculpture, hand-blown glass and textiles.

“Artisans will in no way be a simple rehash of the online exhibition,” says Sparkes. “This is a fresh and vibrant event that will take place in an environment that’s impossible to replicate in a digital format.”

This year’s Artisans exhibitions will also benefit from the talents of Libby Wright, who has taken over from Sandy Crichton as the new curator.

Wright forged a career in the finance and investment world before returning to Australia to raise a family, take on a variety of volunteer roles and pursue her passion for new and emerging artists.

As always, the exhibition will be supported by an exciting program of events, including a presentation by artist Colleen Southwell, who will discuss how her connection with her country garden influences her three-dimensional paper sculptures. For further details, see this issue’s diary section.

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HERBARIUM

UNEARTHING HIDDEN TREASURES

BY SCANNING CLOSE TO A MILLION SPECIMENS, THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM OF NEW SOUTH WALES HAS LAUNCHED ITS COLLECTION INTO THE DIGITAL AGE, BUT ALONG

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ver the past three years, the Digitisation Project – to which Foundation & Friends has donated a million dollars – has seen Gardens’ staff and volunteers sort through around 70,000 boxes in order to identify suitable specimens to capture as high-resolution images.

During that process two items were discovered that pre-date the Herbarium’s collection of 824 specimens collected in Australia in 1770 by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander while on Captain Cook’s first Pacific voyage.

One of the specimens is the herb Parietaria debilis, which Banks and Solander collected in 1769 from Tolaga, Opuragi (now Mercury Bay) and Motuaro on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The other is the snowberry (Gaultheria antipoda), which the pair also collected in New Zealand in 1769.

Collections Manager Hannah McPherson said there were different theories as to how the specimens were overlooked.

“We’ve never audited and looked at every specimen in the collection – we have audited the Banks and Solander collection several times – but never before this project did we recognise these two New Zealand specimens should be united with it,” McPherson said.

“It’s like doing a spring clean but with priceless historic specimens. No institution that holds collections knows exactly what they have, but at the end of the Digitisation Project we will have recorded 99% of our collection.”

The two specimens will now be added to the ‘special collections vault’ in the

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new National Herbarium at the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan, which is on track to open in late March.

Digitisation Manager Andre Badiou said the specimens were still in remarkable condition considering their age and journey to England and back. “[Banks and Solander] would have kept thousands of specimens in a leaky ship and kept changing the paper they were in to keep them dry for years, and you can imagine what the weather was like,” Badiou said. “What they were

Gaultheria antipoda

‘It’s like doing a spring clean but with priceless historic specimens‘

doing was really quite amazing. They collected thousands and thousands of specimens around the world before they got lodged in herbariums.”

Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Chief Executive Denise Ora says the Digitisation Project will eventually allow people around the world to access information and data to advance research, education and conservation*.

“We’re taking a snapshot of these specimens that will last forever in a truly unique project of international significance that raises the profile of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science and puts us on the world stage,” Ora said.

With the plant specimen imaging nearing completion, the Digitisation Project is now turning its focus towards capturing the Herbarium’s prized botanical illustrations, which include the world’s largest collection of Margaret Flockton originals.

The Gardens’ botanical illustrators, Catherine Wardrop and Lesley Elkan, recently revealed that in preparing for the Digitisation Project they too had uncovered ‘lost’ works, including hundreds by Flockton, who in 1901 became the Gardens’ first permanent botanical illustrator (The Gardens, Summer 2021/22).

“We thought Margaret did around 2,500 illustrations in her 26 years with the Gardens,” says Wardrop. “But, as a result of our sifting, it looks like the figure may be more up around 4,000.

She was just incredibly prolific.” *Every digitised specimen in the National Herbarium’s collection will be published in the Atlas of Living Australia.

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

THE WAY IT’S ALSO UNCOVERED SOME PRICELESS HISTORICAL TREASURES.

HERBARIUM

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Margaret Hanks and Carol Griesser

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Photos: Alice Bruyn, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

VOLUNTEERS

VOLUNTEERS

LIFETIME HONOUR

FOR GROWING LEGENDS FOUNDATION & FRIENDS RECENTLY BESTOWED LIFE MEMBERSHIP ON TWO OF ITS LONGEST-SERVING AND MOST RESPECTED VOLUNTEERS, CAROL GRIESSER AND MARGARET HANKS – BOTH OF WHOM HAVE ALSO SHARED THEIR KNOWLEDGE OVER THE YEARS AS CONTRIBUTORS TO THE GARDENS MAGAZINE.

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een to enjoy a country lifestyle, Carol Griesser moved her young family from the Sydney suburb of Kensington to Wedderburn, on the bank of the Georges River, in 1988 – the year the nearby Australian Botanic Garden officially opened. An enthusiastic gardener, she and her husband Frank launched a successful business as hydroponic producers, working with green grocers across the region.

Carol joined Friends of the Gardens in 1999 and the following year became a regular volunteer after signing up to the newly established Growing Friends operation at the Australian Botanic Garden. Two years later she was appointed volunteer coordinator and still leads the group today.

In 2019, her contribution to Growing Friends received wider recognition when she was named Senior Volunteer of the Year for the Macarthur region.

She was nominated for the award by the Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust’s Director Horticulture, John Siemon, and the Australian Botanic Gardens’ Horticultural Development Supervisor, Daniella Pasqualini.

“The most enjoyable thing about being a volunteer has been working and becoming life friends with so many people who love plants,” says Carol.

“Not just the other volunteers, but also the horticulture staff, for whom the Garden is more than just a job. People like John [Siemon], who I first knew as a young lab technician and is now a very important person.

“The Garden has also given a lot back to me. Last September I lost my husband, and the friendships at Mount Annan enabled me to go back to work a bit earlier than expected, which helped enormously to occupy my time because I’m on my own now.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of her involvement with the Garden, says Carol, was that it provided the opportunity to pass on her love of plants to her granddaughter, who became a volunteer at PlantBank when she finished high school.

“Now she is doing a PhD with [Principal Research Scientist and manager of the Australian PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden] Dr Cathy Offord. I am very proud because I encouraged her to look into the life of plants. It’s wonderful to pass on that passion.”

Margaret Hanks graduated from the Ryde School of Horticulture in the early 1980s, then embarked on a horticultural career that saw her work for commercial nurseries, the New South Wales Department of Agriculture, and eventually the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. As a member of the Gardens’

‘The Australian Botanic Garden has also given a lot back to me’ Carol Griesser

Plant Records section, she helped undertake surveys of the Gardens’ trees, providing her with an extensive knowledge of the Living Collection.

In 1983 Margaret joined Friends of the Gardens and became a volunteer in 1998 when she agreed to lead the Tuesday Growing Friends team at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, a role she still occupies.

“Being a part of Growing Friends has enabled me to learn more about plants, but what I’ve really enjoyed is the satisfaction that comes from raising money to keep the Gardens prospering because I’ve loved them since I was a small child,” she says.

“As well as enjoying the company of fellow volunteers, I’ve also always liked the interaction with the public.

I like the propagating, but it’s very rewarding when you sell plants and see such happy customers. I particularly enjoyed taking our plants to other events, such as the Collectors’ Plant Fair. Thanks to the huge range of plants we offered from across the Gardens, we made a lot of money.”

During their time with Foundation & Friends, both women have also generously shared their knowledge and expertise with readers of The Gardens magazine. Carol became a contributor in 2004, writing a column on Growing Friends for the next 10 years, while Margaret has written the much-loved Garden Focus and Significant Tree sections since 2004.

David Carroll

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RESEARCH

THE CUT TING EDGE RESEARCHERS WORKING WITH THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF BOTANICAL SCIENCE PUBLISH MORE THAN 90 PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES EACH YEAR. DR BRETT SUMMERELL HIGHLIGHTS A FEW RECENT RESEARCH PROJECTS.

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RESEARCH SEQUENCING THE GENOME OF THE NSW WARATAH

The New South Wales waratah, Telopea speciosissima, is an iconic Australian species that has captivated plant lovers around the world. This species is becoming more and more important as a commercial cut flower crop. As a member of the Proteaceae family that is most abundant in southern Africa and Australia, it is a relic of Gondwana and likely to hold some keys to better understanding the evolution of Australian plants.

For this reason, the waratah was chosen of one of the first Australian plant species to have its complete genome sequenced by the Genomes of Australian Plants program that is supported by Bioplatforms Australia¹.

There is great potential for the waratah to be a model for understanding the processes of divergence, environmental adaptation and speciation in Australian plants. Our understanding of these processes can be greatly enhanced by a genome-wide perspective, that will be enabled by a reference genome.

The genome of the waratah is approximately 900 megabase* in length and contains 22 chromosomes. This is similar in size to the macadamia which is the only other publicly available reference genome in the family. The chromosome-level T. speciosissima reference genome will provide an important new genomic resource to support the conservation of flora in Australia and further afield. A reference genome will also accelerate efforts in breeding for traits such as resistance to pests and diseases (e.g. Phytophthora) as well as desirable floral characteristics.

PLANT TRAITS

Plant traits are defined as those characteristics that we use to predict a plant’s ability to grow in environments or respond to different threats. They can include different morphological characteristics (flower type, leaf size, height etc) or physiological adaptability (growth rate, temperature sensitivity or water use).

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden waratah and honeyeater

A new and huge paper², involving a number of our scientists and co-lead by our own Dr Hervé Sauquet, outlines the “AusTraits” database – a compilation of values of plant traits for different species of Australian flora.

AusTraits brings together data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field measurements, published literature, taxonomic monographs and individual species descriptions. These traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (for example, photosynthetic gas exchange and water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (such as leaf area, seed mass and plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation.

AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and specieslevel measurements coupled to, where available, information on site properties and experimental conditions.

It is envisioned that AusTraits will be a lasting ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data.

This information is extremely useful for predicting and modelling the response of plants to a rapidly changing environment.

NEW GUIDELINES FOR CONSERVING SEED AND OTHER PLANT TISSUES

A new edition of Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia³, edited by a number of people, including Amelia Yenson Martyn and Cathy Offord, has been published by the Australian Network for Plant Conservation.

These guidelines provide an evidence-based best practice guide for the management of ex situ (off site) collections of seeds, plant tissues, or plants in nurseries and living collections.

Many of the chapters in this book were written by the Gardens’ scientists and highlight a lot of our experiences resulting from work at the Australian PlantBank.

The guidelines provide information on genetic issues, nursery management, cryopreservation and seed collection, and are available to download for free at anpc.asn.au/plant-germplasm. The production of the guidelines was supported by the Ian Potter Foundation.

Paper details: 1. Chromosome-level de novo genome assembly of Telopea speciosissima (NSW waratah) using longreads, linked-reads and Hi-C. Molecular Ecology Resources (in press). 2. AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora. Scientific Data 8: 254 nature.com/articles/s41597-021-01006-6. 3. Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia. Strategies and guidelines for developing, managing and utilising ex situ collections. Third Edition, 2021. *a megabase is a term used in genetics to measure the length (number of base pairs) of a genome segment.

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FIRST PERSON

CAROLYN CONNELLY

Photos: M. Phelan and Y. Metti

MOLECULAR LABORATORY COORDINATOR, SCIENCE, EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION

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FIRST PERSON What are your key responsibilities?

I manage the plant molecular research laboratory, which is part of the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

The role encompasses directing the laboratory operations and training, safety requirements, documentation, equipment servicing and replacement, and organising consumable supplies.

I also curate the dried frozen leaf tissue collection used for DNA research.

This is an important and growing part of the state-significant collections housed in the Herbarium.

What first got you interested in science and how did it lead to a career?

It was a process of osmosis, together with my own curiosity for the natural world. I grew up in the Blue Mountains, surrounded by bushland and with a home garden that included old eucalypt trees. My parents organised fun family bushwalks in the Blue Mountains National Park and the Royal National Park. Two wonderful schoolteachers were further catalysts. My primary school teacher, Jim Low, together with the school students, restored a natural area of bush and a mini wetland in the school grounds. The area was named Kallaroo, which is an Aboriginal word for “path to water”. My high school biology teacher, Estelle Roberts, always asked her students “why?”. I furthered my interest in the natural world by enrolling in science university studies.

technically challenging Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). I then worked on a completely different plant family, Restionaceae, with the then Director of Plant Sciences, Dr Barbara Briggs. The differences in species were often cryptic but significant, and I discovered several new species and one of those, a species of Lepyrodia from Western Australia, was named after me. Around this time, I joined Dr Cathy Offord’s team to assist with studying the Wollemi Pine, focusing on plant propagation and growth.

Those were exciting times. Finding my niche in the Molecular Program was due in no small part to Honorary Research Associate Professor John Thomson, who used his knowledge and skills to teach me all things plant DNA related.

A recent highlight has been designing the new laboratories at the new National Herbarium at the Australian Botanic Garden.

What is your favourite plant or section in the Gardens? What makes it so special?

In the Royal Botanic Garden, a favourite is the sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, that grows in the lower pond. I look forward to the annual display in summer with the bright green leaves making water droplets ball and the flouncy pink flowers that are held aloft.

The plants help filter the water flowing in the Gardens’ creek before the water reaches Farm Cove. I once imaged the leaves by SEM for a primary school

teaching resource textbook. Plant molecular studies contributed to by three of our staff discovered that the Nelumbonaceae is an ancient family of plants, most closely related to the plant families Proteaceae and Platanaceae.

When you are not working, what do you like to do?

Whether I am bushwalking or simply walking for exercise in the Blue Mountains (where I live), the great outdoors is my favourite place to be.

Gardening keeps me busy and satisfied with planning plantings, weed control and pruning. I also enjoy visiting historic houses some of which have interesting grounds and wonderful gardens to explore. To remember places visited, I collect photographs in front of national park and botanic garden signs (and often beautiful gates)!

What’s one thing that might surprise people to learn about you?

I surprised myself recently when I started thinking about my extended family (blood relatives) and discovered there is a predominance of technically/ methodically minded people. My paternal grandfather was a tailor, and among my immediate family and cousins are accountants, teachers, a dental technician, secretary, dietitian, nurse, upholsterer, quantity surveyor and an electrical engineer. I am clearly related with my technical and methodical organisational skills!

Tell us about your career path?

My career started at the Gardens. Prior to that I was a student and had assisted with bush regeneration projects in the Blue Mountains. I joined the National Herbarium of NSW at the completion of Honours studies at university. I completed a morphological study of Blandfordia (Christmas Bells) and enjoyed traversing the Blue Mountains looking for the rare Blandfordia cunninghamii and the more abundant Blandfordia grandiflora to study the ecology of the species.

What have been some of the highlights of your work?

My first role at the Gardens was describing beautiful Australian waterlilies Nymphaea guided by (the late) Dr Surrey Jacobs. There I forged my skills in plant descriptive work and mastering the

Carolyn at work in the molecular lab

THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022 17

PROFILE

THE INTRIGUING WORLD OF

BOTANIC IDENTIFICATION POISONS, CRIME AND CONSERVATION – IT’S ALL PART OF THE JOB FOR THE DEDICATED MEMBERS OF THE GARDENS’ BOTANICAL IDENTIFICATION SERVICE. DAVID CARROLL REPORTS.

A

rmed with just a trained eye and a filing cabinet full of dried specimens, botanical detectives Seanna McCune and Andrew Orme are charged with solving all manner of mysteries.

As the lead investigators of the Botanical Identification Service (BIS) their clients include everyone from police detectives and customs officials to veterinarians and even the humble home gardener. They also work closely with ecological consultants, who are required by law to confirm and disclose the identity of any species threatened by developments.

“Poisons are usually given priority,” says Orme, “followed by commercial projects and then those that shout the loudest about deadlines”.

Team leader, Botanical Information Botanist Kerry Gibbons, who took on the role less than a year ago, says the Gardens’ botanists have always been involved in identifying specimens, and junior colleagues often took turns to staff a general enquiries counter.

“Specimens that came through the mail would be arranged on a long bench, and after morning tea they would be divvied up according to people’s expertise,” says Gibbons, who also serves

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as the Gardens’ Flora Botanist. “It was an opportunity to discuss the specimens and sometimes do a bit of teaching.”

In the early 1980s, however, the decision was taken to create the BIS and appoint an Identification Botanist and a technical officer, with the latter role largely focused on administration and database management. Somewhere along the line the roles were essentially reversed, says Gibbons, and today technical officers McCune and Orme take the lead on identifying specimens.

McCune says that over the past 40 years the identification process has changed very little, with the team still relying almost exclusively on morphological features to identify the specimens they receive, as opposed to genetic information for instance. Once observations are made, “including the

‘We’ve been called upon to gather evidence in murders and sexual assault cases’

smallest details under a microscope”, they are manually compared with samples in various databases. All of which means the process still relies heavily on the skills and experience of the team’s technical staff.

Thankfully, experience is something the team has in abundance. McCune joined the BIS back in 1989, while Orme completed a three-year stint in the late 1990s before returning for good in 2009.

“Using DNA of samples sounds simple, but in reality, it is costly, takes time, and is only useful if you have something to compare it too,” says Gibbons. “That means the results need to be run through a comprehensive database of plant DNA, and that doesn’t exist, at least not yet.”

Given there are thousands of taxonomies that are native to or naturalised in New South Wales, she says it’s easier and more effective to refer to the Herbarium’s plant specimens, the BIS’ own set of reference specimens or the public reference library collection.

“These are really still our best scientific assets.”

Nevertheless, technology has helped in other ways.

“Using the internet, we can research information quickly and broadly, and it makes it easier to identify and contact

PROFILE

Photos: David Carroll

relevant scientists in order to draw on their expertise,” says Orme. “We can also email a good high-resolution image to them.”

In addition, research publications published online will include detailed descriptions, along with images, that help identify plants, particularly if the papers are describing new species.

Over the years the BIS has been involved in some fascinating cases.

“We’ve been called upon to gather evidence in murders and sexual assault cases,” says Orme. “We’ve helped identify prohibited drugs, and in one mind-boggling case we even worked with the Federal Police on counter terrorism.”

The pair also regularly find themselves helping veterinary labs explain livestock poisonings, working with authorities to examine potentially illegal land clearings or ensuring threatened species are not destroyed by major developments.

By helping map the location of native and naturalised plants, their work can also guide conservation projects.

McCune says that every year the team identifies new species, and more often than not these new discoveries are actually made in the Gardens’ reference libraries, as scientists dip into the collection and chance upon species they find have been misidentified.

“We have also identified plants that were thought to be extinct. The best known would be the Wollemi Pine. I was on the desk when that was brought in to be identified, but we quickly realised its significance and passed it on to the Gardens’ scientific team.”

The general public are welcome to send in plants for identification, but there are clear rules explaining how samples must be delivered.

“We like stuff to be fertile – either flowering or fruiting,” says McCune. “So

‘We have also identified plants that were thought to be extinct.’

just sending one leaf, or sending a blurry image of a plant, makes it very hard.

We are very reluctant to give a positive definitive identification on images.”

There are also some things the BIS won’t touch. For instance, it doesn’t deal with fungi, root identification, plant pathogens and disease, and general enquiries related to poisonings.

Other than that, if you have a botanical mystery that needs solving, get in touch via the Gardens’ website.

The Botanical Identification Service team: Dr Kerry Gibbons, Andrew Orme and Seanna McCune

THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022 19

IN FOCUS: THE BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN

UNMISSABLE MAPLES THE BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN’S ACER COLLECTION IS AN UNRIVALLED AUTUMN DRAWCARD.

Photos: Greg Bourke, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

SENIOR HORTICULTURIST MARION WHITEHEAD EXPLAINS WHAT MAKES THESE SPECIMENS SO SPECIAL.

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IN FOCUS: THE BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN

‘The peak of maple-mania in Japan occurred during the Edo era’

are more than 5,000 known cultivars.

One of the easily identifiable features of Acers is their distinctive fruits. Known as “samaras”, Acer seeds occur in pairs, each with a wing made of papery tissue that “helicopters” the fruit down from the tree, dispersing the seed far from the parent plant to give the new sapling space to grow.

JAPANESE MAPLES

T

he genus Acer, or ‘maple’ as they are commonly known, are a beautiful and varied group of trees that provide some of the most vibrant colour in autumn gardens, not to mention delicious syrup and winged seeds that helicopter to the ground to the delight of children.

The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden houses an expansive Acer collection, with more than 365 specimens representing up to 198 species and cultivars. Unrivalled as the biggest draw to the Garden in autumn and providing huge interest year-round thanks to their varied and unusual bark, delicate leaf shape and exquisite habit, Mount Tomah’s maples are unmissable.

for Conservation of Nature: Acer pentaphyllum (of which only 501 wild specimens remain), Acer skutchii (the critically endangered ‘Cloud Forest Sugar Maple’ from Mexico) and Acer griseum (an endangered Acer known for its beautiful, showy, flaky bark).

The Garden also has some very old maple cultivars on display, such as Acer palmatum ‘Aka Shigitatsu Sawa’, which is seen in Japanese literature as far back as 1710, with poems dedicated to the cultivar. ‘Aka Shigitatsu Sawa’ means “near a swamp where solitary snipes start out”, and an elegant specimen of the tree can be found in the European Woodland section.

RARE AND SPECIAL MAPLES

Maples readily interbreed, crossing with one another easily and creating a huge variation in their form, habit, bark, leaf shape and colour. As a result, there

The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden is home to three maples considered significant by the International Union

ACER ANATOMY

Maples are an integral part of Japanese culture, and synonymous with Japanese gardens, having been cultivated as far back as 614 AD. The peak of maplemania in Japan occurred during the Edo era (1603–1867), with maple-viewing parties, gardens centred around the trees, and maple bonsais being the height of fashion. Acers and Japanese gardens are still inextricably linked today. Acers considered to be ‘Japanese maples’ include Acer palmatum, Acer shirasawanum, Acer buergerianum, Acer crataegifolium and their cultivars.

Mount Tomah is home to 141 species and cultivars of Japanese maples, with leaf colours varying dramatically from butter-yellow to bright pink, vibrant orange and deep merlot-red, and habits ranging from dwarf to 15-metre-high specimens, with both weeping and standard varieties.

As the season turns cooler and the summer heat fades, the maples dotted around the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden are unmissable. Best viewed wrapped in a warm coat and scarf, little will give you that crisp, comfortable autumnal feeling like strolling through a collection of Acers.

THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022 21

BOTANICAL SCIENCE

RESCUING

GONDWANAN RAINFORESTS WORKING WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND LAND CARE GROUPS, SCIENTISTS ARE EXPLORING WAYS TO PRODUCE RESILIENT POPULATIONS OF RARE RAINFOREST PLANTS,

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he Gondwanan rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland are one of the most unique set of ecosystems in Australia. Sadly they are also one of the most threatened. It is estimated that just 1% of these rainforests remain – the rest largely lost to the logging and land clearing associated with the expansion of agriculture in these regions over the past 200 years.

These rainforests, which are found between Newcastle and Brisbane, are termed Gondwanan because when Gondwana existed (from 500 million years ago until it started to break up between 180-100 million years ago) it was, according to fossil records, covered by rainforests containing similar kinds of species that are living in these locations today. As a result, these rainforests have been designated World Heritage areas, and much of the existing rainforest has been protected in national parks.

These ecosystems have long been a focus of interest to the Gardens and its scientists. If you wander round the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, you will notice that many of the mature trees come from these ecosystems and previous directors such as Charles Moore and Joseph Maiden were particularly fond of planting species from these regions.

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More recently our focus has turned to rescuing at-risk species and enhancing the restoration and rehabilitation of these forests in northern NSW. Apart from the long-term impact of logging and land-clearing, these forests now face a number of new threats. In the Black Summer fires in 2019/20 we saw quite extensive impacts on these ecosystems – rainforests, as the name implies, are not expected to burn, not adapted to bushfire, and when they do burn it takes years, even decades for many of the species to recover.

Additionally, many of the rainforest species in the family Myrtaceae are very susceptible to the exotic fungal disease Myrtle Rust. The combination of warm, wet weather and very susceptible species has seen this disease proliferate to the point where there are an estimated 16 species of rainforest Myrtaceae at imminent threat of extinction from the disease.

In order to address these issues sustainably we need to find answers

‘Many of the plant species are of great cultural significance to indigenous people’

to a number of complex challenges – including how to collect, store and generate seed and other germplasm and how best to produce resilient populations of plants that will not only survive but will produce the next generations of plants.

Our current areas of focus with respect to Gondwanan rainforests are centred on understanding the genetic resilience of the species in these forests – a critical factor given the shrinkage of these populations as outlined above – and on determining better ways to collect and store the seed of rainforest species. This latter factor is important as it may provide an opportunity to preserve at-risk populations of species and to extend the life of seed, which for many rainforest species can only be used freshly picked.

Many of the plant species in these forests are of great cultural significance to Indigenous people. Species like Black Bean (Castanospermum australe) and the Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) were important food sources and, where the trees were located at some density, sites of congregation and celebration. Given this, it is not surprising that efforts were made to cultivate these trees, and Professor Maurizio Rossetto from our team at the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience – working with PhD student

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

ENSURING THEY SURVIVE AND THRIVE. BRETT SUMMERELL REPORTS.

BOTANICAL SCIENCE

Black Bean pods and seeds

‘We need to find better ways to collect and store the seed of rainforest species’

Professor Maurizio Rossetto examines Black Bean seeds

Monica Fahey, Dr Emilie Ens from Macquarie University and members of local Aboriginal communities – is currently investigating the history and biogeography of these species using genomic tools. The focus is on exploring the relationships between trees and documenting how the trees might have been moved around the landscape.

The Black Bean tree, for example, is a culturally important riparian (growing near a river) tree that produces toxic but highly nutritious water-dispersed seed known to have been detoxified and consumed by rainforest dwellers in the Australian wet tropics for at least 2,500 years. The genomic study showed unusually low genetic diversity among the many populations that grow from the coast to the uplands (often away from natural water courses) and that they were derived from a single maternal lineage. Based on ecological and

environmental information, Professor Rossetto could rule out dispersal by natural factors such as rivers, rainforest birds and mammals, and identify movement by local Indigenous people as the most plausible alternative. The tree’s journey through NSW, as told by its genetics, is compatible with the traditional Dreaming Tracks that local Aboriginal people have travelled for thousands of years. These are related within traditional songlines and stories that support traditional knowledge sharing.

The other component of our work in these ecosystems is collaborative work with local community groups such as the Big Scrub Landcare organisation to develop innovative methods for restoration and community involvement in propagating and spreading at-risk rainforest species.

A combination of genetic information and propagation technology – whether

Large Black Bean seeds

it is seed storage and germination or cutting propagation – provides the opportunity to produce resilient restored patches of bush. It also provides us with the opportunity to create seed production areas that will comprise genetically diverse individual plants. These plants will cover the full spectrum of diversity that can interbreed in order to produce seed for use in restoration, creating resilient populations capable of producing offspring that can cope with all the negative impacts thrown at them.

Much of this work has been supported by a range of donations and grants over recent years and these have now been bolstered by fantastic support from the Minderoo Foundation’s Fire and Flood Resilience program over the next few years. This support will enable us to expand our influence and help to protect more rainforest species.

THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022 23

HORTICULTURE

A PLAYFUL VOYAGE

INSIDE THE TIDE STRETCHING THEIR IMAGINATIONS TO THE LIMIT, THE GARDEN’S EXPERT STAFF – WITH THE HELP OF SOME PUPPET MASTERS – HAVE CREATED A TRULY UNIQUE CALYX EXHIBITION. JOHN SIEMON REPORTS.

H

orticulture is often considered a fusion of science and art, and our latest Calyx exhibition – Inside the Tide – certainly lives up to this descriptor as visitors explore a whimsical journey inside an aquatic seascape.

More than 12 months in the making, each Calyx exhibition requires many hands and brains to weave a successful outcome. Starting with a series of ideation workshops, the Horticulture team settled on a working title of ‘Under the Sea’ and explored the

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endless possibilities – and challenges – that a seascape would present.

Participating in our design workshops this year was our Landscape Designer, Sitthichat (Sitty) Bamrung, who ingeniously converted thought bubbles into visual concepts to test our ideas and further resolve them into detailed designs, including the green wall.

In a departure from our previous exhibitions, this year we have invested in a series of organic-shaped raised beds that allow for an infinitely

re-configurable design for future displays. Through simply reorienting or adjoining beds, the look and feel of the exhibition area will remain fresh and provide enhanced mobility for maintenance and visitor interactivity.

We have also constructed a series of giant mobile beds which, if required, we can remove or reposition to increase event or venue space.

A further point of difference for this exhibition is a partnership with Erth Visual & Physical, a renowned

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

HORTICULTURE

THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022 25

HORTICULTURE

‘A seagrass meadow is shadowed by an interactive shark’

marine invertebrates. In this section, our plant hero is the Symbiodinium algae, which resides in corals, anemones and jellyfish, and through a photosynthetic process creates sugars and oxygen supporting life. Plants such as Aloe, Crassula, Echeveria and many other colourful interesting specimens, like mangave (a hybrid of Manfreda x Agave) emulate coral and jellyfish (the latter made with upside down hanging baskets filled with succulents and suspended from the roof of The Calyx).

In ‘Act 3’ our visitors dive through the coastal zone – where a seagrass meadow of Festuca and Dracaena (formerly Sansevieria) is shadowed by a unique and interactive shark magnificently created by Erth Visual & Physical out of recycled wetsuits. Visitors are finally transported back to the shoreline where rockpools abound and Pandanus, Carpobrotus and Worsleya define the coastal dune system.

I have to commend our brilliantly talented staff in Horticulture (particularly Randy Sing and his team), Assets, Science, Education and Experiences, Partnerships and Engagement, for constructing one of our best exhibitions yet. I hope you enjoy it!

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Australian puppetry-based theatrical production company, which has created innovative shows that have toured the world. Through funding support by an Australian Government RISE Grant, Erth Visual & Physical have overlayed visual and acoustic elements which, when woven with more than 20,000 plants, create a feast for the senses.

You may even bump into a deep-sea diver during one of your visits.

Our ocean-scene setting commences on approach to The Calyx where a life-size topiary Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, has navigated its way down the east coast on its migratory route back to the chilly Antarctic waters. Fortunately, the whale has decided to take a brief break in Farm Cove where we can enjoy it breaching the surface, in the middle of the lawn in front of The Calyx, accompanied by her baby calf.

One of the many challenges of pulling off an exhibition of this scale – besides

acquiring or growing the thousands of plants required – is to construct a story that elicits a response or connection with our audience. In this case it was clear that the only way we could transport our visitors under the waterline was to use land plants, which seems counter intuitive to an exhibition focusing on aquatic life. In a masterstroke, our Manager Interpretation, Sophie Daniel, conceived an idea where land plants are ‘actors’ playing the role of an aquatic component of the ecosystem.

In ‘Act 1’ we transport visitors into the depths of a giant kelp forest. These are forests many of us take for granted because few of us have ever seen them, except perhaps in documentaries. Some kelp forests can be staggeringly tall, at almost 35 metres, and play a key role in ocean ecosystems, buffering coastlines and providing a home to thousands of other species. Emerging from the deep, our guests may spot a giant leafy sea dragon or one of many ocean creatures lurking in amongst the coral bommies.

Next up, in ‘Act 2’, we explore the coral reef systems, where a cast of succulents take on the role of corals.

Many corals are architectural masterpieces and home to colonies of

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PLANTS

PLANTS IN THE

GARDENS DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PLANTS TO LOOK OUT FOR NEXT TIME YOU VISIT THE GARDENS.

BRAZILIAN RED CLOAK Megaskepasma erythrochlamys Family Acanthaceae An excellent shrub, easy to grow, but burdened with a difficult name!

This is a monotypic species – that is, the only species in the genus – and despite its common name, is a native of Venezuela.

It always attracts a lot of interest from visitors to the Garden when in flower during late summer through to early autumn. Other members of the Acanthaceae family, so well represented in the Royal Botanic Garden, include Justicia, Eranthemum, Mackaya, Ruellia, Odontonema, Pachystachys and Strobilanthes to name a few. All these genera have species that thrive in our climate with a minimum of attention while giving great satisfaction to the gardener.

The most striking feature of this shrub in bloom is not the very small, tubular, white to palest-pink flowers, but the large showy crimson bracts on which they grow. The flowers are not

long-lasting but the floral bracts provide colour in the garden over several weeks. The foliage is always attractive, as the strongly veined leaves are shiny and bright green. It will grow to about 1.5–2 metres high and can be 1–2 metres in width in ideal conditions, making a well-rounded shrub. Even out of flower it provides an excellent background plant for annuals or smaller growing perennial plants. It can also make a good informal hedge or screen, as the foliage is normally quite dense from the top to just above the soil level.

Thriving in warmth and high humidity, the Brazilian Red Cloak is well suited to the Sydney climate and other

‘The floral bracts provide colour in the garden over several weeks’

mild frost-free regions, as are so many other related plants in the Acanthaceae family. Ideally it should be grown in a reasonably sheltered position with shade from the hottest afternoon sun in summer. It can be grown in any reasonably well-drained soil. It needs regular deep watering to become established, then occasional deep soakings in dry periods. The root zone should be well mulched, taking care to keep mulch away from the stem.

Shrubs should be fertilised in spring and perhaps in early summer if the soil is very porous and sandy. A light pruning to remove spent flower heads is desirable or for shaping. However, generally their growth habit is attractive and needs little attention.

The best place to see this shrub is in the Lower Garden near the Mare and Foal Statue. Growing Friends frequently has these plants for sale.

Margaret Hanks, Growing Friends, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

THE GARDENS AUTUMN 2022 27

PLANTS

Rhododendron aurigeranum

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN SYDNEY After the warm humid Sydney summer, the weather is finally cooling down.

Autumn sees many attractions in the Garden and the weather is more pleasant for both visitors and our gardeners. Our extensive collection of Camellia sasanqua is flowering prolifically from April through May. The Garden also has an excellent collection of different species of camellia. In cultivation, we tend to grow only four species, but the camellia genus contains up to 300 species and a good selection can be seen near Rathborne Lodge.

In the Rose Garden it’s the last opportunity to enjoy this season’s flowers on hybrid teas and floribundas before the horticulturists give them their winter prune in July. The Middle Garden is also worth a visit, displaying a large collection of Vireya rhododendron and this is the perfect time to see them. These more tropical rhododendrons thrive in our

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climate and produce the most beautiful flowers in a wide range of colours.

Many of our trees are performing at their best in autumn, such as the magnificent Ginkgo biloba near the Oriental Garden. Also in the Oriental Garden are three newly planted Acers which should add to the autumn colour.

One of my favourite flowering trees is the Hong Kong Orchid Tree Bauhinia x blakeana, which can be found in the Tropical Garden. Flowering between March and July, it produces blooms that resemble those of an orchid.

Another tree flowering at this time is the wonderful Ceiba speciosa which can be found between the Gardens Shop and the Herb Garden. These trees, which have armoured trunks with vicious spikes, produce the most beautiful pink and white Hibiscus-like flowers in abundance.

Stenocarpus sinuatus, one of our most spectacular flowering trees, is flowering throughout autumn. These native trees can be found near The Calyx.

As the weather cools, the greenkeepers are busy renovating formal lawns and preparing them for winter. The horticulturists are mulching and keeping on top of pests like Kurrajong leaf tier, lily caterpillar and citrus gall wasp. The arborists use the excellent conditions to plant trees as part of our tree succession plan. With the heat of summer gone but the soils still warm, autumn is the perfect time to plant.

David Laughlin, Curator Manager

'Ceiba speciosa produces beautiful pink and white Hibiscus-like flowers’

PLANTS

Photos: Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, Marion Whitehead, Greg Lamont, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Licuala ramsayi

Potberg Sugarbush

AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN

BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN

Licuala ramsayi, the Queensland Fan Palm, is one of the most iconic palm species in the North Queensland rainforest. This palm is famous for its large pleated and nearcircular leaves, which can grow up to 2 metres in diameter. The plant itself can grow to a mature height of around 20 metres in its natural habitat. Flowers are produced between November and January, and fruits between January and March.

Interestingly, the Fan Palm provided local Indigenous groups with leaves for thatching and shelter, and for food wrapping.

Licuala should be grown in a shady and protected position with plenty of moisture. It is one of the most cold-tolerant of the Licuala ramsayi, but still requires frost-free conditions. Licuala is happiest when grown in moist well-drained soil and when young, in particular, given plenty of shade. It is a slow grower, so you’ll have to be patient, but it will be worth the wait. This makes it a perfect plant to grow in pots on your patio or verandah. Licuala is equally at home as an indoor plant – just make sure it is placed in an area where it is warm and bright with consistent moisture and humidity.

Be sure to visit the stand of Licuala located near the Water Garden next time you visit the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.

Simon Reid, Horticulturist

Protea aurea subsp. potbergensis, commonly known as the Potberg Sugarbush, sits atop the basalt like the queen of the Rock Garden. Unmissable in her autumn glory, this golden obconical flower spreads its bracts out slowly, settling around the base of the flower like a ballerina’s tutu, and catches the sunlight in its fine hairs. With velvety new leaves and a sparsely branched, upright habit, the subspecies is a unique golden colour when compared to the soft pink straight species, Protea aurea.

With a tiny range of distribution, found only on the upper slopes of Potberg mountain in the Western Cape of South Africa, Protea aurea subsp. potbergensis is listed as near threatened on the current Red Data List and can be admired in our South African Rock Garden between April and July.

Marion Whitehead, Senior Horticulturist, Nursery

GROWING FRIENDS

PLANT SALES The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Mon–Fri 11am–2pm, Sat 10am–2pm The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Mon–Sun 9am–4pm The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah Mon–Sun 9.30am–4.30pm

GROWING FRIENDS The Growing Friends Nursery in Sydney reopened in mid-October 2021 after four long months of lockdown. Normal operations have progressively resumed, with most of our volunteer members returning enthusiastically to the work of propagating and selling our wide range of rare and unusual plants.

Sales and nursery activities have also resumed at the Australian Botanic Garden and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.

The high quality and volume of plants we have been able to offer for sale has exceeded our expectations, largely due to the support received from the Gardens’ horticultural staff in caring for our stock during the lockdown. In Sydney, we have also benefitted from numerous deliveries of magnificent flowering native plants from Mount Annan.

We are presently focusing on expanding our offering of succulents and epiphytes in the Sydney Nursery, to coincide with the Inside the Tide exhibition at The Calyx, which features highly imaginative displays of these plants simulating underwater scenes. We will be gradually introducing new succulent products over the coming months while the exhibition continues.

Stay tuned for news regarding the changing offering of plants at our nurseries via the Foundation & Friends’ email newsletter, Facebook and Instagram posts.

Raoul de Ferranti, General Coordinator Growing Friends

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DIARY

WHAT’S ON Here is just a taste of what is on offer during autumn across our three Gardens. For more information about events, and to book, visit botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On. All activities have been planned with your safety in mind, including social distancing and hygiene measures. Events with the BF symbol are organised by Foundation & Friends and can be booked online or by calling (02) 9231 8182.

DUE TO THE EVERY-EVOLVING NATURE OF COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS ON OUR EVENTS, PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION.

CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & TALKS

The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Tue 5 April, 6.30–9pm Join us for a night of astronomy and stargazing surrounded by the captivating Inside the Tide exhibition.

Over a glass of wine discover what the night sky teaches us with First Nations astronomer Drew Roberts from Shared Knowledge, then travel through space to visit mysterious planets far from Earth. Renowned astronomer Fred Watson will then take you on a journey to ‘other’ worlds. Hear about the interesting planets we have found out there.

Suitable for 18+ M $37 NM $41 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

SEASONAL HARVEST ART CLASS with Charlotte Thodey

Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Thu 28–Fri 29 Apr, 9.30am–4pm This two-day art class with popular tutor Charlotte Thodey is a practical search for solutions in the ‘still life’ genre, with an emphasis on composition, tone and colour.

Explore your individual style, ranging from a loose open brush, to a finely detailed work. We use seasonal fruit, foliage, vegetables, china and linen as props. Learn to make big decisions about small things, and clear the mind.

M $300 NM $340 MT L i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

KEY: M Foundation & Friends’ member NM Non-member MC Member’s child NC Non-member’s child F Free Morning tea provided L Lunch provided R Refreshments provided MP Materials provided B rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au BF Book through Foundation & Friends New member gift voucher can be used i More information with booking

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Photos: Shutterstock, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

ASTRONOMY AT THE CALYX

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PICKLING with Cornersmith

The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Sat 30 April, 10.30am-12.30pm Pickling is the perfect way to preserve the season and Alex Elliott-Howrey from Cornersmith is the perfect teacher! Whether you are taking advantage of good market prices, making the most of your garden glut or wanting to practise sustainable gifting, this workshop will get you pickling for life.

Suitable for 12+ M $160 NM $165 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDING WORKSHOP

The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Sat 7 May, 1.30pm-3.30pm Join the team from Sage Cosmetic Coaching for an afternoon discovering botanical scents. You will learn the art of blending essential oils and create your own natural roll-on perfume and matching scented moisturiser. The perfect activity for lovers of nature, perfumery and natural products, this workshop will delight the senses.

Suitable for 12+ M $45 NM $50 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

PLEIN AIR PAINTING

with Toni Mcdowell Maiden Theatre Royal Botanic Garden Thu 12–Fri 13 May, 9.30am–4pm Paint the landscape like a French Impressionist! It’s a rewarding artistic experience that takes a few simple techniques to master with the help of Toni McDowell, finalist in the NSW Parliament House Plein Air Painting prize.

M $280 NM $320 MT

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botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

JELLYFISH SUCCULENT HANGING BASKET

The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Sat 14 May, 10.30am-12.30pm Join a Royal Botanic Garden horticulture expert to learn how to make an enchanting jellyfish hanging basket, inspired by the Inside the Tide exhibition. These gorgeous garden sculptures are a great way to capture a touch of the sea, inside or outside your home! You will get to take home your very own jellyfish garden sculpture.

Suitable for 12+ M $105 NM $110 MP botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

FUNGI IN BOTANICAL ART with Anna Voytsekhovich

Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Fri 20–Sun 22 May, 9.30am–4pm In this three-day workshop with botanical artist Anna Voytsekhovich you will cover new and interesting facts about Australian fungi while producing an eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing botanical watercolour painting of fungi.

Anna will demonstrate different watercolour techniques used in botanical art, explain the difference in materials and styles, and help you produce a preliminary drawing of your selected fungi to produce your final painting.

M $400 NM $440 R i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

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ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS Jack Buckley

Helen Shin

ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS EXHIBITION OPENING NIGHT

Lion Gate Lodge Royal Botanic Garden Fri 25 March, 6pm–8pm View the much-anticipated Artisans in the Gardens exhibition in-person, before the general public. Mingle with the artists, sip on a glass of wine, enjoy delicious canapés and shop for exquisite, one-of-a-kind pieces.

The exhibition will feature sculpture, ceramics, hand blown glass, jewellery, textiles and more.

M $55 NM $65 R i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS EXHIBITION

Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden, Sat 26 March–Sun 3 April, 10am–4pm The in-person celebration of this exciting and diverse art exhibition will feature more than 2,000 artworks across the mediums of sculpture, ceramics, hand-blown glass, jewellery and textiles. The pieces are thought provoking, awe-inspiring, functional and beautiful pieces of art. The artistic inspiration for the works draws on the intrinsic beauty of nature as well as current environmental issues and sustainability. All items are for sale with proceeds going to the artists and to assisting F&F continue supporting horticulture, conservation, scientific research and educational programs within your Botanic Gardens.

Suitable for ages 10+ F botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

ARTISANS SHOPPER POWER HOUR Lion Gate Lodge Royal Botanic Garden Sat 26 March, 9am–10am The early bird catches the worm!

The doors will open an hour early on the first public day of the exhibition for those who want to buy ahead of the crowds during this exclusive event. Numbers are capped for this special event.

M $20 NM $25 i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

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A WANDER IN THE PAPER ARTISTS’ GARDEN with Colleen Southwell

Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Sat 26 Mar, 11am–1pm Paper sculpture artist Colleen Southwell draws on a background in horticulture and connection to the land to create her finely detailed botanical works. Colleen will take you on a storytelling wander through her country garden, its characters, and her tin cottage studio, exploring how her daily and seasonal connection to the life around her guides her work and informs her process. You’re sure to enjoy this discussion about the pleasures of taking time to pause, observe and appreciate the natural world.

M $50 NM $65 BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

Photos: Em Wollen, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Jason Macdonald

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OTHER EXHIBITIONS

ARTISANS X ARCHIE ROSE DISTILLING CO

Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden Fri 1 April, 5.30pm–8pm Foundation & Friends and Archie Rose Distilling Co. present a night to enjoy a cocktail or two, while immersing yourself in the talent of Australian artists at Artisans in the Gardens.

Enjoy appetising canapés with some delicious cocktails. Your ticket will include one Archie Rose cocktail, with additional drinks available for purchase on the night.

M $50 NM $60 i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

WIRE AND NATURE

with Harriet Goodall Maiden Theatre Royal Botanic Garden Sat 2 April, 1.30pm–4.30pm & Sun 3 April 9.30am–12.30pm Join Artisans weaver Harriet Goodall for a two-session weaving class. Create woven free-form wire cocoon-like pods embellished with simple embroidery or ink. The sculpture can be suspended off a branch or elevated on a stand.

M $250 NM $270 i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

PEARL BEACH ARBORETUM

Marijke Greenway The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Mon 28 February–Sun 20 March, 10am–4pm This exhibition features works inspired by the trees, palms, ponds and wildlife of Pearl Beach Arboretum. The artist has painted en plein air scenery and encaustic works (made of beeswax and coloured oils, using a blowtorch instead of a brush), creating works with textured unexpected delights. F botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

FROM THE HIVE… SWARMING TO THE CALYX Marijke Gilchrist The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Mon 4–Sun 24 April, 10am-4pm Experience the rich, luminous and ethereal qualities of encaustic paintings – created by fusing layers of beeswax, natural resin and pigment with a high-heat source. The exhibition is a truly sensory experience of sight, touch and smell. These works capture the diversity of the Australian landscape – from the trees to the sea, with the outback in between.

F botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

EDDI KEWLEY & OCEA WITHEROW

Joint Exhibition The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Mon 21 March–Sun 3 April, 10am-4pm In this joint exhibition of grandmother and granddaughter, Eddi Kewley takes a humorous look at cows and the beauty of birds, while Ocea Witherow explores fantasy, frogmen and fungi. Eddi’s exhibition features works on furniture, canvas and paper, while Ocea is exhibiting works in pen and ink on paper.

This exhibition is inspired by the world around us and magic moments in time.

F botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

A FLASH OF RED

Jean Dennis The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Mon 25–Sun 8 May, 10am-4pm The title of this exhibition featuring the genus Brachychiton refers to the artist’s first sighting of a red flower in otherwise dry-brown bush. On display are life-sized watercolours of trees and shrubs of the Indigenous Brachychiton genus, comprising part of a significant collection of paintings of this little-known genus. F botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

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GUIDED AND SELF-GUIDED WALKS

BREAKFAST WITH THE BIRDS

• Visitor Centre, Royal Botanic Garden 20 March, 24 April, 22 May, 10am–12noon • Visitors Centre, Australian Botanic Garden 6 March, 10 April, 8 May, 10am–12noon • Visitors Centre, Blue Mountains Botanic Garden 12 March, 9 April, 7 May, 11am–1pm Slow down and connect with nature through a series of sensory experiences.

Suitable for families and ages 13+ M $32 NM $35 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On, australianbotanicgarden.com.au/What-s-On, bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com.au/What-s-On

GHOSTLY GARDEN

Woolloomooloo Gate, Royal Botanic Garden Fri evenings at Sunset, 11 & 25 March, 8 & 22 April, 13 & 27 May Take a twilight adventure through the Garden in this spine-tingling event.

Hear spooky and kooky stories, and strange happenings from the Garden's past, as flying foxes flit above your head and owls stare from the treetops.

Suitable for adults and ages 12+ Adult must accompany under 18s M $37 NM $42 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

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BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE PLANTBANK

Australian Botanic Garden Departing Sydney Central Station Tue 5 Apr, 8.45am–5pm Australia has lost around one third of its rainforests in the last 200 years. Join Cathy Offord, Principal Research Scientist, and explore the Rainforest Conservation Project and its unconventional methods for storing rainforest seeds.

Transport included M $80 NM $90 MT i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

BATS IN THE GARDEN

Australian Botanic Garden Fri 6 May, 4.30pm What do bats have to do with Botanic Gardens? Featuring talks, walks and wildlife interaction, come along to find out! We will head out at twilight for a woodland walk, revealing the secret life of bats after dark and providing a unique opportunity to spot lots of other interesting nocturnal wildlife rarely seen inside the Australian Botanic Garden.

Suitable for 5+ M NM $25 MC NM $15 australianbotanicgarden.com.au/Whats-On

Photos: Glenn Smith Photography, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

NATURE THERAPY WALKS

Foundation & Friends Terrace, Royal Botanic Garden Thu 10 March, 7.30am–10am Join the volunteer guides for a magical morning birdwatching in the heart of Sydney, and learn about the many beautiful bird species that inhabit your Botanic Garden, including tawny frogmouth, white-necked heron and chestnut teal. The tour will conclude with a delicious breakfast.

Please bring your binoculars, water and a hat or sunscreen.

M $30 NM $35 MT i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

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MOTHER’S DAY PERFUME WALK

Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sun 8 May, 1pm–4pm Unravel the mysteries of perfume while exploring the Garden’s most fragrant plants. Join perfume consultant Catherine du Peloux Menage, who will discuss the sense of smell, the evolutionary purpose of perfumes in nature and the history of perfume.

M $50 NM $60 R i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

ORCHID GUIDED WALK

Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sat 28 May, 10.30am–1pm Orchids are the world’s second largest family of flowering plants, and they have entranced and excited us for generations with their beauty and desirability. Find out who else these flowers attract and learn more about how to grow them with a tour of the Garden’s orchid collection with specialist orchid volunteer Peter D’Olier and fellow orchid judge and volunteer guide, Jane D’Olier.

M $40 NM $50 MT i BF botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

KIDS’ ACTIVITIES

MEMBERS ONLY

KIDS IN THE GARDEN

HELPING HANDS Discover the work that goes into maintaining the Gardens and learn from the horticulture staff, taking direction from the team. Please wear sturdy boots and bring a hat, gloves, sunscreen and water. Join online as a Foundation & Friends member to participate in this exclusive and fun activity.

Members Only

Across the three Gardens Various dates, 11 April–25 April Join us for a school holiday program of paid and free activities. MC NM botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

SEEDLINGS NATURE SCHOOL

• Royal Botanic Garden, every Thu 10 February–31 March, 10am–12noon • Australian Botanic Garden, every Wed 9 February– 30 March, 9.30am–11.30am • Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, every Tues 8 Feb - 29 March, 10am–12noon Suitable for 2.5–5 years and carers.

Bookings essential.

MC NM Single Class $18, Full Term Pass $126 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/ What-s-On/Seedlings-Nature-School bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com.au/ what-s-on/Seedlings-Nature-School

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Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah Education Centre Wed 2 March, Wed 6 April, Wed 4 May 8.30am–12noon Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Meet at the main car park Wed 9 March, Wed 13 April, Wed 11 May 8.30am–12noon Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Foundation & Friends Terrace Thu 17 March, Thu 21 April, Thu 19 May 8.45am–12noon botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens Ltd, Cottage 6, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney 2000 Phone: (02) 9231 8182 Chief Executive Officer: Peter Thomas foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au botanicgardens.org.au/foundationandfriends Office hours: Mon–Thu, 9am–3pm facebook.com/FoundationandFriends instagram.com/FoundationandFriends EDITORIAL Editor: David Carroll Designer: Lauren Sutherland Coordinator: Helen Goodall Arts writer: Sue Wannan Scientific advisers: Dr Marco Duretto, Dr Brett Summerell and John Siemon Regular contributors: Dr Brett Summerell, Miguel Garcia, Margaret Hanks, Marion Whitehead, David Laughlin, Ryan Newett and John Siemon

Printer: Bright Print Group Print Post approved: PP 100004091 ISSN 1324 - 8219 Printed in Australia on paper made from FSC-certified and other controlled materials.

FSC® helps take care of the forests, and the people and wildlife that call them home.

Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens supports the important work and programs across your Botanic Gardens – the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. Our mission is to grow a strong, supportive community to advocate and raise funds for our Botanic Gardens and their vital horticultural, scientific, education and conservation work.

Join our vibrant community of members today by phoning (02) 9231-8182 or visiting rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Join-Support/Foundationand-Friends-of-the-Botanic-Gardens

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MORE INFO

26 MARCH - 3 APRIL 2022 LION GATE LODGE 10AM - 4PM DAILY ALL ARTWORKS FOR SALE A celebration of the natural world, featuring an extraordinary range of artwork in this exciting and diverse art exhibition. botanicgardens.org.au/artisans Proudly supported by

FREE ENTRY Brought to you by

Artworks shown by Meredith Woolnough, Jack Buckley, Nettie Sumner, Araceli Adams and Isabella Edwards