SUMMER 2023–2024 Issue 139 $9.95
REFLECTION AND PLANNING NEW STRATEGIES FOR FOUNDATION & FRIENDS
WELCOMES & FAREWELLS | YEAR IN REVIEW | 2024 PREVIEW | NEW VENUE SPACE
Montezuma bald cypress Taxodium distichum var. mexicanum Less well known than the related swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum, this fine tree is notable for its very unusual form. When seen from the path on the western edge of Lawn 44, a huge elbow-shaped branch is virtually resting on the ground near the Palm House. The tree itself, with its fine feathery foliage, rises to a great height but its shape makes it most notable. Its planting date is not known but it must have been well after 1860 when this land was reclaimed from Farm Cove. This species is the national tree of Mexico where it grows naturally close to water in riparian zones, marshes or close to springs. Trees can reach enormous sizes and significant ages. The Tule tree in Mexico has a height and girth of more than 35 metres and crown or canopy of more than 43 metres. The oldest reliably aged tree is more than 1100 years old and grows in a wetland in the shadow of the Sierra Madre Oriental near Rioverde, San Luis Potosí with other ancient Montezuma cypress. Trees were an important component of Aztec agriculture, planted in shallow lakes in rows, and as the space between trees was filled with earth, lakes were transformed into farmland. Margaret Hanks, Growing Friends, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Paul Nicholson, Manager Volunteer Programs, Botanic Gardens of Sydney
Founding member of Growing Friends, Margaret Hanks, worked at the Botanic Garden of Sydney Garden Advisory Service (GAS), assisting with a dizzying array of garden related questions without the benefits of google or the internet! Following the closure of GAS in the early 2000s, Margaret worked on several special projects, including the heritage tree collection. A driving force behind Growing Friends, staff and volunteers often draw on her wealth of both horticultural and historical expertise. This is her last Significant Tree contribution. Many thanks to Margaret.
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THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
Photos: Photo: © Royal Meredith Botanic Kirton Gardens and Domain Trust
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION
CONTENTS FEATURES 7 New Year’s Eve How our
New Year’s Eve picnic got up and running 11 Identify or Die! The importance of plant and fungal identification 22 Australian PlantBank The 10th anniversary of a visionary project 24 Living Collection Strategy Our hardworking and diverse living collections 26 Country and ancient knowledge Seasonal signals and survivors
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GARDENS NEWS 4 Summer Update
Reflections on the past year and the view ahead 20 Musical interlude The Royal Botanic Garden’s new amphitheatre
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IN EACH ISSUE 10 Books New Year’s resolution reads 14 Artefact Botanical explorer
of the Antarctic, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker 16 First Person Meet our new apprentice of horticulture, Madeleine Wilson 23 Travel Exciting new Friends’ tours 27 Plants Tips on what to look out for this summer 30 What’s On Your guide to activities and events
On the co ver
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Wollemi pine by Glenn Smith, photographed in the Bottlebrush garden in the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
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NEWS
SUMMER UPDATE Pride mannequin by Fleur My Darling, Fleurs de Villes, Sydney, February 2023
FESTIVE SEASON OFFICE HOURS
The Foundation & Friends office will close at 3pm Friday 22 December 2023, with the team returning at 9am on Monday 8 January 2024. Growing Friends Plant Sales at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney will close at 2pm Thursday 21 December 2023 and reopen at 11am Monday 8 January 2024.
GREETING CARDS
FLEUR DE VILLES IS RETURNING WITH VOYAGE
8 – 18 August 2024, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney VOYAGE is a journey of discovery to iconic global destinations. Inspired by timeless monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and the spectacular temples of Kyoto, as well as the diverse traditions, festivals, fashion and notable people from cities around the world, our VOYAGE series will be a feast of cultural storytelling, connecting the world through flowers like never before.
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THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
Thinking of sending cards? Support the Foundations & Friends by purchasing our greeting cards. Renowned botanical artist Beverly Allen and Indigenous artist Darren Charlwood have generously gifted the use of their artworks. Choose from Corymbia ficifolia and Camellia japonica ‘Tiffany’, by Beverly Allen, from the Botanica de Materia Medica exhibition, or Connections by Charlwood, a Wiradjuri man from the Yibaay Wagaan kin group. The cards come in two styles, blank and ‘Season’s Greetings’ together with matching white envelopes. Purchase online in packs of 10 using the QR code or from Foundation & Friends reception. Proceeds from the sale of the cards help Foundation & Friends support the horticulture, conservation, scientific research and education programs within the Botanic Gardens.
NEWS
Photos: James Simpson, Anna Warr – University of Sydney
WELCOMING SARAH CONSTABLE Some of our most hard-working volunteers are our Board members. They play a critical role in shaping and steering the long-term vision of Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens. We were thrilled to have Sarah Constable, a barrister specialising in corporations law, recently join our Board. Sarah has had experience in a wide range of legal settings, including at Arnold Bloch Leibler, the Federal Court of Australia and Redfern Community Centre. Sarah brings advocacy of good governance practices, and strong negotiation and strategic skills to the Board. Sarah and her family have a long association with the Foundation & Friends. They have been very supportive of the Gardens, including through membership and the Waratah program. On a personal note, Sarah has a passion for art, and values the Foundation & Friends’ tradition of exhibitions in the gardens. She also loves classical music and Test cricket – the latter perhaps a result of having grown up in the United Kingdom. She spent many of her formative years working on the family vineyard and is always impressed by the planning and effort involved in growing plants. She loves that the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is a respite from the bustle of the city. Sarah believes the Botanic Garden of Sydney is one of the most important spaces in Australia, being Australia’s oldest botanic garden and oldest scientific institution, and is looking forward to recruiting new members to the Foundation & Friends and building support for the organisation.
FROM THE CEO
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fter a year of record rain, we are looking at returning to historically dry and hot weather. This is already proving challenging for the protection of the incredible living collections. At the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, the available water supply is starting to run short. The prediction of a difficult summer ahead only reinforces the need for the work of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney. Increasingly, the research and scientific investigation of the incredible team at your Gardens focuses on addressing the impacts of climate change. I was proud that Foundation & Friends were able to announce two impactful grants of $500K. These go to the heart of addressing the protection of plant species and the living collections. The first gift was for scientific equipment for the new Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience laboratory in the refurbished Brown Building on Mrs Macquaries Road. The second gift is to establish an intelligent water management system across the Sydney Gardens, helping drive sustainability and efficiency.
These important grants are only made possible by the support of our donors, members and volunteers. As one donor pointed out to me, we need to be on ‘a war footing’ when it comes to the future impacts of climate change. This is why we are growing our fundraising efforts and bringing more people into our vibrant community. Part of preparing for the future is developing the skills and talents of the team that make the Botanic Gardens the special places they are. In each edition of The Gardens magazine we highlight a member of the Botanic Garden of Sydney’s team. This edition we interview one of the hard-working apprentices, Madeleine Wilson. To support the development of the Botanic Gardens team and enable them to learn from the best in Australia and across the world, I am excited that we are relaunching our scholarship program, with double the funds available. While the predictions of the season ahead are a challenge, we can only get hope and inspiration from the incredible work of the team at the Botanic Gardens. Peter Thomas THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
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NEWS
2023 UPDATE
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THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
A PERSONAL REFLECTION FROM OUTGOING CHAIR
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fter five years as Chairman of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, I take this opportunity to announce that I will be retiring in November 2023, when my current term expires. It has been an honour and privilege to serve as Chair of Australia’s oldest continually operating scientific institution, and one the world’s leading botanical organisations, which also provides magnificent recreational facilities. I am proud to have been part of the global launch of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science, and the successful digitisation and relocation of our significant plant collection to the new National Herbarium of New South Wales at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. I believe the recent launch of our first Living Collections Strategy is a significant step in elevating the custodianship of our collections, exemplifying our strategic priorities and vision for the future. We provide three magnificent recreational facilities for the people of
Sydney and for local and international visitors to Sydney, and successfully deliver an extensive program of events each year, at all our sites. It has been a pleasure working with my fellow trustees, and I thank them for their contributions and support. I have also enjoyed working with our Executive Team and have been privileged to work with two outstanding Chief Executives, Denise Ora and, before her, Kim Ellis. I have also enjoyed serving ministers Gabrielle Upton, Rob Stokes and Paul Scully. Finally, I would like to recognise and acknowledge the support of the Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Ian, Peter, and the staff, donors and members. So many of our endeavours are made possible by the financial support, the advocacy and the volunteer support that the Foundation & Friends provide. I look forward to seeing this partnership continue to grow and, of course, to maintaining my membership of the Foundation & Friends. Philip Marcus Clark AO
Photos: Jessica Lindsay, Harrison Sarasola
am thrilled to celebrate our achievements from this year and share some exciting projects on the horizon for 2024. We launched our inaugural Living Collections Strategy, a significant milestone in our commitment to preserving and nurturing our diverse array of 11,800 species. We unveiled our new brand, reinforcing our organisation’s legacy as a purpose-driven institution rooted in botanical science, horticulture, and the connection between people and nature. The opening of our new amphitheatre at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney was a calendar highlight and we are forever grateful to Robert and Janet Constable and family for their contribution. Looking to 2024, we eagerly anticipate the completion of the Robert Brown Building refurbishment. Moreover, we are thrilled about the development of the Summit Boardwalk at the Australian Botanic Garden, made possible by the support of the Fairfax Foundation. We are also delighted to announce the forthcoming opening of stage 1 of the Camellia Garden at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. I would like to thank Ian, Peter and all of the Foundation & Friends staff, donors, supporters and members for their incredible ongoing support. Finally, I would like to bid farewell and express our deep gratitude to our outgoing Chair, Philip Marcus Clark AO. Your guidance and support over the past five years have been invaluable, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Denise Ora, Chief Executive, Botanic Gardens of Sydney
NEWS
NEW YEAR REFLECTIONS A LOOK BACK AT HOW BRENDA VENTON AND THE VOLUNTEERS HELPED DRIVE IDEAS THAT WOULD BECOME ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF YOUR FOUNDATION & FRIENDS. BY MEREDITH KIRTON, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING MANAGER.
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he recent 40-year anniversary of Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens and 25-year celebrations for Growing Friends Plant Sales have both been significant milestones to reflect on our history, as well as the contribution of former Executive Officer of the Friends Brenda Venton. Brenda, who was at the helm from 1995 to 2002 left a legacy including the establishment of the New Year’s Eve picnic back in 1996, which has proved to be a successful and popular event for Foundation & Friends; the establishment of the ever-extending volunteer-run Growing Friends; successful advocacy on behalf of the Gardens against perceived threats to territory; Art Exhibitions; and the presence of the Friends Information Booth. In 1996 the Volunteer Coordinator Janet Snodgrass, a Life Member of Foundation & Friends, and Brenda Venton collaborated to lobby then Director of the Gardens, Frank Howarth, to add the New Year’s Eve picnic as a membership benefit for the Friends. ‘We were able to utilise the volunteers to sell tickets, check names at the gate, and members were allowed to bring a picnic rug and basket and set up on the
The best place to watch the fireworks with friends
The celebration started at 5pm with roving entertainers
Mare and Foal Lawn for the fireworks,’ remembered Brenda. It proved to be one of the most successful ways of increasing membership as well as raising funds for the Gardens. Prior to this, one main revenue-raiser was the art exhibition which morphed in 1999 into Botanica. Guided by Brenda and curated by Margot Child, it was then taken on by life Member Robyn Macintosh. Artisans in the Gardens was added in 2001, curated by Tim Jackson. Life Member Tim Jackson recalls that Brenda was a ‘Great EO during some major changes in the Gardens. She instigated Growing Friends and gave the green light to Artisans in the Gardens.’ Brenda reflected on her main goals when she became EO. The first was to computerise the office and train volunteers how to use the system, the second was to increase membership and raise funds for the Gardens. And finally, it was for advocacy – it was a time when the Gardens’ land was under threat from the Conservatorium of Music and the Cahill Expressway, as well as from shadowing caused by new building development along Macquarie Street. Margot Child and Peter Valder, Life Member, led the charge by volunteers to ensure a satisfactory outcome, reducing the footprints on the Gardens. Founding members of Growing Friends Robin McIntyre and Margaret Hanks, a Life Member, were key players
Members were allowed to bring a picnic rug and basket and set up on the Mare and Foal Lawn for the fireworks.
in developing the Plant Sales. Brenda said that ‘It took 5 years of negotiation and planning,’ adding that she ‘went on a fact finding trip to Canberra to the Australian National Botanic Gardens to see how they were doing a similar thing’. Growing Friends Plant Sales was established on land next to the Foundation & Friends Cottage, with Mount Annan coming on board with the support of Carol Griesser, Life Member, and Patricia Harding. ‘Writing the procedures and setting up the systems was the biggest thing,’ Brenda recalls. Today, there are plans to expand Growing Friends Plant Sales and it is a key component of the strategic plan moving forward. Prior to the Olympics being held in Sydney, Brenda took on the role of overseeing volunteer participation (60 being trained by coordinator Janet Snodgrass) and the subsequent establishment of a permanent Foundation & Friends Information Booth. What a legacy – thank you Brenda. THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
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NEWS Throughout 2023, Foundation & Friends held four exhibitions at Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. The year started off in autumn with On the Edge: Species at Risk, followed by a successful winter exhibition with Botanica de Materia Medica. Later, they held a joint spring exhibition with the Australian Watercolour Institute, and the year was finished with the signature exhibition in October, Artisans in the Gardens. Overall, the exhibitions have raised over $200,000 for the vital work of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and helped get great exposure for the artists involved. Just as important, the exhibitions attract a wide range of publicity on radio and digital platforms, and are an opportunity to introduce the Foundation & Friends to new audiences – in fact, more than half the visitors were from outside the organisation. Exhibitions are a unique chance to not only showcase art, but also highlight the work of the Gardens. On the Edge: Species at Risk, curated by Robbie Macintosh, Lucette Moore and Vanessa Snelling, was well placed to do this. ‘Curating exhibitions with an environmental message is especially rewarding when visitors show a deep appreciation. Meeting new artists with commitment makes the effort so worthwhile,’ said Robbie Macintosh, curator of On the Edge. The Honourable Tanya Plibersek launched the sell-out opening, which was also attended by our patron Her Excellency the Honourable
Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, Professor Brett Summerell, Chief Scientist and Director Science, Education and Conservation, and Gadigal Elder Ray Davison, who gave the Welcome to Country. Side events included an expert panel discussion, led by Costa Georgiadis, which delved further into this pressing topic. The exhibition Botanica de Materia Medica: Plants X Healing was another opportunity to inform the public about the importance of plants to our health and wellbeing, with works reflecting the historical importance of botany and medicine in a range of cultures. Opened by Laura Tingle and led by Judy Dunstan, a curator of many years’ experience, it was a resounding success. Judy also mentored a new curator, Alissa Cook, who reflected: ‘It was an incredible two weeks being surrounded by beautiful contemporary botanical art, as well as opportunities to meet talented artists, generous volunteers and engaging members of the public.’ More than 60 volunteers were involved, contributing more than 830 hours of their time. This year was also a time to build partnerships, and Foundation & Friends teamed up with the Australian Watercolour Institute (AWI) to celebrate its centenary. AWI president David Van Nunen said the exhibition was a great success. ‘Our milestone annual exhibition this year, Brushes with History: AWI Centenary Exhibition 1923–2023, was an extremely successful and mutually beneficial collaboration,’
It was an incredible two weeks being surrounded by beautiful contemporary botanical art.
he said, adding, ‘The historically significant site is a source of continued inspiration for generations of Australian artists.’ On the opening night, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC noted in her address that history repeated. ‘The inaugural exhibition of the AWI, in March 1924, was opened by the then Governor of New South Wales, Admiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair KCB KCMG MVO,’ she said. Our final exhibition for the year, Artisans in the Gardens, embraced a selection of new and established artists. Curator Libby Wright explained: ‘For over a year before the exhibition, the committee is hard at work seeking out potential artisans from markets, galleries, applications and by trawling social media. There is also the challenge of unexpected events affecting artists causing them to withdraw. We have had sickness, loss of workshop, floods and pregnancies all causing the withdrawal of an artist at the last moment. Regardless of these challenges, it always comes together, and this year’s exhibition proves no different.’ Meredith Kirton, Communications and Marketing Manager
Artisans in the Gardens opening night
Totem by Jo Norton, and birdhouses in the distance by Al Phemister at Artisans in the Gardens
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Photos: Jennifer Winstanley, Meredith Kirton, Brian Rapsey, Jenni Shipp, Csilla Swain
EXHIBITIONS WRAP-UP
NEWS
Botanica de Materia Medica, Sturt’s Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) by K. Indorato
A Good Crop by Tracy Luff from Artisans in the Gardens
Greg Lamont, Margaret Hanks and Raoul de Ferranti at the Palm House
GROWING FRIENDS 25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Shannon Foster, Dharawal Saltwater Knowledge Keeper, performed a smoking ceremony at the Botanica de Materia Medica launch
Peter Thomas, CEO, with Laura Tingle at the Botanica de Materia Medica launch
Lucette Moore, Robbie Macintosh OAM, Ian Breedon, Her Excellency The Hon. Margaret Beazley AC KC, The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Denise Ora and Vanessa Snelling at On the Edge: Species at Risk opening night
In September, Foundation & Friends celebrated 25 years of Growing Friends plant propagation and sales with a special anniversary event. A number of speeches recounted tales of the early years and revealed mind boggling statistics on the number of plants and taxa expertly propagated. An afternoon tea was elegantly catered by the Catering team, at a reception held in the Palm House. Festivities continued into the weekend, with a huge celebration sale and sausage sizzle, proving to be a very successful day. We welcomed hundreds of customers and raised awareness of this vital program, as well as much needed funds. Csilla Swain, Volunteer Coordinator, Foundation & Friends
Getting ready for the 25 year anniversary sale
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BOOKS
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION READS DO YOU WANT TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON YOUR FOOD MILES, OR SIMPLY TRY A MORE ORGANIC APPROACH TO YOUR BACKYARD? THESE BOOKS MIGHT HELP UNPACK HOW SIMPLE CHANGES IN THE GARDEN CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
THE CONTAINER VICTORY GARDEN: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GROWING YOUR OWN GROCERIES
Maggie Stuckey Harper Collins, RRP $44.99 Even if all you have is a postage stamp’s worth of space on a balcony, patio or front stoop, The Container Victory Garden equips you to dig into the joys of container gardening, right where you are. Imagine this: in the morning, you pluck a few mint leaves from your backdoor herb garden and add them to your tea. A few hours later, you step out onto your patio and collect a handful of lettuce leaves for your lunch salad. Just before dinner, you harvest a few basil leaves and cherry tomatoes for a delicious caprese pasta. In her trademark warm and informative style, bestselling author and expert gardener Maggie Stuckey shares everything you need to know to succeed with container gardening – planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing and harvesting. The promise of container gardening is an edible bounty you can enjoy in every season.
REBEL GARDENING: A BEGINNER’S HANDBOOK TO CREATING AN ORGANIC URBAN GARDEN
Alessandro Vitale aka Spicy Moustache Penguin Books, RRP $55 This is the ultimate beginner’s guide to establishing and tending an organic kitchen garden in any urban space, no matter how small. Do you live in the city and yearn for the space and time to grow your own food and live more connected with nature and the seasons? Rebel Gardening shows that anyone can grow a garden of delicious organic fruit and vegetables, wildlife-friendly wildflowers and abundant herbs in absolutely any urban space with a bit of know-how. Organic gardening expert Alessandro Vitale wants you to embrace the living soil and establish your own city Eden where creatures and plants can coexist in harmony with our modern lives. He shares his low-cost and organic approach with all the essential guidance you will need, including his top 50 plants for beginner gardeners, with a plethora of cultivation tips and tricks.
THE COMPOST COACH
Kate Flood Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99 According to the author, this is a book for you ‘if you cook, eat and care about the world around you’. Kate hopes it ignites a spark that leads to people making small but significant daily changes that help rewrite our collective climate story. Compostable Kate, as she calls herself, hopes that this book is ‘a journey into the wonderful, not scary, world of composting’. From her home on the south coast of New South Wales, the teacher and mum of three busy dirt-babies spreads the word on ‘garden gold’ via Instagram, TikTok, and workshops for councils, community gardens and businesses. It’s her mission to show you that ‘composting need not be smelly or time-consuming or somebody else’s problem. It’s relevant and important and utterly achievable wherever you live.’ Costa Georgiadis, Hannah Moloney, Charles Dowding and Alessandro Vitale aka Spicy Moustache are all involved with their reflections on the art of compost and beyond.
THE MILKWOOD PERMACULTURE LIVING HANDBOOK: HABITS FOR HOPE IN A CHANGING WORLD
Kirsten Bradley, Murdoch Books, RRP $45 What if your habits could create a more meaningful life for you and a better world? The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook is your guide to improving your home, health and happiness – and the planet – one simple step at a time. Packed with practical skills and projects, it’s regenerative living for busy people who want to make a positive impact in a world out of balance. Discover how simple changes to your every day can make a big difference. Maybe it’s decluttering your home, growing sprouts on your windowsill, connecting with your community or taking on a locavore mini-challenge. Maybe it’s going waste-free or falling in love with compost. Inspired by the lifeaffirming principles of permaculture, all 60 habits will help you reconnect with your ecosystem. 10 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
BOTANICAL SCIENCE
IDENTIFY OR DIE! PROFESSOR BRETT SUMMERELL, CHIEF SCIENTIST AND DIRECTOR SCIENCE, EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION, REPORTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANT AND FUNGAL IDENTIFICATION.
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here have been a couple of recent high-profile cases highlighting the importance of plant and fungus identification – and the negative impacts that can happen when things go wrong. Taxonomy and accurate identification are core components of the work of the Gardens, and we provide tools and services to accurately identify plants, algae and fungi for researchers, land managers, farmers and the broader community. These identifications can become a matter of great importance for environmental
management, biosecurity, and the life and death of livestock and even people. The death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, is the most deadly mushroom on earth, leading to as many as 100 deaths per year. This mushroom is exotic to Australia, and has an association with the roots of oaks and a few other deciduous trees, forming a mycorrhizal association. It was probably brought into the country with young oak saplings before more stringent quarantine rules were enforced. The mushroom is only found in cooler
places such as Canberra, Albury and across various areas in Victoria. In its early stages of development it is occasionally mistaken for the paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea), a popular edible mushroom, especially in some Asian cuisines. When both are mature, it is easier to differentiate them, alleviating any confusion. If the death cap mushroom is consumed, symptoms of nausea and other gastric upsets will occur in about 6–12 hours, but after 24 hours or so, the patient will appear to recover.
Photo: istock.com (empire331)
Death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, is the most deadly mushroom on earth
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BOTANICAL SCIENCE Yellow stainers (Agaricus xanthodermus)
Our Botanical Identification Service and PlantClinic offers the community a service to identify plant and fungal species.
However, it is then that the amatoxin takes effect, attacking the liver and other organs, causing them to stop functioning. Often the only remedy is a complete liver transplant. Other mushroom species that commonly cause poisoning include the ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis), yellow stainers (Agaricus xanthodermus) and the false parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites), also helpfully known as the vomiter. In all of these cases, there is a desirable mushroom similar in appearance to these nasties, hence they are confused by people out foraging.
Ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis)
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Last year we also saw a case where people became ill after eating leafy green salad products (for example, immature spinach) contaminated with weeds like thornapple (Datura stramonium). This situation arose as a result of weeds germinating and growing at the same rate as the spinach and, presumably, the difficulty in differentiating spinach and thornapple. Unfortunately the contaminated packets of the salad greens ended up in retail stores and were consumed by customers, who experienced very unpleasant effects. Thornapple contains tropane alkaloids, toxins that can, in some situations, cause serious illness or death. Children are very sensitive to thornapple poisoning; some of the symptoms include nausea, incoherence or hallucinations, vomiting, breathing problems and convulsions. Even touching the plant can cause dermatitis, nausea and headaches in some people. When mature, the plant is very distinctive and therefore unlikely to be deliberately, or even accidentally, consumed by people. However, the seedlings are superficially similar to baby spinach or rocket and can be confused if quality control is not extremely diligent.
Photos: Brett Summerell, wikipedia.org, istock.com (stockcam, Picturepartners, Giray Kocaman)
A THORNY PROBLEM
BOTANICAL SCIENCE Thornapple (Datura stramonium)
Patterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum)
Lantana (Lantana camara)
Such cases highlight the potential hazards of foraging in the wild, which has become more popular recently. When this is done with care and by people of sufficient expertise, it can be a fun pastime. But when that is not the case, we see all sorts of problems. The take-home message is: don’t pick from the wild if you aren’t an expert or very knowledgeable about the species in a particular area. There are a number of organisations that do run activities to forage in a safe way and this may be an option for you. But the number one rule of foraging remains: if in doubt, go without!
HELP AT HAND
Our Botanical Identification Service and PlantClinic offers the community a service to identify plant and fungal species. This can range from samples sent in by the general public of plants in their backyard or local community, or by consultants working on environmental impact statements for new developments in sensitive areas. The PlantClinic team offers a DNA-based identification of
The number one rule of foraging remains: if in doubt, go without!
plant roots in drainage and sewerage pipes, which is quite popular with plumbers – figs are a major culprit! One of our major groups of clients are vets and agricultural and pastoral consultants who have had livestock become ill, or even die, after eating some type of plant. There are a number of problematic plants that are eaten by livestock. The most common species include Patterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), green cestrum (Cestrum parqui) and lantana (Lantana spp.). But there is a list that goes on and on. We recently entered into a collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries to fund a new
weed botanist position based at the National Herbarium of NSW at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. Dr Patricia Lu-Irving has recent relevant experience working on systematics and the genetics of lantana while working at our Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience in Sydney. Patricia will be researching issues surrounding the identification and distribution of weed species, supporting the identification of new weed incursions and assisting in creating greater awareness of weed identification in the agricultural community. Additionally we have acquired the weed herbarium previously located at the Tamworth Agricultural Institute and it is being incorporated into our herbarium. These examples and activities highlight the importance of plant and fungal identification, along with the importance of the services and research that we offer. Hopefully through these programs and raising awareness, we can reduce the impacts of poisoning on all sections of the community. THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 13
ARTEFACT
ON A VOYAGE TO
ANTARCTICA ONE OF THE GREAT BOTANICAL EXPLORERS OF THE 19TH CENTURY, WHOSE WORKS ARE HELD AT THE DANIEL SOLANDER LIBRARY, IS SIR JOSEPH DALTON HOOKER. MIGUEL GARCIA REPORTS.
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hough Joseph Dalton Hooker authored many important botanical works, of particular note is his earliest and arguably greatest, The Flora Antarctica. Joseph Dalton Hooker was born in Suffolk, England, in 1817. His father, William Jackson Hooker, was the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Joseph grew up with his father’s work all around him; plants both living and dried herbarium specimens, drafts of his father’s original botanical illustrations and a library of hundreds of botanical books, some of which were his father’s own. Joseph regularly attended his father’s botanical lectures at the University of Glasgow from the age of five. It is no wonder that he became as enthused and fascinated by botany as his father was. His early education was conducted mostly at home. Botany was at the time still inextricably connected to medicine and, following the conventional path of most young naturalists, Joseph later studied for his medical degree at the University of Glasgow. In 1839, at the age of 22, Joseph Hooker was offered the position of assistant surgeon in Sir James Clark Ross’s expedition to the Antarctic, on the condition he finish his medical studies first. Young Joseph completed his studies barely in time to join the expedition. The Royal Navy ships Erebus and Terror sailed from Medway on 25 September 1839, proceeding to Madeira, where they stopped for additional supplies. This was Joseph’s 14 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
first opportunity to botanise on foreign soil where he observed: There are peculiar emotions consequent on visiting new countries for the first time, which are perfectly indescribable. I never felt as I did when drawing near Madeira, and probably never shall again. Every knot that the ship approached seemed to call up new subjects of enquiry. The Canary Islands held a diverse and exotic array of flora and fauna, both native and introduced species. It was more than enough to keep any naturalist busy even though Joseph’s work on the islands was cut short due to a bout of rheumatic fever. Captain James Ross was impressed by young Joseph, observing that he was always working on cataloguing either
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
the plants he had collected, or the contents of the tow-nets that sampled the waters they travelled through, especially of marine algae. Ross even offered Joseph a cabinet in which to store his collections, and space at his chart table to work with his microscope while drawing his many new discoveries. The expedition made several stops on the way to the Cape, affording Joseph the opportunity to botanise on a number of islands, including the desolate-seeming outcrops of St Paul’s Rocks, Brazilian Trindade, and St Helena where he made his first observations of the local flora and fauna being displaced by introduced species. They reached the Cape on 17 March, where Joseph had his first glimpse of a region unmatched by few others in the density and variety of its local flora. Joseph shipped his collections back to England in multiple sets – one for the Royal Society, one for the Admiralty and two for his father, ensuring the greatest probability of their safe arrival in England. Although only three weeks at the Cape, he had collected well over 300 species, which he would catalogue and draw during the long sea voyage. The next stop was at Kerguelen’s Land, an obscure group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean with more than 300 islands, islets and atolls in the group. The largest island is Île Kerguelen or ‘Desolation Island’, as it was named by Captain Cook in his Voyages, which Joseph had read as a boy. Cook’s only botanical observation was the ‘Kerguelen
Photos: commons.wikimedia.org
ARTEFACT cabbage’, but it was Joseph Hooker who first scientifically described this plant, Pringlea antiscorbutica. He noted: To a crew long confined to salt provisions or indeed to human beings under any circumstances, this is a most important vegetable, for it possesses all the essentially good qualities of its English namesake, whilst from its containing a great abundance of essential oil it never produces heartburn or any of those disagreeable sensations which our pot-herbs are apt to do. Cook had earlier reported less than 20 species of plants, but Joseph Hooker was able to collect and identify more than 150 species; 18 flowering plants, 3 ferns, 35 mosses, with the balance being lichens and seaweeds. The cold weather, frost, snow, rough terrain and constant squalls, all made collecting a challenge. In a letter home, Joseph described a method he employed: Many of my best little lichens were gathered by hammering out the tufts or sitting on them till they thawed. The expedition arrived in Hobart on 16 August and restocked and revictualled but did not get underway again till 12 October 1840, spurred on by the news that the American and French expeditions in the race for the discovery of the South Magnetic Pole were well advanced. They sailed for the Lord Auckland Islands, arriving on 20 November. They stayed three weeks waiting for the Antarctic summer to begin. In the meantime, Joseph made the first collections of the strange plants that Captain Ross had dubbed ‘megaherbs’: The most extraordinary of the megaherbs is the Pleurophyllum meadow, a community dominated by the large-leafed herbaceous composite [Compositae], producing a floral display second to none outside the tropics. During the next three months at sea, the Erebus and Terror had reached further south than any other expedition, and Captain Ross was able to accurately triangulate the location of the South Magnetic Pole. One of the more remarkable discoveries made during this leg of the voyage was the volcano that Captain Ross named Mount Erebus. Joseph describes it in his journal: The water and the sky were both as blue, or rather more intensely blue than
Pringlea antiscorbutica
I have ever seen them in the tropics, and all the coast one mass of dazzlingly beautiful peaks of snow, which, when the sun approaches the horizon, reflected the most brilliant tints of golden, yellow and scarlet; and then to see the dark cloud of smoke, tinged with flame, rising from the volcano in a perfect unbroken column; one side jet black, the other giving back the colours of the sun, sometimes turning off at a right angle by some current of wind, and stretching many miles to leeward! When Joseph returned to England late in 1841 he began laying out the findings of his voyage to Antarctica. The work would be formally called The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839–1843, under the Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross. It was published in four parts between 1844 and 1859, the last two in two volumes each, making six volumes in all: Botany of Lord Auckland’s Group and Campbell’s Island (1844–1845), Botany of Fuegia, the Falklands, Kerguelen’s Land, Etc. (1845–1847), Flora NovaeZelandiae (1851–1853, 2 volumes) and Flora Tasmaniae (1853–1859, 2 volumes). The work describes over 3000 species, and contains 530 plates, which depict 1095 of the described species. All volumes are lavishly illustrated
Pleurophyllum speciosum
by Walter Hood Fitch, who prepared thousands of detailed botanical figures. The majority of the plant specimens collected during this expedition by Joseph Hooker were eventually integrated into the Royal Botanic Garden of Kew’s Herbarium. Of particular interest is the introductory essay to the Flora of Tasmania, which outlines and describes what would later become the study of biogeography, the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. The essay is written from the point of view of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin and Joseph Hooker had formed a lasting and mutually supportive friendship, which had begun on Hooker’s return from the Antarctic expedition. The essay was the first case study for Darwin’s theory. Hooker gave Darwin a copy of the work, which hypothesised that plant groups on different continents had common ancestors, and spread through a series of long-vanished land bridges. Though Darwin doubted land bridges as an explanation and supported the idea of seeds spread via oceanic currents, he agreed that geographical distribution would be vital to understanding the origin of species. Today the essay is still treated as a major reference. THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 15
FIRST PERSON
MADELEINE WILSON COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING MANAGER MEREDITH KIRTON SPOKE TO ONE OF OUR APPRENTICES OF HORTICULTURE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN SYDNEY.
16 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
FIRST PERSON Is this your first career, or a new start? I worked as a copywriter and digital marketer for 12 to 15 years, so this is a big career change for me. About 10 years ago, when I was a backpacker, I returned from doing my regional farmwork around Australia thinking to myself, ‘That’s where I want to work – outdoors in nature’. But I had to get a visa and I was a bit nervous to start all over again, especially as I have a daughter. So I kept putting it off. But over the last few years I’ve been wondering how I could make it happen. Then this apprenticeship opened up and I’ve been here since August, limbering up and getting back into the physical work. Where did you travel around Australia for your regional farmwork? I started in Bundaberg, picking ginger, mandarins and sweet potato. Then I moved down to Lismore where I worked on a tea tree farm, and lastly to Bathurst for a lovely family growing organic broccoli. It’s hard work if your body’s not used to it and if you’re trying to meet quotas – and you can take on the stress of some of the farm owners as well.
Photos: Sherie Djuric, Juan Sepulveda
Which team are you working in now? I’m working at Bennelong and the Domain, with Kate Burton. I’ve been working alongside the horticulturists in her team including Juan in the Myrtaceae area, Maddie who looks after Robbie Burns in The Domain and is also working on the Special Project happening on the slope behind the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Sherie out at Yurong Point. What’s your highlight so far? I’m still in the days of finding the really simple things nice. I did a bunch of hand watering the other day out at Yurong Point, which I’m sure is a job lots of people loathe, but for me – because up until now I’ve always had a desk job and I’ve got so much to learn about horticulture – it’s an opportunity for me to observe the plants and environment more closely, and process all the information and stories that the horticulturists share with me each day. And all of this is happening while looking out across the harbour feeling the lovely cool breeze. I like how the horticulturists all work in slightly different
The garden is the place where I most want to spend my time. I’m happiest in my Blundstone boots.
Have you had any disasters yet? No disasters (yet) but my buggy-trailer reversing skills leave a lot to be desired.
Can you see your two careers coming together at any point? Possibly. Perhaps whittling down scientific information or processes for an audience, especially children. In my first week Juan was asked to speak to some kids in the Seedlings Nature School. I got to chat to the kids and draw on the ‘muddier’ parts of gardening, talking about worms and watching the kids getting really excited about a tractor – they are so responsive. I’m interested in education and younger children, but I guess I’ll have to see where I am in four years.
Do you have a garden at home? I do, it backs onto Queens Park so the view is fantastic, but west-facing is challenging in summer and a cocktail of weeds blow in. I call it an experimental garden as there are a lot of failures to learn from! I’m just trying whatever will work – whatever the possums don’t eat! I’ve got some ornamental grasses, native violets, jasmine, herbs and I’ve just planted a native raspberry. I like to let things self-sow each year, including tomatoes, rocket and pak choy. I have a couple of chickens, five worm farms, and I try to attract beneficial insects as well.
Does the apprenticeship put you around all the different Gardens or will you be staying at the Royal Botanic Garden? I think the role is specific to the Royal Botanic Garden. Over the four-year apprenticeship, I will spend six months in each team and precinct, including six months in the nursery and Calyx, six months with the arboriculture team, turf and so on. I think in my fourth and final year I get to choose the last two six-month slots, where I can go back to a certain team. I don’t know if I can go and work in a different Garden, but I’m looking forward to visiting them for sure.
What was your motivation for going into horticulture? It’s the thing that I was passionate and most curious about. The garden is the place where I most wanted to spend my time. I’m happiest in my Blundstone boots, and enjoy the feeling at the end of a day that has involved some physical labour. I also love to learn, and in horticulture you start with one question and then it leads to another question, then another …
You’re from the UK. Does your own style yearn for English gardens or are you delighting in the novelty of Australian natives – or a bit of both? All styles of garden and plants have something of interest or beauty to me, particularly because I have so much to learn. I love English woodlands but walking through an Australian forest of eucalyptus trees at certain times of day when the light dances on the ground is equally magical.
ways. For example I don’t have a scientific background, but Juan, who used to be a biology teacher, is great at telling a story and found interesting ways to explain scientific concepts to me.
THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 17
ANNUAL UPDATE
YEAR IN REVIEW
DESPITE THE PANDEMIC ONCE AGAIN DISRUPTING KEY FUNDRAISING EVENTS, FOUNDATION & FRIENDS CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE GARDENS. BELOW IS A SNAPSHOT OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.
PEOPLE
4,269 MEMBERS
22%
VOLUNTEERS
330 326
I
t has been a significant year for Foundation & Friends. A big part of this was the approval by the Board of our new Strategic Springboard – a bold, five-year vision mapping an exciting path for growth and impact. It was particularly powerful to have so many of our members, volunteers and donors engage in developing the strategy. We set out to build on the proud past of Foundation & Friends, and I believe the new strategy does just that. A key reason to aim for growth is so that we can make a greater contribution to your Gardens. Importantly, we will fund inspirational projects that will have a lasting impact. Last financial year we supported the incredible First Nations Life Blood artwork at the new herbarium at Mount Annan. We also funded vital scientific equipment at the world leading PlantBank. Foundation & Friends’ best ever New Year’s Eve picnic, the increase in plant sales and the growth in membership all meant the organisation is on solid footing. Our new strategy demands that we invest in the future, and Foundation & Friends is well placed to do just that. Underpinning the organisation is our stable and committed board. It has 18 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
been a strength as we navigated the pandemic and developed our strategy. I would like to thank Karen Vien, who stepped away from the board to commit more time to her young family. During her time, Karen made a huge contribution, in particular leading our Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. I would also like to warmly welcome Sarah Constable. A barrister, Sarah brings a unique set of strategic and legal skills to the board. A fundamental component of our ability to impact the future is our relationship with the Botanic Gardens of Sydney. Our working relationship is incredibly strong, and I would like to thank the retiring chair of the Trust Board, Philip Marcus Clark, for his support of our new strategy. Phil always had a big vision for your Gardens, and we are glad to play a role in helping realise this future. Finally, I would like to thank all the donors, members, volunteers, event attendees, bequesters, plant-buyers, staff and board who have contributed to a year we should all be proud of. It is through our thriving community that we are able to support your Gardens. Ian Breedon
FY22
28,697
VOLUNTEER HOURS
INCOME
$216K
MEMBERSHIP FEES
20%
$183K EXHIBITIONS
ON PAR
$215K
GROWING FRIENDS SALES
42%
$405K NEW YEAR’S EVE
279%
$594K FUNDRAISING
16%
* With a new fundraising strategy in place, we have bold targets for the next 5 years
Photos: Joe Bidwell, Alice Bruyn
FROM THE CHAIR
FY23
ANNUAL UPDATE
SUPPORT
$269K CONTRIBUTED TO THE GARDENS
242%
KEY PROJECTS
$105K
Life Blood Artwork
$12K
Margaret Flockton Awards
$60K
Research: Systematic Bryophytes
$92K
Equipment: Thermogradient Plate
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
85
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
26%
4,168
TICKETED EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, TALKS, TRIPS AND CLASSES
92%
$4.3M TOTAL FUNDS HELD FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE GARDENS
4%
FROM THE CEO
A
highlight of the past financial year was our 40th anniversary celebrations. It was wonderful to join with so many members and donors, from throughout our history, to plant a tree at each of the three Botanic Gardens we love and support. I look forward to seeing each of these unique specimens grow and flourish into the future. A key focus for Foundation & Friends is growth. The organisation is now in strategy implementation mode, and no doubt many of you will have already seen changes, such as new members of the staff team and revitalised programs. We are focusing on a bold, five-year philanthropic target, as we know we can connect many more people to the vital work of the Botanic Gardens. In June, Foundation & Friends had a very positive response to our tax appeal focusing on the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience laboratory. Thank you to all those who contributed. Our renewed focus on our fundraising programs will see total donations increase in future years. One of the highlights of being part of the Foundation & Friends community is working with such an amazing volunteer group. Not only do our 300-plus volunteers bring their skills, knowledge and passion to the Gardens, they also help raise funds. We had a great year for Growing Friends, expanding our opening hours and increasing sales. It was another special
year for our exhibitions, with Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek opening the thought-provoking On the Edge; meanwhile our annual and muchloved Artisans in the Gardens was again a spectacular success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Life Members for their amazing contribution. It was wonderful to have many of these leaders involved in the 40th anniversary celebrations. I am also incredibly thankful to our patron, the Governor of NSW Her Excellency The Hon. Margaret Beazley AC KC. The Governor hosted a special 40th anniversary event at Government House and has become a very engaged close friend of the organisation. Foundation & Friends is supported by a number of corporate supporters. We could not have achieved our success last year without Bright Print Group, Andreasens Green and Tattersalls Hyde Park. We are also thankful for the many business partners of the Gardens, many of whom directly support our events and projects. It is a large and connected community that has grown over the past 40 years to form what we now know as Foundation & Friends. I look forward to watching the transformational growth over the next exciting stage of Foundation & Friends – as I do watching the growth of our wonderful, commemorative trees at Mount Tomah, Mount Annan and Sydney. Peter Thomas THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 19
YOUR SUPPORT COUNTS
SYMPHONY FOR THE EYES
THE EAGERLY AWAITED ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN SYDNEY AMPHITHEATRE WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED ON 29 AUGUST 2023. FOUNDATION & FRIENDS HEAD OF FUNDRAISING, LOUISE CLARIDGE, REPORTS.
W
e owe the amphitheatre’s existence to the vision of Robert Constable, one of the generous benefactors of the Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens. Mr Constable put forth a philanthropic proposal to construct an amphitheatre within the Gardens, with the aim of establishing a unique link between the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. His vision was to create a captivating outdoor setting where students could effortlessly move between the Conservatorium studios and this picturesque location for practice and performances. Nestled alongside the Herb Garden, the amphitheatre offers a versatile space suitable for a range of events,
including theatre productions, public talks and marriage ceremonies, as well as general visitor space for rest and reflection. It’s a legacy gift for a lifetime. The opening ceremony was attended by Mr Constable and his family and friends, the Hon. Paul Scully, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music staff and students. The event featured two performances by Conservatorium students, setting the tone for an unforgettable occasion. The Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens are so grateful for the generosity of Robert Constable and his family. Their contributions have transformed this project into a reality, merging music with the beauty of the
Gardens. Thank you, Robert and the Constable family. Small and large donations alike play a crucial role in nurturing and enhancing your beloved gardens. Every contribution, regardless of its size, is a seed of growth that helps maintain the beauty and vitality of the Botanic Gardens. Everyone’s impact makes a difference. We’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our cultural offerings as a result of this generous donation. Starting this season, we’ll be hosting a weekly concert series every Tuesday during lunchtime at the amphitheatre, featuring the talented students from the Conservatorium of Music. Visit botanicgardens.org.au/whats-on for more information.
Photos: Anna Warr – University of Sydney, Peter Thomas
A saxophone quartet in the new amphitheatre donated by Robert Constable
20 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
YOUR SUPPORT COUNTS
Every contribution, regardless of its size, is a seed of growth that helps maintain the beauty and vitality of the Botanic Gardens.
Denise Ora, Chief Executive of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney with Janet and Robert Constable as they cut the ribbon, attended by the Hon. Paul Scully, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Peter Thomas, Janet and Robert Constable and Denise Ora before the crowds arrive for the official opening
Robert Constable said he saw this as ‘an investment in talent and hoped the students of the Con can enjoy playing in the beautiful atmosphere of the Garden... for years to come’
Donor Robert Constable was ‘inspired by gardens and a love of music’
AMPHITHEATRE DESIGN
The amphitheatre is subtle and successful, sitting adjacent to the Herb Garden and close to the Conservatorium of Music, with long views north across the Botanic Gardens. Long-time Foundation & Friends member and landscape architect Sue Barnsley and her team, designed a space to heighten this setting ‘formalising the northern lawn, extending the planting of the neighbouring Polynesian Collection, while speaking to the Opera House at Tubowgule/Bennelong Point with its simple, ageless materiality.’ The result, a small folding piece of lawn has been refigured into a grassy amphitheatre with a sandstone stage at its centre. A walkway from the south enables easy access. The new setting is a simple, intimate space for performances, which resonates with place. While the landscape architects could imagine how the space would take shape, one thing they hadn’t been able to predict was the acoustic experience of the space. Reflecting on the opening day, Sue remarked how it was ‘beautiful to sit outside on the soft lawn and feel the immediacy and sound of the performers. The sonic landscape was exhilarating – nature and music are perfect companions.’ This venue will accommodate 80 people seated.
THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 21
YOUR SUPPORT COUNTS
A DECADE OF DEDICATION IN A CELEBRATION FILLED WITH GRATITUDE AND REFLECTION, THE AUSTRALIAN PLANTBANK MARKED ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY DURING OCTOBER. ANNE-MARIE BONNER, OUR NEW FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR WITH FOUNDATION & FRIENDS, REPORTS.
The gathering was not just a celebration but a reaffirmation of the shared commitment to protecting our planet's biodiversity. 22 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
undertaken by donors, volunteers and staff members, led by Dr Cathy Offord, Head of Australian PlantBank Research and Senior Principal Research Scientist and Dr Nathan Emery, Manager Seedbank and Conservation Collections. Dr Offord outlined the extraordinary research and conservation efforts of the PlantBank team. The numbers speak for themselves: a staggering 200 million seeds stored, and the remarkable progress from conserving 30 per cent of New South Wales’ threatened species to now safeguarding more than 70 per cent of them. This statistic underscores the PlantBank’s pivotal role in the preservation of Australia’s rich and diverse plant life. The importance of recognising the traditional custodians of the land was presented with a heart-warming ‘Welcome to Country’ by Uncle Ivan, reminding all attendees of the importance of the deep connection between the land and its people. Over the past decade, the PlantBank has risen to prominence as an award winning facility globally. Its relentless commitment to safeguarding the world’s plant species, particularly the
Key staff celebrate PlantBank one decade on. John Siemon with Dr Cathy Offord, Dr Nathan Emery and Prof. Brett Summerell.
threatened ones, has garnered welldeserved recognition. However, it’s not just about preserving seeds; it’s about preserving the very essence of life that sustains our ecosystems. Importantly, Foundation & Friends played a pivotal role in the creation of the seedbank – providing the original donation to fund the development of a business case that secured the state and government grants that brought the dream to life, and then providing ongoing funding via the Scholarship Program for further development of the dream. The 10th anniversary celebration of the PlantBank was a day to remember, and as we reflect on the journey of the past 10 years, we can’t help but feel excited about what the future holds. With ongoing research, dedication and the collective effort of all involved, we can anticipate even more remarkable strides in plant conservation and biodiversity preservation. The journey has been incredible, but the path ahead promises even greater achievements in plant conservation and a brighter, greener future for generations to come.
Photo: Glenn Smith, Meredith Kirton, wikipedia.org
T
he anniversary event was a testament to the unyielding dedication of staff, the unwavering support of partners and generous donors, as well as the remarkable progress in plant conservation. It brought together a diverse crowd, including staff from the Botanic Gardens of Sydney as well as the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, which houses the PlantBank, along with donors, passionate volunteers and familiar faces who played pivotal roles in managing this visionary project. The gathering was not just a celebration but a reaffirmation of the shared commitment to protecting our planet’s biodiversity. Speeches from Gardens science and horticulture teams highlighted the significance of the occasion, offering insights and acknowledging the remarkable journey that the PlantBank has undertaken. The event featured heartfelt words from the Chief Executive of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Denise Ora, who shared her gratitude and recognised the hard work and dedication of the entire team. The Director of Horticulture and Living Collections, John Siemon, emphasised the beauty and significance of the living collections, which serve as a living testament to the mission of the PlantBank. To conclude the event, tours of the PlantBank research facility were
TRAVEL
TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS EXCITING ITINERARIES AND FULLY GUIDED TOURS THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO FASCINATING BOTANICAL PLACES AROUND THE WORLD – ALL WHILE SUPPORTING YOUR BOTANIC GARDENS. For more information or to book please contact us at foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au Oasia Hotel, Singapore
SINGAPORE
1 – 6 August 2024 Grade: Introductory* Accommodation: 5 nights Singapore is renowned as being a City in a Garden. The trip is timed to take in the Singapore Garden Festival and the tour will also visit favourites like Gardens by the Bay and The National Orchid Garden, perched atop Singapore Botanic Gardens – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, orchids are arranged by colour to match the seasons, and there is a famous series of dancing lady orchids planted over arches. The tour will examine biophilic design, where plants play a part in the built landscape to benefit both the environment and our sense of wellbeing. We will also visit the world’s tallest vegetable garden 51 storeys up, and the biggest living wall in the world. Member price: $5695 per person twin share (land content only) Escort: Peter Nixon
Sand dunes of Sossusvlei, Nambia
Dzong in Punakha, Bhutan
BHUTAN’S RHODODENDRON FESTIVAL & MORE
April 2025 Expressions of Interest Grade: Moderate* Accommodation: 14 nights After spending two days in the capital Paro acclimatising to the higher altitude, we set off visiting ancient towns, fortresses and monasteries in beautiful valleys, walking in rhododendron forests, and crossing high passes by vehicle. We visit the Lamperi Royal Botanical Gardens with a local botanical expert as well as a day trip to the iconic Tiger’s Nest Monastery. This small group tour will start and finish in Paro, Bhutan. Escort: Relle Mott
TRAVEL JAPAN
ONE SPOT LEFT
Want to travel to Japan with Relle? We have one spot left on the on the Northern Japan supper tour departing in August 2024. Contact us for more details.
NAMIBIA AND SOUTH AFRICA September 2025 Expressions of Interest Grade: Moderate* Accommodation: 21 nights This tour will feature the starkly beautiful desert landscapes and fascinating arid-adapted flora of the Namib desert, mass flowerings of intensely coloured Namaqualand daisies, the mind-boggling botanical diversity of the Cape Floristic region, and the fantastic megafauna of southern Africa. From Windhoek in central Namibia, we will drive to the Swarkop River valley then south to the giant sand dunes of Sossusvlei, and the vast Fish River Canyon. Crossing into South Africa, we will travel through the flowering deserts of Namaqualand to the Western Cape and its spectacular fynbos shrublands, rugged landscapes and world-famous botanic gardens. We will finish in Mbombela after a visit to the Greater Kruger National Park. Escort: Dr Peter Weston
*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 regular moderate exercise. **Discounted price varies on group size.
THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 23
HORTICULTURE
LIVING LEGACY PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE GROWTH AND HEALTH OF OUR COLLECTION INVOLVES INVESTMENT AND STRATEGIC THINKING. JOHN SIEMON, DIRECTOR HORTICULTURE & LIVING COLLECTIONS AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS REPORTS. championing a world where plant conservation is front of mind – the cornerstone of a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future for all. The living collections are an evergreen legacy more than two centuries in the making, growing since the inception of Australia’s oldest scientific organisation in 1816. As one of the world’s great botanical collections, they are fundamental to the plant conservation mission of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. We have recently completed the Living Collections Strategy, celebrating the remarkable diversity of scientifically documented specimens held within the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, the Domain, the Australian PlantBank and our three nurseries. The Living Collection Strategy is informed by a recent stocktake of the three botanic gardens. It offers a clear and comprehensive picture of the phenomenal diversity in our living collections, identifying 92 key collections, 11,800 unique species, comprising 75,588 accessions, and representing 12,573 taxa and more than 300,000 individual living specimens. Pleasingly, 69 per cent of all accessions in the collection were of wild origin. Given the Myrtaceae family comprises 26 per cent of Australia’s floristic diversity, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it is the most represented plant family in our collections, with Eucalyptus the most represented genera, followed by Acacia and Melaleuca.
LIVING COLLECTIONS STRATEGY Living Collections Strategy 2023+
LIVING
CTIONS TRATEGY
24 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
Importantly, the overview of what we have in our collections also helps us identify what we don’t have. We are now interrogating the data to inform the gaps in our collections and where we will focus more attention. Over the coming months, our efforts will be channelled into developing a Living Collections Action Plan to map out the priorities for the next five years, noting that the Living Collection Strategy is focused on the scientifically documented collection; natural areas and open spaces will be addressed in future reviews of the organisation’s natural biodiversity assets (both flora and fauna). Recently we have had the time to reflect and celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the magnificent Australian PlantBank. The Australian PlantBank is a truly remarkable building, a world-class centre for conservation research and one of the most biodiverse locations in the country. Back in 2009, our old tin shed, the NSW Seedbank, stored around 30 per cent of NSW threatened flora. Just over a decade later, and through a concerted effort, we have now seedbanked more than 72 per cent of NSW threatened flora.
Importantly, the overview of what we have in our collections also helps us identify what we don’t have.
Photos: Swell, John Siemon
O
ur three botanic gardens and the Domain are dynamic public green spaces – places of celebration, reflection, relaxation and learning. These are some of the most visited and intensely used botanic gardens and public places on the planet: more than 5.6 million people visited our three gardens over the past 12 months along with more than 6.2 million guests who attended celebratory events or activities in the Domain. It is the living collections of plants that make these places unique, immersing visitors within a physical, sensory and emotional embrace that creates deep connections and memorable experiences. The collections sit at the very heart of our research, science and conservation action for the recovery of threatened species, and the restoration of our precious and threatened ecosystems. They underpin our most important purpose:
HORTICULTURE The Seed Vault now holds more than 5000 species of mostly native plants. We are grateful to the members of the Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens, who helped fund the business case and preliminary studies. Without this, we may never have realised the opportunity and hope of building this critical piece of infrastructure in our conservation armoury. A true icon of our living collection remains one of the rarest trees on the planet. I’d argue that no plant has been more intensively studied, nurtured or loved in our organisation than the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis). A signature conservation project for the Botanic Gardens of Sydney for more than two decades, our teams’ efforts have been recognised internationally as a best-practice model for saving species on the brink of extinction. We are now entering the next exciting phase of Wollemi pine conservation – the global distribution of a metacollection that will provide further insurance against loss of diversity in this unique species. Recent advances in genetic techniques have enabled our plant science and conservation experts to identify and select genetically diverse Wollemi pines to create representative collections of saplings. For the first time, these collections are being made available to select botanic gardens across the world. We know the power of partnerships, and working with teams from Forestry England, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), botanic gardens were carefully chosen for conditions best suited for the trees to survive the climate changes ahead. This process was informed by data from a global citizen science project led by Botanic Gardens of Sydney and CSIRO, which asked people to share their knowledge about Wollemi pines already growing in private gardens and parks across the world. More than 210 young Wollemi pines, grown by our team at the Australian PlantBank and Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan nursery, have now been shipped to more than 36 botanic gardens around the world. Five of these are gardens in Australia, 30 are botanic
gardens across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe and one in the United States. Together, these geographically far-flung collections form the global meta-collection, a botanical collection shared by separate organisations but cared for collaboratively to ensure a long-term future for the conservation of Wollemi pines. On 31 October 2023, we will celebrate the launch of the global Wollemi meta-collection with our international conservation partners at a special launch and tree planting at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in the UK. An enormous thank you to Maureen Phelan, our Wollemi Pine Curator, who has simply done the most magnificent job in preparing and executing this complex international conservation project. I look forward to sharing more exciting stories from the living collections of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
For the first time, these collections are being made available to select botanic gardens across the world.
Wollemi pines at the Mount Annan Nursery prior to despatch to our international project partners
Wollemi pines received at Inala Jurassic Garden in Tasmania
THE MASTER IRRIGATION CONTROLLER
The Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens recently granted an incredibly generous donation of $500,000 towards the installation of a master irrigation control system for the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. It’s hard to believe but only about 50 per cent of the lawns and gardens are irrigated, which is less than ideal for protecting such an incredible living collection, and extensive lawns and landscapes. The funding will establish the first stage of a smart system, expandable over time. The irrigation control system will improve our water-use efficiency, and provide advanced and remote-controlled programming and leak detection. It will also provide the ability to measure the volume of water deployed, and improve plant heath and resilience. Importantly, it will free up our talented conservation horticulturists to better curate and nurture our living collection. We thank the Foundation & Friends for their continued support and for enabling this important sustainability initiative.
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PLANTS
ON COUNTRY DR SHEILA VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN, GENETICIST AND GROWING FRIENDS VOLUNTEER, EXPLORES ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE AND LANDSCAPES.
A
recent winter holiday in the Flinders Ranges region of South Australia gave me an opportunity to reflect on the adaptability of flora in places of extreme seasonal variability. Back in Sydney (Gadigal country), we have had spring of the traditional Western calendar, or Ngoonungi for the Dharawal language group, and are now in summer or Parra’dowee. Cooler weather is now becoming warm. Winter (Wiritjiribin) was cold and windy and, all importantly for plants, daylight hours were reduced. If you explore the seasonal calendars for several First Nation Australian language groups, you’ll notice not only the climatic features of that season, but the reference to animal and plant species that are also seasonal signals for the people on that country. These are examples of how knowledge of country informs and guides many First Nations cultural practices, including
Ikara-Flinders Ranges
26 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
gathering resources and care of country, particularly controlled burning regimes. The Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges, represented by descendants from three to four language groups, know their country as Ikara. The official name of the National Park is Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park and I choose this region to draw attention to the extraordinary range of plants that have evolved over thousands or even millions of years, according to the geological records. The Adnyamathanha people of Ikara have provided resources to facilitate an understanding of plants in this region for visitors. The Australian Arid Lands Garden at Port Augusta is a wonderful resource for understanding this climatic zone and the plants that have evolved in extreme hot/cold conditions. Saltbush, acacia and mallee are in abundance and I was struck by the versatility of old man saltbush
(Atriplex nummularia). It is everywhere, common in paddocks for grazing stock, but also in gardens as soft, leafy hedges. It has a slightly salty flavour and can be used as a salad green. Ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa) provides tiny, sweet little fruit that I loved to find as a child growing up in Red Cliffs, Victoria. Though these saltbushes both thrive in extreme conditions and provide excellent fodder for fauna, they will grow well in sunny, temperate zones. Special interest collections at the Australian Arid Lands Garden include the Eremophila (family Scrophulariaceae), with more than 200 species growing. Eremophila is a resilient genus with variation in leaf and flower form (variously described as emu bush and turkey bush), and was commonly used in Aboriginal cultural and medical practices. For example, the Adnyamathanha people use Varti-varka (E. longifolia) for medicinal purposes. The genus is found in WA, SA, Victoria and Tasmania. Some of the species from WA do not do well in the wetter eastern states but many newer cultivars grow well in the sandy soils of the east. At Growing Friends (both Sydney and Mount Annan), several species of Eremophila are propagated. They range from low, spreading forms to taller, bushy shrubs. Colours range from pinks and reds through to white, yellow and a beautiful lavender. In SA, it was especially rewarding to see these hardy little plants in the natural vegetation of Ikara-Flinders Ranges country. Though the flowers are not flamboyant, they are faithful bloomers and respond well to pruning. Their habitat varies, but sun/semishade in well-drained soil are the main requirements. As our climate is warming and the seasons change, look out for the survivors and their friends. At Growing Friends Plant Sales several species are available.
PLANTS
PLANTS IN THE
GARDENS DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PLANTS TO LOOK OUT FOR NEXT TIME YOU VISIT THE GARDENS.
Photos: Sheila van Holst Pellekaan, alamy.com (Afonso Farias, Karind)
Jacaranda mimosifolia
I
n November and December, though they are blossoming early this year, Sydney becomes awash with purple as jacaranda flowers bloom. In 1865, Sydneysiders were visiting the Botanic Gardens of Sydney to see the thenjuvenile Jacaranda mimosifolia in bloom, which is now more than 175 years old. A native of Brazil, it created a sensation back then and continues to evoke something here akin to the cherry-blossom-chasing phenomenon in Japan known as Sakura. Another native of Brazil also creates a buzz among plant collectors and bulb fanatics. Worsleya procera commands attention, not only for the social media waves it creates, and the heads it turns when in flower, but also because this bulb – commonly known as the empress of Brazil – is as rare as hen’s teeth! It looks like a blue hippeastrum and everyone wants one. The internet is filled with bonkers prices for the bulbs – it’s a little like the tulip mania in the 17thcentury Netherlands, which saw prices reach extraordinarily high levels. In late summer you will find some flowering on the Band Lawn at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and they are well worth a visit. Growing Friends will have some available by ballot in December.
Worsleya procera
THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 27
PLANTS Pink euodia (Melicope elleryana)
Illawarra flame tree flowers
AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN SYDNEY This year is going fast. Spring came early and it’s like we’ve jumped straight into summer. The seasons are all a bit mixed up, but I’m sure it will stabilise as we deepen into the El Niño cycle. Summer brings so much joy to many Australians and visitors who love the warm, sunny days. Many of our plants love summer, too. They have adapted to surviving – even thriving – in these types of environments. I’m always intrigued by the plant diversity that nature spoils us with. If you get the chance, spend some time going through different parts of our collection to see if you can spot some of these adaptations. Take a moment to consider the environment these plants evolved in and appreciate just how amazing this is. As you walk your way through the collection, you will notice each part of the Garden has a different feel to it. This is represented through plant types, colours, form and smells through to the cooling shade that many of our wonderful trees bring to the people of Sydney. On a hot summer’s day, a quick trip through the Native Rainforest may make you forget it’s summer at all. I love and appreciate the microclimate 28 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
that is created by our incredible rainforest species. Stop and listen to the native birds. I think they love it there, too. Get your nose attuned to the aroma of the Rose Garden as you explore the upper garden area. Stop by the trial plots to see if there is something that piques your interest. Now, take time to walk down around the sea wall and remember to keep your eyes peeled for the purple (and white) jacaranda trees. There are so many plants to enjoy this summer. Some my favourites are: • Magnolia grandiflora (Bull Bay magnolia) • Costus comosus var. bakeri (red tower ginger) • Corymbia ficifolia (flowering gum) • Crescentia mirabilis (wonderful calabash tree) • Hibiscus coccineus (scarlet rosemallow) • Medinilla cummingii (chandelier tree) • Melicope elleryana (pink euodia) Take one final moment before you leave to spot the Araucaria columnaris trees. There are several within the Gardens and a way to identify them is you will notice they all lean towards the equator. This is ‘north’ in the Southern Hemisphere. Sometimes plants just make you smile. Jarryd Kelly, Curator Manager
For me, growing up in Western Sydney, the environmental sign that summer was on its way was the hundreds of Christmas beetles we would rescue from our backyard pool. It was also the unique call of the migratory channel-billed cuckoo early in the morning or when noisy mynas were chasing it. I always look forward to this time of year (I’m not a fan of the cold), and I was glad to hear my call of the channel-billed cuckoo for the year at the Australian Botanic Garden. This year, the spring paper daisy displays started flowering two weeks earlier than usual and were finished two weeks ahead of when we expected. These were removed to make way for the summer display of Scaevola. The amazing horticulturists at the Australian Botanic Garden have tweaked our approach to growing the Scaevola material to ensure a fantastic display. Scaevola is one of my favourite native groups, with the ground cover species and cultivars bringing such vibrancy in contrasting foliage and leaf colours to any garden. Australia is a centre of diversity for Scaevola, with approximately 80 species represented. Other species occur across Polynesia. In one of my last updates, I mentioned I was looking forward to seeing the unfurling of the advanced tree ferns here at the Australian Botanic Garden and they have not disappointed. It seems that this hot, dry period after a few years of heavy rain is setting up the Illawarra flame trees, which are preparing themselves for a bumper flowering season, while the tree waratahs in the Connections Garden are looking incredible, covered in a mass of crimson red flowers. Michael Elgey, Curator Manager
PLANTS Floral arrangements by the Camellia Ark Society
Photos: Glenn Smith, commons.wikimedia.org, Ash Filipovski, Meredith Kirton, Ruth Foster
BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN As summer returns to the top of Mount Tomah, so too does garden designer and artist Ralph Bristow. Last summer, Ralph was commissioned to transform the Formal Gardens into a perennialstyle masterpiece and has returned to oversee the implementation. Over the past 12 months, the team at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden has worked to remove dying and decaying plants, replenish soil, lay 3 kilometres of irrigation and repair footpaths. Over 4000 plants have been installed during the project’s first stage and the new garden will feature over 200 species of perennials, natives, grasses and trees, creating a stunning contrast set against the backdrop of the natural mountain scenery. Preparation for the summer season has been a high priority for the turf team, who have installed more than a kilometre of garden edging and rolled out an impressive lawn throughout the Brunette Meadow and the Araucaria Lawn. Of all the projects underway, the new camellia landscape has been the most intensive. Recently, we had the honour of hosting the Camellia Ark Society, and it was a joy to see floral arrangements from our own camellias creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere. We showcased the hard work being done by our team, and offered thanks to our generous donors and Camellia Ark Australia for their contributions. It offered an important reminder that we are a community-engaged organisation and that many of our achievements would not be possible without community support. Ash Filipovski, Curator
GROWING FRIENDS As summer approaches and the weather warms, we turn our minds to Christmas and gift-giving options at Growing Friends. Our production team pot and plant up some wonderful bowls with a selection of either shade and indoor growing plants or succulents, perfect for sunny spots. We hope you think they are worthy of a spot at your place, and they make a lovely gift with most priced affordably at under $50. The nursery has also been steadily improving its range of salvias, which is already fantastic with over 20 types on offer. There are some great new cultivars of Salvia buchananii, which come in salmon pink, orange and dark purple. You can see them growing in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and we have propagated them for sale at Growing Friends. Of course, salvias are known for their long flowering season and these are no different, blooming well into late autumn and thriving in a sunny spot. Summer is also a time when many perfumed plants send out their heady fragrance to the ether. At Sydney we are lucky enough to have a fabulous climber, Beaumontia grandiflora, or herald’s trumpet growing up a post. It really is heavenly, and the large, white bells hang around the register creating a perfumed point of sale area. We also have specimens for sale of a scented white shrub called needle flower. Posequeria longiflora, as it’s
Beaumontia perfumed trumpets celebrate summer
scientifically known, looks like shooting stars are exploding from its boughs. Both Mount Annan and Sydney stock a lovely range of Australian native plants too. It’s worth noting if you’re trying to plant ground covers to combat weeds over summer, that tubestock plants are often your best option, and we carry some great options like Scaevola, native violets, Myoporum and Hibbertia. We are also hoping to get a few more Wollemi pines in for those wanting an exceptional rare and precious Christmas tree. Meredith Kirton, Registered Horticulturist
GROWING FRIENDS
PLANT SALES Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Monday – Friday, 11am – 2pm Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 2pm Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Monday – Sunday, 9am – 4pm
Salvia ‘Black Knight’
Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah Monday – Sunday, 9.30am – 5pm
THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 29
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WHAT’S ON
Here is just a taste of what is on offer across our three Gardens. For more information about events, and to book, visit botanicgardens.org.au/Whats-On or just point your mobile device’s camera at the QR code on this page, then tap the notification to open the link. Alternatively, phone us on (02) 9231 8182.
FESTIVE ACTIVITIES KOKEDAMA WORKSHOP
NATIVE AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING
Waratah Room Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Sat 16 December, 10.30am – 12.30pm Join Floral Team Building & Events for a fun and inspiring workshop, set within the stunning Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. You will learn the basics of decorating, hanging and displaying your wreath and be guided through how to arrange your florals, understanding patterns, and coordinating colour. Materials provided. Suitable for 12+. From $93 30 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
SOLD OUT NEW YEAR’S EVE PICNIC
Mare & Foal Lawn, Royal Botanic Garden, Sun 31 December, 5pm – 12.15am Sydney’s New Year’s Eve has been established as one of the most astounding events of the year. The breathtaking fireworks display is renowned as one of the best in the world. Foundation & Friends has held an annual New Year’s Eve picnic since 1996 within the iconic Royal Botanic Garden. We invite you to celebrate with us and your friends at the Mare & Foal Lawn – one of the best harbourside vantage points with a spectacular view over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. From $170
Photos: Craig Brokensha, Lisa Shepherd, Glenn Smith, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
Grow a living Christmas bauble Growing Friends Plant Sales, Royal Botanic Garden Sun 3 December, 2.30 – 4pm Learn how to make your own kokedama ball with horticulturist Meredith Kirton from Foundation & Friends. You’ll wrap, twist and twine your creation and then finish it with colourful string to make a living Christmas bauble. You’ll go home with a growing gift, and knowledge of how to care for your creation. Afternoon tea will be provided. From $70
DIARY
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
ART KINTSUGI WORKSHOP
with Yoko Kawada Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Tue 21 or Wed 22 November, 10am – 3pm Join Yoko Kawada in the Garden for this unique hands-on workshop. Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese craftwork, where broken ceramic objects are pieced back together using lacquer and gold dust, finding beauty in imperfection. This process transforms rescued objects in a sustainable way to create a new piece of art. You will produce your own Kintsugi art to take home. Lunch is provided. From $170
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
with Glenn Smith Australian PlantBank, Australian Botanic Garden •P ost-processing workshop Sun 10 December, 8.15am – 1pm •B eginners photography Sun 21 January, 8.15am – 1pm • I ntermediate photography Sun 18 February, 8.15am – 1pm These workshops will cover the many varied aspects of improving your nature photos. Learn to use your camera in the easiest possible way. From $120
CYANOTYPES
with Lisa Shepherd Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sun 11 February, 1 – 3pm Join visual artist Lisa Shepherd for an introduction to the historic alternative photographic process of cyanotype printing, which is a form of camera-less photography. Learn how to use ultraviolet light to produce Prussian blue-coloured artworks. You’ll make photograms with pressed flowers and plant cuttings as well as using feathers, lace, doilies, stencils and digital negatives. From $160
BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
with Glenn Smith Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Tue 13 February, 8.15am – 12 noon In this workshop you’ll learn how to get the correct exposure, how to position yourself to get better shots, how to shoot with long lenses and some ideas for better compositions. We will cover the basics of shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings to help get sharper images. The workshop starts in the classroom, then we go out into the gardens to put the theory into practice. From $150
FLORA PHOTOGRAPHY with Glenn Smith
Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Tue 13 February, 1 – 4.45pm Aimed at anyone looking to improve their flora photography, this workshop covers how to use depth of field, colour and light to isolate the subject to make it stand out from the background, and to change the focal point to make a more appealing image. This is aimed at beginners or someone that’s picking up a camera again after not using it for a while. The workshop starts in the classroom, then we go out into the gardens to put the theory into practice. We finish back in the classroom for a wrap-up and Q & A session. From $150 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 31
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CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
LIFE DRAWING
GARDENING IN SMALL SPACES
with Greg Lamont Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sat 9 March, 9.30am – 12.30pm Living in small spaces is not a barrier to creating a beautiful lush and sustainable garden. Join Greg Lamont and Liz Jeavons-Fellows who share their passion and broad knowledge of horticulture to excite you about gardening. There will also be some hands-on basics about propagating and potting plants. A delicious morning tea will also be provided. From $70
ASTRONOMY AT THE CALYX
The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Coming in March 2024 Check the website for details Join us for a night of astronomy and stargazing in the heart of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Over a glass of wine, understand the cultural significance of the night sky with First Nations astronomer Drew Roberts from Shared Knowledge, then travel through space to visit mysterious planets far from Earth with renowned astronomer Dr Angel Lopez-Sanchez. Suitable for 12+. From $37
Photos: Seiya Taguchi, Greg Lamont, Joe Bidwell, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
with Gladdy Drawing Club Rose Pavilion, Royal Botanic Garden Thur 22 February, 5 – 7pm Gladdy Drawing Club brings their iconic body-positive life drawing classes to the Royal Botanic Garden, giving you the opportunity to enjoy this en plein air experience. Two incredible life drawing models posing in the beautiful surrounds of the Rose Garden. All skill levels welcome, materials provided, and tickets include a complimentary wine from our partners, Taylors. From $50
32 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
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WALKS & TALKS
ABORIGINAL HARBOUR HERITAGE TOUR
with First Nations guides Visitor Centre, Royal Botanic Garden Every Thu, Fri, Sat (excl. public holidays), 11am – 12 noon Our First Nations guides will immerse you in the rich Aboriginal culture of the traditional custodians of the Sydney city area, the Gadigal. Stroll along the Sydney Harbour foreshore and listen to stories of Gadigal lifestyle, traditions, history and connection to country and community. From $27
ABORIGINAL BUSH TUCKER
with First Nations guides Visitor Centre, Royal Botanic Garden Every Thu, Fri, Sat (excl. public holidays), 1 – 2pm Walk with a First Nations guide to learn more about Indigenous bush foods and how they were used traditionally and adapted to the modern plate and palate. You’ll also take in the Cadi Jam Ora garden to learn about some of the hottest bush foods on the market, all while tasting some goodies for yourself. From $27
FIG WALK
Foundation & Friends Terrace Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Sat 2 December, 10.30am – 12 noon The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney has a wonderful collection of fig species from across the globe; from ground covers and vines to giant trees and stranglers. Join the Volunteer Guides for a presentation in the Maiden Theatre followed by a walk in the Garden to see and learn about the amazing pollination system and cultural importance of these fascinating plants. From $40
GHOSTLY GARDEN
Woolloomooloo Gate Royal Botanic Garden Fri 9, 23 February at sunset Take a twilight adventure through the Royal Botanic Garden in this spinetingling event. Journey along shadowy tree-lined paths and hear spooky stories of strange happenings from the Garden’s past, as flying foxes flit above your head and night creatures stare from the treetops. Suitable for 12+. Under 18s must be accompanied by a paying adult. From $37
ORIENTAL GARDEN WALK FOR LUNAR NEW YEAR
Oriental Garden, Royal Botanic Garden, Wed 14 February, 5.30 – 7pm Celebrate Lunar New Year by getting to know the fascinating stories behind the plants of the Oriental Garden in this talk and walk with our fantastic guides. Learn about the evolution of this quiet spot in the heart of our Gardens from Maiden’s Bamboo grove to the important wild-sourced collection of Asian plants that it is today. Includes a glass of wine and nibbles. From $40 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 33
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KIDS’ ACTIVITIES
BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN
From $16 • Seedlings Nature School Every Wed, 18 October – 6 December 10am – 12 noon • Santa’s Studio Friday 22 December 10.30am – 12 noon, 1 – 2.30pm • Dreaming of a Green Christmas – Outdoor Theatre Fri 22 December, 10 – 11am • Sunny Succulent Gardens Thur 11, 18, 25 January 10 – 11.30am
AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN From $16 • Seedlings Nature School Every Wed, 18 October – 6 December 9.30 – 11.30am • Santa’s Studio Wed 20 December 10.30am – 12 noon •S unset Spotlight Last Friday of the month (times vary) • Sunshine Survivors Thur 11 & Fri 12 January 10 – 11.30am
MEMBERS ONLY
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN
From $16 • Seedlings Nature School Every Tue & Thur, 17 October – 7 December, 10am – 12 noon •S unset Spotlight Wed 13 December 10, 17, 24 January, 8 – 9.30pm • Santa’s Studio Wed 20, Thurs 21 December 10.30am – 12 noon, 1 – 2.30pm •D reaming of a Green Christmas – Outdoor Theatre Wed 20, Thur 21 December 10 – 11am •F irst Nations Ibis Tracker Tue 9, 16, 23 January 12.30 – 2.30pm • Sunny Succulent Gardens Tue 9, Wed 10, Tue 16, Wed 17, Tue 23 January, 10 – 11.30am
The Calyx
AGM INVITATION
The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden, Tue 21 November, 5.30pm We encourage members to attend. It is an excellent opportunity to hear an update on the work of the Foundation & Friends. We will be holding a light supper after the Annual General Meeting to thank and celebrate our volunteers. The agenda for our 41st Annual General Meeting will include elections for vacant Board positions and an update on achievements. Contact the Foundation & Friends office via email foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au or on (02) 9231 8182 if you require any further information.
34 THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024
• Florilegium April • Volunteer Thank You and Service Awards 14 May • Fleurs de Villes with VOYAGE 8 – 18 August • Exhibition Placeholder 27 July – 11 August • Margaret Flockton Award August • Artisans in the Gardens Opening Night 25 October • Artisans in the Gardens Exhibition 26 October – 3 November
Photos: John Rollings, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
KEY DATES FOR 2024
VOLUNTEER MATTERS
GET INVOLVED 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/foundation-and-friends Office hours: Mon – Thu, 9am – 3pm facebook.com/FoundationandFriends instagram.com/FoundationandFriends
As the year draws to a close, our minds turn to opportunities the new year may bring. Here at Foundation & Friends, there are innumerable ways to get involved and make your impact. Among nine volunteer programs, there are many ways to share your valuable skills and experience. Volunteering not only contributes to the thriving, connected community that supports the Gardens, it also contributes directly to fundraising. Benefits include learning new skills, meeting like-minded people and being part of something special. There are myriad ways you can be part of our wonderful community, and we look forward to welcoming you.
WANTING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN 2024? Find out more about how you could share your time and knowledge by contacting our Volunteer Coordinator on 9231 8182, visit botanicgardens.org.au or scan the QR code.
EDITORIAL Acting editor: Meredith Kirton Designer: Lauren Sutherland Staff proofreader: Csilla Swain Proofreaders: Cheree Corbin and Ariana Klepac Feature writers: Prof. Brett Summerell (Botanical Science), John Siemon (Horticulture), Miguel Garcia (History), Anne-Marie Bonner, Louise Claridge, Sheila van Holst Pellekaan, Meredith Kirton and Csilla Swain Scientific adviser: Dr Russell Barrett Regular contributors: Michael Elgey, Raoul de Ferranti, Ashley Filipovski, Margaret Hanks, Jarryd Kelly, Paul Nicholson, Antony Rivers, Marion Whitehead Text and design © Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens
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.
BECOME A MEMBER
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 the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and their vital horticultural, scientific, education and conservation work. Join our vibrant community of members today by phoning (02) 9231 8182 or visiting botanicgardens.org.au/membership THE GARDENS SUMMER 2023–2024 35
Are you worried about futureproofing our environment? So are we. Botanic Gardens of Sydney plays a vital role in plant conservation and your help is needed. Before it’s too late. Your donation will help: ա Protect our botanic gardens from the impacts of climate change ա Collect rare and endangered Australian seeds to safeguard against future extinctions ա Support the critical work of the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience This festive season, give the gift of nature.
END OF YEAR APPEAL PLEASE DONATE BEFORE 31 DECEMBER 2023
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