AUTUMN UPDATE

Plant Sales To Open On Sundays

Growing Friends Plant Sales has announced plans to extend its opening hours at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney to include Sundays from 30 April 2023.

General coordinator Raoul de Ferranti says that after battling poor growing conditions through much of last year, plant production is now recovering strongly, and the Growing Friends team is “rejoicing in a wonderful offering of plants at our Plant Sales in Sydney and at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan”.

The extension of opening hours to include Sundays continues a period of progressive growth of the Sydney Plant Sales operation, which commenced back in 2006 by opening on just one Saturday per month. It now opens 11am–2pm Monday to Friday, and 10am–2pm on Saturdays.

“Extending weekend openings to include Sundays will make our diverse range of unusual plants even more accessible for busy working people.”

Foundation & Friends is this year marking its 40th anniversary and members are invited to celebrate the milestone at specials events taking place across our three Gardens between March and May.

CEO Pete Thomas says the events will acknowledge the four decades of support Foundation & Friends has provided to ensuring the Gardens retains its place among “the world’s greatest scientific, educational, horticultural, cultural and recreational spaces.

“Most importantly it’s a chance to catch up with old friends, and to perhaps forge a few new friendships with people who share our vision and passion.”

Dates for the events – which include a festive morning tea and a ceremonial tree planting – are as follows:

• Blue Mountains Botanic Garden

Tue 7 March, 10.30am–12.30pm

• Royal Botanic Garden

Thu 27 April, 2pm-4pm

• Australian Botanic Garden

Wed 10 May, 10.30am –12.30pm.

If you’d like to attend, please RSVP by emailing Foundation & Friends at foundation.friends@botanicgardens. nsw.gov.au.

Meanwhile, de Ferranti says Growing Friends has also initiated a program to recruit and train new Growing Friends volunteers, specifically to assist and in due course direct the Sunday Plant Sales openings.

“Anyone interested in helping with our Sunday sales should contact the Foundation & Friends office for more information.

“Members can also keep in touch with news of the changing supply of plants at our nurseries through the Foundation & Friends email newsletter, Facebook and Instagram posts.”

See page 29 for details on the opening hours of all three Growing Friends Plant Sales operations.

Weeding Out Threats On Norfolk Island

Five scientists from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science (AIBS) recently worked with the Norfolk Island community to identify new weeds posing a threat to local ecosystems, while at the same time broadening our knowledge of the destination’s diverse flora, especially the Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, etc.)

Funding from Foundation & Friends ensured participation in the expedition by the scientists, who focused their efforts on areas where no (or few) plant collections have been lodged in Australasian herbaria.

The Institute’s Science, Education & Conservation Operations Manager, Dr Marco Duretto, says locals also supplied specimens of Oxalis pes-caprae (Soursop), Soliva anthemifolia (Button Burweed), Hypochaeris albiflora (White Flatweed) and a species of fern in the genus Blechnum – all new weed records for Norfolk Island.

In total the Australian Museumled expedition collected around 400 herbarium specimens of approximately 140 species – a number Duretto says is likely to increase following further research, with the team anticipating the discovery of several new records of species. In addition, scientists collected tissue samples for DNA extraction and analysis.

Duretto says one of the most positive outcomes of the project was the strong bonds formed with the Norfolk Island community, which supported the scientists with local knowledge, equipment and access to land.

"We are keen to continue our relationship with the community, and so we've left plant presses with some people, and offered our services for plant information and identification.”

Meanwhile, he says AIBS is hoping to take part in future projects with the Australian Museum, while also launching its own expeditions.

CEO'S REPORT

Over the past few months it has been wonderful to see the growing number of visitors bringing so much life back to the Gardens. Our Foundation & Friends events have been very busy, with members and their friends enjoying both new and established activities across the three Gardens.

A highlight of our schedule was our New Year’s Eve Picnic, a spectacular sold-out event that attracted a large number of families and guests from around the world. This year we added entertainers for the children and a range of merchandise, which proved popular. This important fundraiser for Foundation & Friends smashed targets, so a huge thanks to the staff and volunteers who made it possible – and to our amazing members for attending and bringing so many of your friends. Our goal is to have the best picnic on the harbour!

One thing the recent events have highlighted is that there is still work to do to make the Gardens accessible to all. Our Botanic Gardens are a wonderful and well-loved place that attracts an incredibly diverse community, but not all can easily enjoy everything the Gardens has to offer. One minor change we are making with the Gardens is to put small access ramps on the edges of the lawns used for the New

Year’s Eve Picnic, so those with limited mobility can enjoy the entire picnic space. Foundation & Friends is also supporting the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust to try and secure funding to improve accessibility around the Calyx at the Sydney Gardens.

As well as engaging members and raising funds, Foundation & Friends plays an important role advocating on key issues, such as accessibility and environmental sustainability at the Gardens. Late last year the Board endorsed the new longer-term strategy for Foundation & Friends. This maps out an exciting roadmap for the organisation. At the heart of the strategy is building a thriving and connected community to support the growth, sustainability and impact of the Gardens. A vital building block for us to be effective is for Foundation & Friend members to have a voice and be engaged in the future of your Gardens.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those members, donors and volunteers who gave their voice and time to the development of the new strategy. We will be rolling the strategy out over the coming months, and working hard to see your Gardens grow and have greater impact.

Peter Thomas

FRIENDS’ TOURS TAKE FLIGHT

With travel restrictions now a fading memory, Foundation & Friends is quickly expanding the horizons of its popular program of tours to some of the world’s most inspiring gardens, landscapes and horticulture. Members can already book memorable excursions exploring the Blue Mountains, the Larapinta Trail, New Caledonia and Japan (see page 29). But there are plenty more adventures on the drawing board, including journeys to:

• Singapore (August 2024) – where urban greening is running wild, producing incredible cityscapes across and on the island state’s buildings, including the world’s tallest vegetable garden (51 storeys up) and the planet’s biggest living wall

• Far North Queensland (August 2024) – a one-of-a-kind botanical and cultural destination encompassing unique gardens, geology, biodiversity and Indigenous learnings

• Namibia and South Africa (September 2024) – home to fantastic megafauna, starkly beautiful desert landscapes, giant sand dunes, arid-adapted flora, mass flowerings of intensely coloured Namaqualand daisies, and the mind-boggling botanical diversity of the Cape Floristic region

• Northern Japan (August 2024) – where the wilder and less-populated prefectures of Aomori and Hokkaido offer a host of off-the-beaten track delights, including the visionary Dan Pearson-designed Tokachi Millenium Forest, along with lively festivals, delicious food and beautiful weather • Bhutan (April 2025) – renowned for its breathtaking Himalayan scenery, spiritual culture, colourful history and the exhilarating Rhododendron Festival, an annual three-day celebration of ecology, food and entertainment that marks the arrival of spring. As always the tours will be led by Foundation & Friends’ guides, all of whom are committed scientists and horticulturists with a passion for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm. Among them are former Senior Principal Research Scientist with the National Herbarium of New South Wales, Dr Peter Weston (Namibia and South Africa), Gardens’ manager volunteer programs, Paul Nicholson (Far North Queensland) and former member of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney's education team Relle Mott (Northern Japan).

If you are interested in finding out more about any of Foundation & Friends’ new tours, please email foundation. friends@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au. And if you would like to meet some of our guides and learn more about upcoming itineraries, join us at the Maiden Theatre on 21 February (10am–12noon) for an “armchair ride” through a Foundation & Friends journey.

NEW CLUB FOR BOOK-LOVING FRIENDS

Foundation & Friends members love to read – as shown by the enthusiastic response to the giveaways offered on The Gardens’ dedicated books page – and that is why this year we are launching a book club.

Communications and Marketing Manager Meredith Kirton, herself the author of multiple horticulture books – says the club will focus on all types of publications showcasing the natural world.

“That includes creative nonfiction, nature writing and fiction,” says Kirton. “We are also hoping to offer regular author talks, share reading lists and even establish a small library for our members use.

“The first book on our calendar will be Evergreen: The Botanical Life of a Plant Punk, by the Botanic Gardens’ former Executive Director Tim Entwisle, copies of which we gave away in our last issue.

“Other authors on my list to try and entice, or at least read their books, are Inga Simpson (Willowman) and Holly Ringland (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), but I can’t wait to hear members' suggestions too.”

Kirton says the first step to establishing the new club – which ideally will meet once a month and incorporate a food theme related to the book in question – will be to set up a committee of volunteers.

“If you are interested in contributing please get in touch by emailing foundation.friends@ botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au.”

YATES TOP 50 FRAGRANT PLANTS (AND HOW NOT TO KILL THEM!)

Angie Thomas

Harper Collins

RRP $35.00

Angie Thomas provides a practical guide to growing sensory-stimulating plants, with advice on everything from climate and soil to garden environment and maintenance levels. She also identifies plants more suited to less experienced gardeners and discusses how fragrance is linked to time and seasons, before taking a closer look at her "top 50" (with beautiful photographs of each). Plants are well organised into six categories: annuals, biennials /perennials, bulbs, climbers, trees/ shrubs and plants with fragrant foliage. The guide also provides plenty of helpful tips on plant care, including strategies for managing some common pests and diseases, and advice on potting, feeding and watering. Thomas has worked in the horticultural industry for more than 25 years. As well as being a writer and broadcaster, she is Horticultural Communications Manager for Yates, which has now been producing gardening guides for around 125 years.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BOOK

WILDLIFE IN THE BALANCE WHY ANIMALS ARE HUMANITY’S BEST HOPE

Simon Mustoe Wildiaries Publishing

RRP $34.99

Over the past 50 years around three quarters of the creatures needed to keep ecosystems healthy have disappeared and, in Wildlife in the Balance, Simon Mustoe explains why arresting this trend is vital to humanity’s survival. Mustoe explores the role that wildlife plays in maintaining planetary ecosystem stability, and why time is running out for humanity to “re-find its place in nature”. He also provides guidance on how readers can implement small but powerful changes in their lives and presents a 10-point plan to spark a global shift in human values, which includes developing new criteria for species conservation based on animals’ contribution to biodiversity. Mustoe is an ecologist, expeditioner and conservationist who has consulted to industry, government and conservation groups around the world. He has also co-produced the National Landscapes Nature Series and publishes an online magazine, Wildiaries, to around a quarter of a million Australians.

GARDEN GATHERED: FLORAL DESIGN & RURAL LIFE AT RIVERDALE FARM

Helen Leighton

The Flower Press

RRP $89.95

When COVID forced busy floral and garden designer Helen Leighton to stop and smell the roses, she decided to start writing a journal to observe the simple moments of everyday life on her flower farm. The result, Garden Gathered, captures a year on the spectacular Riverdale Farm, which for the past 18 years Leighton and her husband Jim have developed near Albany on Western Australia's south coast. Leighton, who has been growing flowers for more than 30 years, details her approach to floral design and styling, with plenty of tips (for everyone from the curious to the seasoned gardener and florist) on growing, drying and sustainably. She also shares some insights into "living seasonally" and relates her experiences tending her orchard and pinot vineyard, as well as beekeeping, sewing and blacksmithing.

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 Friday 10 March. Be sure to include your contact details, current membership number and which book you would like to receive. In our last edition we gave members the chance to win

Discovering Australian Flora (Fanny Karouta-Manasse), The Compact Australian Bird Guide (Jeff Davies, Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Peter Marsack and Kim Franklin) and Platypus Matters (Jack Ashby). Congratulations to our winners: David Cholson, Susan and Andrew Furman, Diane McQueen, Pamela Melocco, Jenny Pattison, Siak Khoon Png, Michael Roberts, Jane Rodgers and Ursula Zuffo.