The Gardens Magazine - Summer 2022-23, Issue 135

Chir Pine / Longleaf Indian Pine Pinus roxburghii

Early botanists working in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney exchanged plants with other botanic gardens throughout the world. This tree, native to the Himalayan regions of Bhutan and Afghanistan, possibly came to Sydney via the Calcutta Botanic Garden (now known as the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden). It was named for an 18th century Scotsman, William Roxburgh, who specialised in the flora of India. Believed to have been planted in the Royal Botanic Garden in the 1840s, this pine is also known to have been planted in other locations across Sydney at approximately the same time. With its heavy plated, russet bark and long fine needle leaves, it is a handsome tree. It is situated a little north of the Macquarie Wall quite close to the Maiden Pavilion. And, for some years in fairly recent times, it had a resident possum. There is another specimen of Pinus roxburghii in the Domain, almost opposite Lion Gate Lodge, which would appear to have been planted around the same time. Although both trees shed copious quantities of needle-like leaves, they look remarkably good for their age. Margaret Hanks, Growing Friends

CONTENTS

FEATURES

18 Health check The latest State of the Environment report makes for grim reading

20 Trade & exchange Ensuring the Gardens’ living collections remain relevant and sustainable

22 Treasure hunt The quest to preserve Australia’s rare camellias

GARDENS NEWS

4 Masterplan A new vision for the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan

8 Year in Review A snapshot of FY 2022

10 The year ahead What’s exciting Denise Ora most about 2023?

IN EACH ISSUE

7 Books Reviews and the chance to win

12 Artefact Unearthing treasures from the Daniel Solander Library

14 Cutting Edge What’s new in the world of botanical research?

16 First Person Meet Vanessa Fuchs, Senior Media & Content Producer 26 Travel Explore the world with Friends 27 Plants Some tips on what to look out for this summer 30 What’s on Your guide to activities and events

On

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden is building one of the best camellia collections in the country. Story page 22.

The

Cover: istock

Olga Kaya

SUMMER UPDATE

AGM INVITATION

Foundation & Friends’ AGM will take place on 22 November at 5.30pm in The Calyx. Questions should be submitted in writing to the Company Secretary by 16 November 2022. Please email foundation.friends@botanicgardens. nsw.gov.au or post to Cottage 6, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000. Questions should relate to matters that are relevant to the AGM, such as financial reports, resolutions or general questions regarding performance.

SYDNEY WORLDPRIDE 2023

The Royal Botanic Garden and Domain will host three flagship events during Sydney WorldPride 2023 – in addition to a program of smaller events presented as part of Sydney WorldPride Amplified – running for 17 days from February 24.

WorldPride is a global LGBTQIA+ festival that has been staged since 2000.

THE BIG SIX

A new lake, botanic domes and ecofriendly accommodation are just a few of the ideas now being considered as part of a masterplan for the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.

As part of its community consultation process, the Gardens recently revealed “6 Big Ideas” underpinning the masterplan, which will guide how the Australian Botanic Garden evolves for decades to come.

A key element of the vision is the creation of a new world-leading science, horticulture and learning hub focused on conservation and sustainability. As well as incorporating existing assets such as the Australian PlantBank, National Herbarium of New South Wales and the living collections, the plan would see the creation of a variety of new facilities and areas. These include botanic domes showcasing native flora, and conservation areas providing safe spaces in which to rewild native animals

such as the nocturnal Eastern Quoll.

One of the most eye-catching features of the plan is the creation of Coolamon Lake, a waterway designed in the shape of a coolamon (shallow carrying vessel). Sustainability is also highlighted through the addition of eco-friendly accommodation, while visitors would be presented with unique nature experiences, including walking loops and exploration trails around the lake.

The plan also proposes the forging of more meaningful connections to Indigenous culture through, for instance, the establishment of a First Nations Garden and new cultural awareness programs.

In addition, the plan suggests Australia’s largest botanic garden could become a major tourism destination and host events, including large-scale festivals.

Further information on the masterplan is available at australianbotanicgarden.com.au

Sydney WorldPride 2023 will incorporate the key Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras events, plus a broad festival offering across the arts, sport, First Nations programming and a human rights conference. The festival itself will open at the Domain with a Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert (7–9pm).

Other major events include the Domain Dance Party on Sunday 26 February and the Rainbow Republic in The Domain music festival on Sunday 5 March.

Over the course of the festival, Gardens’ staff will run a complementary program including:

• The Calyx plant exhibition Love your Nature botanicgardens.org.au/ what-s-on/love-your-nature

• Queer Plants guided walks

• An Evening with 500 Queer Scientists (20 & 21 February 2023 –see the Diary, page 33, for details). For more information visit sydneyworldpride.com and prideamplified.au

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Forging meaningful connections to Indigenous culture is a part of the new masterplan

NEW EXHIBITION FOR

2023

Dates are now out for On the Edge: Species at Risk – Foundation & Friends’ first exhibition in 2023. Running from 18 March–3 April 2023, Foundation & Friends’ new event will be the latest addition to a growing portfolio of scientifically themed exhibitions that so far have included Botanica, Fungi and Transformation Exhibition Project Manager Julia Sparkes says the aim of On the Edge is to highlight Australian flora, fauna and habitats that are under threat as a result of issues such as climate change, building developments and introduced species.

“Our three curators – Robbie Macintosh, Lucette Moore and Vanessa Snelling – are working hard to bring together a wide range of artists whose work will showcase endangered and vulnerable Australian species and ecological communities,” says Sparkes.

“As always there will be a wide range of artworks on display, including paintings, illustrations, photography, ceramics and textiles, but there will also be a strong focus on contemporary works, including digitally-created pieces.”

Some of the artists already locked in include EggPicnic, a Canberra-based design studio devoted to wildlife conservation, Josh Dykgraaf, who specialises in image manipulation using Photoshop, and Melbourne-based artist Garth Henderson, who uses 3D modelling and sculpting software to create intricate hyperreal floral studies that are presented in final form as limited-edition prints.

“Artists have really embraced the concept and the fact that we have not limited the scope to just threatened species but also at-risk environments.

“We are also looking at ways to show visitors to the exhibition how the artworks relate back to our Gardens, for instance by asking scientists to conduct talks and walks that illustrate the important work they are doing in protecting native flora, and to contribute information to accompany some of the pieces.”

ON THE EDGE: SPECIES AT RISK

18 March–3 April 2023

Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden 10am–4pm, Free entry

Josh Dykgraaf's Kampos is made from discarded plastics found on Sydney streets

Southern Emu Wren by Joan McKay

WIN TIM’S NEW BOOK

The Botanic Gardens’ former Executive Director Tim Entwisle has written an entertaining new memoir on his life as a “Plant Punk”, and we have copies to give away.

Exploring nature, science and culture, Entwisle’s new book, Evergreen – The Botanical Life of a Plant Punk, showcases the key elements that have shaped not just his own life but the world’s great botanical gardens.

Along the way he explains why botanical gardens are not simply engaging and enriching landscapes that offer a balm to the human spirit, but sanctuaries playing a vital role in helping address the key threats of our time, including climate change and plant extinction.

Few people are better placed to advocate for the world’s great botanic

spaces. In addition to heading up Sydney’s Botanic Garden, Entwisle occupied the role of Director of Conservation, Living Collections and Estates at Kew Gardens in London. He is currently Director of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and President of the International Association of Botanic Gardens.

We have several copies of Evergreen – The Botanical Life of a Plant Punk to give away. If you would like to go in the draw to win, just email your name and current membership number to foundation.friends@botanicgardens. nsw.gov.au or write to Letters, Foundation & Friends, Cottage 6, Mrs Macquaries Rd, Sydney NSW 2000 by 10 December 2022.

Join our event in February to hear Tim speak about his new book (see the Diary, page 33, for details).

GREETING CARDS

Renowned botanical artist Beverly Allen and Indigenous artist Darren Charlwood have generously gifted the use of their artworks to create Foundation & Friends' 2022 greeting cards.

Allen's watercolour depicts a Camellia japonica ‘Tiffany’, a slow growing, long lived evergreen shrub that flowers in winter. Not only is the card beautiful, but it also references the fact that in 2023 the Gardens will commemorate 200 years since the planting of its first camellia.

Connections by Charlwood, a Wiradjuri man from the Yibaay Wagaan kin group, was created as part of the Botanic Gardens’ Reconciliation Action Plan and tells the story of the impact and influence of the Gardens throughout the community over the years.

The cards come in two styles, blank and ‘Season’s Greetings’, and are printed on a high-quality silk card with matching white envelopes.

They are available in packs of 10 from botanicgardensgallery.com.au 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.

FESTIVE SEASON OFFICE HOURS

The Foundation & Friends office will close at 3pm Thursday 22 December and reopen at 9am on Monday 9 January 2023. Growing Friends Plant Sales at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney will close at 2pm Wednesday 21 December and reopen at 11am Monday 9 January 2023.

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

THE COMPACT AUSTRALIAN BIRD GUIDE

Jeff Davies, Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Peter Marsack and Kim Franklin CSIRO Publishing RRP: $34.99

This compact book is designed to provide beginners and experienced birdwatchers with a convenient, quick and beautifully illustrated identification guide to more than 700 bird species that are residents of or regular visitors to the Australian mainland and Tasmania, and surrounding seas. The information is organised into the three broad habitats where species are most likely to be encountered: marine, freshwater and land. Along with concise species descriptions (covering plumage, habitat, voice and size), there are up-to-date distribution maps and icons that indicate the likelihood of encountering each species. In addition, the guide provides quick guide comparison pages for major groups. The book’s authors include artists Jeff Davies, Kim Franklin and Peter Marsack, Monash University School of Biological Sciences’ lecturer Rohan Clarke, and zoologist Peter Menkhorst and ecologist Danny Rogers, both of whom are based at Victoria’s Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.

DISCOVERING AUSTRALIAN FLORA

Fanny Karouta-Manasse

CSIRO Publishing

RRP $35.00

Now in its second edition, this beautifully presented book showcases Australia's diverse flora by taking readers on a tour of the heritage-listed Australian National Botanic Gardens in Acton, Canberra. Author Fanny Karouta-Manasse – who also draws on information gleamed from her field trips with the National Seed Bank – offers well-organised and clearly presented geographical, historical and botanical information, including descriptions of plant characteristics. The book describes the unique features of Australian flora (such as their reliance on fire and ability to survive in poor soil) and explores in detail our country’s two dominant genera – Eucalyptus and Acacia. The latest edition includes new photographs (among the more than 300 colour images on offer) and a new chapter on the conservation of native flora in Australia, which the author notes now has one of the world’s highest rates of endangered plants. Karouta-Manasse holds a PhD in marine ecology from Montpellier University in France and since 2009 has volunteered at the National Seed Bank.

PLATYPUS MATTERS

Jack Ashby

William Collins

RRP $34.99

Platypi may top the bill, but this warm and engaging book is an ode to all of Australia's unique mammals – from wombats, echidnas and devils to quolls, dibblers and dunnarts. Drawing on his experience studying marsupials and egg-laying mammals in Tasmania and mainland Australia, English naturalist (and self-described platypus nerd) Jack Ashby provides an entertaining account of the lives of all these creatures, as well as the historical mysteries and myths surrounding them (some of which persist even today). He also critically examines the impact that misconceptions and misrepresentations around these animals can have, in particular how colonial-influenced descriptions of some mammals as ‘primitive’ have served to incorrectly portray Australia as an evolutionary backwater and undermine conservation efforts in our country, which now has the world’s worst mammal extinction rate. Ashby is the assistant director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge – one of the UK's largest and most significant natural history museums.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BOOK

Foundation & Friends has a few copies to give away of the books featured above. To be in the running to win, just email foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au or write to Letters, Foundation & Friends, Cottage 6, Mrs Macquaries Rd, Sydney NSW 2000 by 10 December ’22. Be sure to include your contact details, current membership number and which book you would like to receive. In our Spring 2022 edition we gave members the chance to win The Future is Fungi (Michael Lim and Yun Shu), From Earth: Create Your Own Natural Apothecary (Charlotte Rasmussen) and Adelaide Hills Gardens (Christine McCabe). Congratulations to our winners: Adriana Gill, S & G Birbeck, Jill Yates and Angie Gallinaro.

DESPITE THE PANDEMIC ONCE AGAIN DISRUPTING KEY FUNDRAISING EVENTS, FOUNDATION & FRIENDS CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE GARDENS. BELOW IS A SNAPSHOT OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.

FROM THE CHAIR VOLUNTEERS

Foundation & Friends ended the past financial year on a positive note. An important part of this was the commencement of a comprehensive and exciting review of our longer-term strategy, led by chief executive Pete Thomas.

As part of this process, our independent partner Snowmelt has already engaged a large cross-section of our incredible stakeholders. I have no doubt that the strategy developed will be transformative and set a clear path for at least the next five years.

In helping set the new strategic direction, we have had a committed and highly engaged Board. I am proud of the work they have done to help steer the organisation through what has been a challenging period. The financial year started with another lockdown, and then we were all impacted by new COVID variants. This, combined with an unusually wet year, significantly impacted our key income sources, including Growing Friends Plant Sales and member events. Careful monitoring of our expenditure resulted in a healthy financial position at the end of the year, positioning our organisation for investment and growth.

Maria Martin. Her input has already been invaluable. I would also like to thank all our partner organisations that provide pro bono and similar support throughout the year. I am also incredibly thankful to our patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC Governor of New South Wales, who has continued to show such a high level of interest in our work and has engaged in many of our key events.

Our key objective is to support the work of the Gardens. I am delighted that we are working so closely and effectively with the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, led by the indefatigable Denise Ora. Not only is this ensuring we more effectively support your Botanic Gardens, but it also means that we are better able to engage and support our members, donors and other supporters.

YEAR IN 3 , 509 MEMBERS 1%

Ian Breedon

9%

VOLUNTEER HOURS INCOME

$ 704.3 K FUNDRAISING

Ihave consistently found that almost every person you meet has a connection to your Botanic Gardens. Those connections can be deep and personal – from taking first steps as a child in the Rose Garden, through to a recent marriage proposal or dedicating a bench to a loved one.

Those connections, and a real love of your Gardens, helped Foundation & Friends make it through another challenging year.

Despite the trials we faced throughout the pandemic, the organisation still delivered a range of activities and events that raised funds and engaged our members, donors and the community.

For the first time, two Artisans in the Gardens exhibitions were held in one year – a highly-successful online exhibition, and then our much loved in-person display. We also held the thought-provoking Transformation –the Art of the Recycle exhibition, which was the lead story on ABC TV’s Artworks program. I know that everyone was glad to be back in person and experiencing these incredible displays.

After being cancelled in 2020, our ever-popular New Year’s Eve Picnic was back, albeit with smaller numbers. With mostly a domestic audience, it was a fun night with so many of our friends and

supporters. As we have exited the worst of the pandemic, our art classes, walks and tours have also been filling up, bringing life back into your Gardens.

I’m pleased to report that our end-of-year appeal, which focused on threatened plants, had an excellent response, ensuring we are able to support the Gardens’ critical work. I would like to thank our donors, members, volunteers, bequestors, and everyone who gave time and funds to your Gardens.

In the middle of a disruptive year, our cottage was renovated – part of Government stimulus grants to the Gardens – and I would like to commend the staff team and office volunteers for adapting so well to the temporary space we were required to use, and for managing the two moves.

I am excited about the year ahead. We are planning great activities and events, building a new team, recruiting new volunteers, and supporting so many inspiring initiatives. Importantly, we are mapping the future through the development of a new strategy that will guide us for years to come. I look forward to building even more connections as we grow and have an even greater impact in supporting your Gardens.

Pete Thomas

FROM THE CEO

A TASTE OF 2023

BOTANIC GARDENS AND DOMAIN TRUST CHIEF EXECUTIVE DENISE ORA REVEALS SOME EXICITING PROJECTS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD.

I’m really looking forward to 2023 and the renewed feeling it’s set to bring.

It feels as though the COVID fog has lifted, and we will finally be able to ring in the New Year in full swing, welcoming back even more visitors to our beautiful Gardens. There is so much planned for 2023 and we’ve been hard at work behind-the-scenes ensuring our Botanic Gardens continue to deliver for the future.

To kick off an exciting year, it’s fitting Sydney WorldPride is being held from 17 February to 5 March. The Domain will host major events to coincide with the global event and The Calyx will be brought to life with a kaleidoscope of colour with the spectacular new Love Your Nature exhibit. The immersive horticulture display – now open – will

run until 31 July and be sure to ignite the passion of visitors exploring the wonderful world of plant-love.

Speaking of the Domain, the Domain Depot and Lodge Revitalisation is another exciting project our organisation is looking forward to seeing come to life. This project entails the refurbishment and adaptive reuse of the heritage listed Domain Depot and Lodge at the corner of Art Gallery and Hospital Roads. With the original Lodge built circa 1835, the project will create a “gateway” to the Domain and the wider precinct which includes the Royal Botanic Garden, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Modern, and the Macquarie Street institutions facing the Domain along Hospital Road.

Works are anticipated to start in the second half 2023 so watch this space.

You also might have seen that the NSW Government announced it is investigating a permanent soundshell for the Domain as part of the Macquarie Street East Precinct revitalisation plans. Not only will the precinct make this historic area more attractive for visitors, but a permanent stage will deliver a more sustainable, green infrastructure outcome and increase year-round access to the Domain for its much-loved events.

Another project that’s set the Gardens and the wider community abuzz is the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Master Plan. You would have already seen that this went out to public consultation with our ‘six

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

ROYAL

big ideas’ and by next year we hope to have taken more steps to make these ideas become a reality.

As you also know, when the National Herbarium of NSW moved out to its fantastic new location at the Australian Botanic Garden, it left behind the Robert Brown Building and we’re most excited about its redevelopment in 2023 as well. The refurbishment will result in a revitalised building with renewed facilities for the Research Centre of Ecosystem Resilience, retention of the Daniel Solander Library, and the establishment of exhibition, education, seminar and function spaces in support of the Royal Botanic Garden’s science, education and horticulture programs, and the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. Works are programmed to start in February.

It’s certainly an exciting time for the Gardens and I hope to see you all to celebrate these new milestones in 2023.

‘The Calyx will be brought to life with a kaleidoscope of colour’

• Love Your Nature at The Calyx is just one element of the Garden’s involvement with Sydney WorldPride 2023

• An artist impression produced as part of the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Master Plan

A STUDY IN TRANSFIGURATION

AMONG THE DANIEL SOLANDER LIBRARY’S MANY FASCINATING BOOKS IS A WORK BY A PIONEERING FEMALE SCIENTIST WHO ADVANCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD. MIGUEL GARCIA REPORTS.

Last year UNESCO published a report highlighting the many obstacles female scientists around the world face when it comes to gaining recognition and representation. Given that in the 21st century woman are still struggling to overcome gender bias, it’s difficult to understate the achievements of Maria Sibylla Merian.

A dedicated naturalist, brilliant scientific artist and engraver, and author of many works on flowers and insects, Merian advanced science’s understanding of the process of metamorphosis – and accomplished all of this almost 350 years ago.

Born in Frankfurt in 1647 to a Swiss-based patrician family, Merian received her artistic training from her stepfather Jacob Marrel, a well-known flower and still life painter. As a girl she became fascinated with caterpillar larvae, illustrating their food plants and the timing of their metamorphoses. At the time, insects were still reputed to be "beasts of the devil" and the process and detail of metamorphosis was largely unknown. A handful of scholars had published empirical information on the insect, moth and butterfly life cycle, but it was still widely believed that these creatures were "born of mud" through spontaneous generation. Merian documented evidence to the contrary and described the life cycles of 186 insect species.

After marrying in 1665, Merian had her first child, Johanna Helena, in 1668 and shortly thereafter moved to

Nuremberg, where she gave drawing lessons to daughters of wealthy families. The work provided her with access to the city’s finest gardens, where she continued documenting insects.

Merian ultimately observed the life cycles of insects over decades, making detailed drawings based on live insects in their natural environment or freshly preserved specimens. By drawing live insects, she could accurately depict colours, however, because the European guild system barred women from painting in oil, she was forced to work only in watercolours and gouache.

In 1675, after learning copperplate engraving, she published an illustrated three-volume series on flowers, followed in 1679 by the first of a two-volume series on caterpillars. Largely ignored

by scientists of the time, the work was innovative in its detailed study of the life cycles and habitats of insects, moths, butterflies and larvae. It also depicted physical differences between male and female adults and contained illustrations of eggs – a feature previous naturalists had not included.

Merian’s marriage was not a successful one. In the mid-1680s she moved away from her husband and became involved with a religious sect in the Netherlands that forbade her to draw or paint but permitted her to continue studying natural history and Latin. By 1692 she was divorced and had left the sect for Amsterdam, where Johanna had married a merchant in the Suriname trade.

This familial contact led to the 52-year -old Merian – along with her younger daughter Dorothea Maria – being granted permission in 1699 to travel to the Dutch colony, self-funded, to illustrate new species of insects. Scientific expeditions were uncommon, and Merian became the first European woman to independently embark on a scientific voyage to South America. Not until the 19th century did other women follow in her footsteps.

Merian spent two years travelling throughout the colony, during which she documented a range of unknown animals and plants. She recorded native names for the plants and described local uses. She also described the insects she found, and meticulously noted their habitat, behaviour and uses to Indigenous people. Her classification of butterflies and moths is still relevant today.

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Maria Sibylla Merian portrayed by Jacob Marrel (1679)

In 1701, illness forced Merian to return to the Netherlands, where she opened a shop selling specimens collected in Suriname, along with her engravings of the colony’s plant and animal life. Then in 1705 she published Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, funding the project by offering subscribers hand-painted deluxe editions in exchange for advance payments.

While Merian's depiction of insect life cycles was innovative in its accuracy, it was her observations on the interaction of organisms and plants that are now regarded as her major contribution to the modern science of ecology. She was the first to show that each stage of a caterpillar’s change to a butterfly depended on a small number of plants for nourishment, and that as a consequence their eggs were laid near these plants.

As well as pairing each larva with the plant on which it feeds, she made other important observations. In relation to larvae, for instance, she recorded that "many shed their skins completely three or four times", providing illustrations of the cast-off exoskeletons. She also detailed the ways in which larvae formed cocoons, and the possible effects of climate on metamorphosis.

In 1715 Merian was partially paralysed by a stroke but continued to work until her death in Amsterdam in January 1717.

Her drawings became part of the corpus of scientific exploration by Europeans. Early taxonomy of tropical plants relied on images or specimens and following her return to Amsterdam the images she had made were used by Carl Linnaeus and others to identify more than a hundred new species.

In the late 20th century, Merian’s work was re-evaluated and reprinted. Today she is commemorated with 14 species and two genera of organisms named after her. Her portrait was also printed on Germany’s 500 Deutschmark note and she was even honoured with a Google Doodle on 2 April 2013 to mark her 366th birth anniversary.

In 2016, Merian's Surinamensium was re-published with updated scientific descriptions. A copy - donated by Foundation and Friends’ member Barrington Kinnaird - may be seen in the Daniel Solander Library.

THE CUTTING EDGE

DID FLOWERING PLANTS AND THEIR POLLINATORS CO-EVOLVE?

Animals pollinate an estimated 87.5% of flowering plants (angiosperms), with insects pollinating an overwhelming majority. This relationship is obviously of huge ecological importance, and a critical concern in terms of the health and ecological* function of most ecosystems, particularly given that angiosperms and their insect pollinators dominate terrestrial ecosystems.

Both groups of organisms are extremely biodiverse. Angiosperms, for instance, are the most species-rich

group of land plants, comprising at least 295,000 known species. Similarly, the chief pollinator orders of insects, beetles, butterflies and moths, bees and wasps, flies and thrips contain an estimated 800,000 described species.

Yasmin Asar and Simon Ho from the University of Sydney, and Hervé

Sauquet, Senior Research Scientist at AIBS, recently explored the evidence for co-evolution of flowering plants and their insect pollinators¹. Using a range of molecular markers and dating, combined with the fossil record, they were able to show that there was not congruence between the emergence and initial diversification of angiosperms and the origin and diversification of their key insect pollinators.

Many pollinating orders of insects emerged in the Paleozoic (541–252 million years ago) or early Mesozoic (252–66 million years ago) periods, predating the flowering plants by tens of

Photos: Yi-Kai Tea, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

RESEARCHERS WORKING WITH THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF BOTANIC SCIENCE (AIBS)

PUBLISH MORE THAN 90 PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES EACH YEAR. PROFESSOR BRETT SUMMERELL HIGHLIGHTS A FEW RECENT RESEARCH PROJECTS.

‘Precision cuts in the seed coat proved an effective dormancybreaking technique’

A butterfly using its long proboscis to access nectar

millions of years. There is considerable fossil evidence demonstrating that these insects already had beneficial interactions with groups like conifers and cycads before the flowering plants started to diversify enormously. It was only after the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event (66 million years ago) that the diversifications of flowering plants and insects had explosive impacts on each other through their species interactions, including pollination.

ENHANCING THE GERMINATION OF RAINFOREST TREES

With land clearing, climate change and invasive species threatening rainforests all over the world, seed banks and botanic garden collections are playing an increasingly important role in conserving these species. To do so effectively, we need to better understand how to store these seeds and then to germinate them.

Genesha Liyanage, Cathy Offord and Karen Somerville from the Australian PlantBank, together with colleagues from the Australian Tropical Herbarium at James Cook University in Cairns and the Australian National Botanic Garden in Canberra, recently studied dormancy and germination in Tasmannia sp.

Mt Bellenden Ker and Tasmannia membranea − two tropical montane rainforest tree species threatened by climate change − to develop a better understanding of dormancy in the species and the genus².

They discovered that while both species display morphophysiological

dormancy,^ treatments that remove seedcoat resistance to embryo growth facilitate germination – i.e., making precision cuts (nicking) in the seed coat is an effective dormancy-breaking technique. This also suggests that these treatments may help improve germination in other species from the same genus. This knowledge will greatly aid the germination of seeds to implement ex situ and in situ conservation strategies.

Further studies on stratification conditions, and incubation in different combinations of light levels and temperature regimes may improve our understanding of dormancy-breaking cues in the species’ natural habitat. Additionally, through this project we will have access to some really special rainforest species that are risk of extinction due to climate change. We are understanding their seed biology as well as bringing them into living collections.

HAIRPIN BANKSIAS – HOW MANY SPECIES ARE THERE?

The Hairpin Banksia are a very wellknown group of plants, exemplified by Banksia spinulosa, which was first scientifically described in 1793. The group has since been split into a number of species, including Banksia vincentia, B. neoangelica, that are more recently described, as well as the much older B. cunninghamii and B. collina

Trevor Wilson, Maurizio Rossetto and a range of colleagues recently explored the genetic variability across this group

with the aim of determining if they are all one species, or if in fact they are more than one³. They did this by collecting a very large amount of material across the full range of these “species” (thousands of kilometres) and using genomic analysis tools to determine genetic variability and if the different groups were significantly different from one another to warrant species designation.

They found that Banksia spinulosa represents two groups, each with an internal genetic structure that has been shaped through separation by biogeographic barriers. This structure conflicts with the existing taxonomy for the group and clearly supports that there should only be two species, best represented by B. spinulosa and B. cunninghamii. This would mean that B. collina, B. vincentia and B. neoangelica are not species and importantly that B. vincentia should be removed from the threatened species list.

Paper details:

1. Early diversifications of angiosperms and their insect pollinators: were they unlinked? Trends in Plant Science, 2022, doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2022.04.004

2. Understanding seed dormancy and germination aids conservation of rainforest species from tropical montane cloud forest: a case study confirming morphophysiological dormancy in the genus Tasmannia. Australian Journal of Botany doi:10.1071/ BT22011. 3. A turn in species conservation for hairpin Banksias: Demonstration of oversplitting leads to a better management of diversity. American Journal of Botany AJB-D-22-00132R2

* The relationships between living things and their environments.

^ In morphological dormancy, the embryo is underdeveloped or undifferentiated and takes a long time to germinate.

Insects and flowering plants interacted with explosive results following the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event, which occurred when the Chicxulub asteroid crashed into the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and resulted in the annihilation of non-avian dinosaurs.

Photo: Megan Harvey Images

SENIOR MEDIA & CONTENT PRODUCER (SCIENCE)

What are your key responsibilities?

I’m responsible for helping people around the world discover the surprising world of plants. I achieve this by developing and delivering creative communication strategies and stories through traditional and digital media channels to engage audiences with the Australian Institute of Botanical Science’s (AIBS) experts, research, and projects. A big part of my role is hosting, producing, and promoting the Institute’s Branch Out podcast and What the Flora!? series on YouTube.

What first got you interested in science communication?

It sounds cliché, but it started at a very young age. I spent the first 18 years of my life growing up in a place called Alligator Creek, in North Queensland. I had to google what ‘Alligator Creek’ is classified as and apparently, it’s a ‘rural village’. I always wondered why my German parents chose Alligator Creek over somewhere like Sydney or Melbourne to settle down, but I’m thankful to have grown up amongst nature. As a child I spent a lot of time playing with the home video camera and making nature documentaries to try and be like David Attenborough. This embarrassing material – which resurfaced at my 18th birthday – shows that I’ve always loved nature and storytelling. I decided to study at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, where I completed a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Business with a major in Advertising in 2010.

Tell us about your career prior to joining the Gardens?

Even before I started my university degrees, I always knew I wanted to use my communication skills to create meaningful and positive change. I have purposefully spent the last 12 years of my career working for not-for-profit and government organisations such as the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation, YWCA Queensland and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH). In 2016 when I landed the Public Affairs Officer role at OEH,

I wanted to build on my communication qualifications and decided to complete a Master of Environmental Science at the University of Sydney. In 2018, the Science Communicator role was advertised at the Gardens and I was so thrilled to land this unique job. Looking back to my days of making nature documentaries with the home video camera at Alligator Creek, I believe every decision I’ve made has led me to this point in my career.

What have been some of the highlights of your work with the Gardens?

I’m always banging on about the Branch Out podcast but that’s because it is by far one of my biggest professional highlights and perhaps even personal achievements of mine. I started at the Gardens in March 2018 without any podcast making experience, but I was encouraged to create a podcast and just two months later Branch Out launched.

It has gone from strength to strength – winning awards and demonstrating this powerful form of audio storytelling can successfully engage current and new audiences with our plant science and horticulture. It has also allowed me to get to know the Institute’s scientists and interview a range of other experts spanning the chocolate and wine making industry and even neuroscience. The most high-profile person I interviewed for the show was NASA astronaut Dr Gregory Chamitoff, who took seeds from the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan to the International Space Station for an experiment.

What’s next?

The success of Branch Out and What the Flora!? has primarily been achieved by promoting it through our channels such as social media. Now that Branch Out has a strong foundation of 6,000+ subscribers and a portfolio of 47 episodes (and counting), the goal is to reach new audiences through tactics such as paid advertising on Spotify and other podcasts. What the Flora!? is a little less established so we’re focused on trying to increase our YouTube subscriber base to get more people viewing each episode.

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

My husband and I love to take our one-and-a-half-year-old daughter to cafés, new parks and playgrounds on the weekend. Watching her learn how to interact with and understand the world around her is a joy unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Travel is real passion of mine and I have travelled extensively − everywhere from Cambodia to Iran and Palestine. We’ve already taken our daughter on about 10 flights, and we try to get up to Queensland to see my parents and sister to go sailing in The Whitsundays as much as possible. I also make time to do the things with just my husband or my friends, such as dining at the multitude of amazing restaurants Sydney has to offer. I also like to go to music gigs, comedy and theatre shows, new art exhibitions and I’m always trying to end the night at a karaoke joint or on a dance floor. Getting outdoors or exercising is also important to me, and I really enjoy Zumba and high-intensity gym classes – I really feel the difference mentally if I don’t train at least three times a week!

Tell us one thing that might surprise people to learn about you.

I received a black belt in Kyokushin Karate when I was 18 years old and I couch surfed and travelled Iran for a month during Ramadan.

‘As a child I spent a lot of time making nature documentaries like David Attenborough’

AUSTRALIA’S PLANTS THE STATE OF

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S LATEST HEALTH CHECK ON AUSTRALIA’S ENVIRONMENT MAKES FOR UNCOMFORTABLE READING, REPORTS PROFESSOR BRETT SUMMERELL, CHIEF SCIENTIST AND DIRECTOR RESEARCH.

Every five years (or in some cases a little longer), the federal government issues a State of the Environment report, documenting how the environment and biodiversity is faring under current challenges. Is the environment degrading or is it in repair? And what factors are most problematic?

Unsurprisingly – given our current climate and biodiversity crises – the picture the report paints is generally less than encouraging, and this is particularly evident in the latest instalment, released by the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water in late July. Prior to the black summer bushfires in 2019/20 most of the country was beset by a particularly severe and prolonged drought, which primed so many of our ecosystems for intense and extensive bushfires. These fires, of course, caused immeasurable losses in our flora, fauna and fungi, and it will take many years to fully comprehend their impact. Two subsequent La Niña years (and a third to come) has certainly assisted in recovery of the bush, but also flooded large areas, causing another version of biodiversity loss.

State of the Environment reports typically focus on a variety of aspects of the environmental challenges facing Australia. A significant component of that is reporting on specific threats to biodiversity – such as land clearing, climate change and invasive species. All of these threats have contributed to the federal government almost doubling (77 to 151) the number of listed threatened plant species since 2016.

Exotic species – including invasive pests and diseases, weed species and fauna such as rabbits, goats, deer and

camels – are a significant threat to plants. The latest report noted that there are now more exotic plant species than native species in the country, which in itself is not surprising nor necessarily concerning. The key issue is the number of species that become naturalised (about 10%) and then become problematic weeds (about 1% of the total number of exotic species). Botanic gardens are clearly places where exotic species occur – and where a very large component of the total number will be found. Our responsibility is to ensure that all of the species of plants we grow will not “escape” and spread across landscapes. There is no doubt that in the past this has occurred, and so now we have very strict protocols (known as Weed Risk Assessment Protocols – WRAPs) to assess new introductions of plants and reject any species that might not pass this test.

Invasive diseases like Phytophthora root rot and Myrtle Rust are very much a focus for the protection of flora in Australia and the impact was highlighted in the latest report. These diseases are pushing plant species towards extinction and so we, and our partners, have a strong focus on ensuring the collection of affected species into seed banks, into ex situ nursery collections and in the ground in the Gardens. Advances in genomic tools now allow

us to analyse these collections so that we can ensure that what we have represents as much of the evolutionary potential of a species as is possible. This means that the collection of plants or seeds in the Seed Bank or nursery contains all the genes for that species, so that if the species disappears in the wild, we have a collection that can be used to repopulate and reintroduce. This type of data is a huge advance in the management of at-risk species and, as the technology improves and becomes more affordable, we can start to do this for more and more species.

Climate change is undoubtedly the most extreme threat affecting plants now and into the future. This has, of course, been exemplified by the impacts of drought, fires and floods, but there are also insidious impacts in alpine areas where the climatic conditions for certain species of plant disappear. While climate change is a global issue that requires collaborative and concerted action, it is clear that Australia will be impacted more than many countries because of the intrinsic nature of our existing environment. We need to lead on action on climate change if we expect the rest of the world to do so, in order to protect our ecosystems and environments, and ultimately to protect us.

An important component in tackling climate change in the long term will be to restore country by planting trees and rehabilitating ecosystems. This will not necessarily be a quick fix – trees take a long time to grow and to fix carbon in order to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. We need to reduce emissions faster than that, so it is critical that across the country, and

‘The number of species listed as threatened has almost doubled since 2016’

across the planet, there is a halt to land clearing. This will then allow us to begin the process of healing the environment, both through reducing the emissions we put out and by repairing damaged country.

One pleasing component of the latest State of the Environment report was the significant recognition and input from Indigenous people. There is a strong acknowledgement that it is critical to involve Indigenous people in the care and rehabilitation of the environment. The report’s assertion that “Australia can benefit greatly from taking a holistic and culturally grounded approach to managing our environment

and growing Indigenous ways of doing, knowing and knowledge sharing” is a great summary of a forward-looking approach based on thousands of years of accumulated knowledge.

There is of course much research now being undertaken to address the important issues affecting plants (and hence the rest of the environment) in the biodiversity crisis humanity has initiated.

As the report acknowledges, there is also much we can all do as individuals – including reducing our own emissions, making informed purchasing decisions, supporting action and research, and continuing to lobby and support for action to minimise climate change.

KEY FINDINGS

2021 State of the Nation report

• There are now more foreign terrestrial plant species in Australia than native species.

• At least 19 Australian ecosystems have been reported as showing signs of collapse or near collapse.

• Around 7.7 million hectares of habitat for terrestrial threatened species was cleared or substantially degraded between 2000 and 2017.

• Australia has the third highest amount of soil organic carbon loss in the world, behind China and the US.

Rhodamnia maideniana – a recent addition to the federal government’s list of threatened species. The specimen pictured is under attack by myrtle rust, a fungal disease whose impact is exacerbated by climate change.

THE BOTANICAL WORLD’S

TRADE & EXCHANGE

AFTER UNDERTAKING THE FIRST FULL AUDIT OF ITS ENTIRE LIVING COLLECTION, THE GARDENS IS NOW WORKING ON A STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE COLLECTION REMAINS RELEVANT AND SUSTAINABLE. DIRECTOR OF HORTICULTURE AND LIVING COLLECTIONS JOHN SIEMON REPORTS.

Living collections are priceless resources, so you might assume they are managed to specific and strict guidelines. In reality, a 2014 survey of more than 172 botanic gardens found that more than 60% had no formal written curatorial policy. Why does it matter? Because it means those institutions are not optimising outcomes for plant conservation, and more broadly they are limiting the genetic diversity of species held across the globe.

With the first ever audit of the Botanic Gardens’ living collections now almost complete (The Gardens, Spring 2022), we are now redeveloping our own curatorial Policy and Strategy. The aim is to set the overall principles and standards that govern the collection, and by doing so help our staff understand how to care, curate and manage the plants within each botanic estate.

A Policy and Strategy defines how plants (or plant parts) are added to our living collection (or transferred to other botanic gardens). We frequently get

offers from the other institutions and even members of the public wishing to donate their prized specimen(s), and requests from scientists and artists for access to our genetic resources. The Policy is our decision-making tool. Whereas the Strategy outlines priorities and required actions to ensure the Trust’s living collections retain their integrity and continue to be developed in a way that ensures the organisation’s ongoing relevance and sustainability. With a clear vision, we can, for instance, address gaps in our living collection and secure the genetic diversity of plant families or species that face pressing or likely future conservation threats.

The exchange of plant material around the globe is nothing new. Some nations’ economies have been built on the trade of plants or the sale of their products – the spice trade is a great example that pre-dates the industrial, mining and tech booms. Botanic gardens have also traded specimens for hundreds of years. However, the quality of collections

in some institutions is suboptimal – they might contain lots of species, for instance, but are weak when it comes to representing the genetics left in the wild. There are lots of benchmarks for collection quality, but one that stands out is the provenance of a plant specimen. In the world of art, provenance is critical to validate the story of a painting – it authenticates an artwork. In the botanic world the provenance records tell us specifically where a plant was collected (modern specimens are GPS referenced), who collected it, the altitude, surrounding ecology, soil composition and a suite of other useful pieces of information. This data is all stored in our living collections database and helps inform the cultural management of a specimen in a garden or potted setting. The more specimens in a botanic garden of known provenance the better.*

Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to obtain provenanced stock or high genetic diversity. Sometimes we just have to take what is available. In some

Photos: Dartmouth Electron Microscope Facility, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Exchanging pollen is an easy way to move male genetics around the world. Pictured: pollen from a variety of common plants - including sunflower (pink), lily (dark green), primrose (red) and hollyhock (yellow) - magnified under an electron microscope.

instances, plants are extinct in the wild and we have little choice but to contribute to conservation initiatives by holding the only genetic diversity available on the planet from one or a handful of individuals in ex situ collections (Sophora toromiro, once widespread on Easter Island, is a good example). Even the iconic Wollemi Pine Wollemia nobilis, is represented by just a hundred or so individuals, and great effort has been made to conserve all of that genetic diversity within our three Botanic Gardens and through global conservation initiatives, while we extensively study the species.

Advances in science, however, now allow us to home in on genetic diversity and ensure we increasingly hold metacollections – specimens that represent the genetic diversity of wild populations and, through our networks, ensure that the maximum genetic diversity is distributed between multiple botanic institutions. In doing so, these metacollections will help to conserve the genetic range of species.

To build, conserve and share genetic diversity, the swapping or purchase of plant material through whole plants or seeds has been, historically, relatively easy. More recently, however, significant enhancements in Australia’s biosecurity and the introduction of global conservation programs aimed at limiting illegal trade of threatened species, such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), has made plant exchanges much more difficult. It is far easier to collect and store genetic diversity in the form of seed. Consequently, over the last two decades, the bulk of growth in the Gardens’ living collections has been through a concerted focus on the NSW Seed Bank and the construction of the Australian PlantBank. Ultimately this has resulted in a focus on native, mostly New South Wales flora. In the last decade alone the proportion of

NSW threatened flora stored inside PlantBank’s seed vault has risen from approximately 40% to more than 70%. Nevertheless, our conservation initiatives are much broader than NSW flora. As Marion Whitehead reports in her article in this issue (see page 22), our horticulturists are conserving genetic diversity of significant heritage value as part of global initiatives. To single out but one example, we are actively participating in Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s Global Conservation Consortium for Cycads. The Consortia’s mandate is to ensure that no wild cycad species becomes extinct. Through collaboration with our Science Education and Conservation colleagues, particularly Dr James Clugston, the Horticulture and Living Collections Branch has established a Horticultural Cycad Specialist, Scott Yates. In addition, we are establishing links to exchange Cycadaceae germplasm between botanic institutions – most recently with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and Montgomery Botanical Center in Florida.

Exploring alternatives to the more traditional exchange of cutting material,

whole plants, seeds or plants in tissue culture, we are also branching out and actively discussing the global exchange of pollen. Pollen is an incredibly easy way to move male genetics around the world. On arrival the pollen can be used immediately, if there is a receptive female in the collection, or stored, shortterm, in a low temperature environment (-15 to -20ºC) for perhaps three to five years, depending on the species exchanged. Once seeds are fertilised and mature, they can then be distributed to institutions. Much like zoo breeding programs, knowing who the father and mother are adds significantly to the value and known genetic diversity of global breeding and conservation programs.

Next time you are walking through one of our Botanic Gardens have a think about the journey of that plant, and the many hands it has taken for it to be sourced, transported, grown and nurtured. Botanic gardens are fundamental to the future of plant conservation.

*Across the Botanic Gardens’ estates, the percentage of known wild origin specimens is as follows: Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, 17%; Australian Botanic Garden, 87%; and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, 40%.

Horticultural Cycad Specialist Scott Yates and James Clugston recording plant observations as part of a germplasm exchange program with institutes in the US and South Africa. The Gardens is part of the global effort to ensure that no wild cycad species become extinct.

‘Global conservation programs have made plant exchanges much harder’

EXOTIC TREASURE HUNTING FOR

In 1999 George Orel and Tony Curry, on a visit to Vietnam, saw an unusual white form of the beautiful Camellia amplexicaulis in a nursery in Hanoi. Having never seen this particular plant before, they offered to purchase cuttings but were denied. Upon returning to the nursery in 2001, they found the same plant as George Orel described it, “on its last legs”, and after some haggling, managed to purchase its last two living branches.

Once back in Australia the pair had success grafting the branches, which they subsequently found were from a new camellia species, Camellia lucii, now extinct in the wild. In the last year, as part the Gardens’ efforts to build one of the best camellia collections in the country, we have been lucky enough to welcome a specimen of Camellia lucii into our collection at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.

With increasingly strict quarantine laws in Australia, the importation of plant material into the country is becoming more and more difficult. These restrictions better protect our pristine bushland and established garden plants from viruses, diseases and fungal infections, but they also dramatically limit the diversity of exotic plants in Australia.

Consequently, stories like the discovery of Camellia lucii, will become fewer and farther between. Not surprisingly, attention has now turned to collecting and preserving rare and dwindling collections of plants in Australia, for fear that if we lose these specimens, we may never see them again.

With this goal in mind, over the past three years Senior Horticulturist Mitch Carle and I have been working to locate, collect and propagate, rare camellias at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.

There are a variety of factors that have played into camellia cultivars and species becoming rare or disappearing from Australia’s backyards and collections. Firstly, garden faddism means that plants come into, and fall out of favour, according to gardening and aesthetic trends (colours, flower size, density of foliage, etc.). As the popularity of different features dip, so too does the production and subsequent ownership

of cultivars (variants selected and cultivated by humans). When it comes to straight Camellia species (native plants that occur naturally), the story is slightly different, with a lot of species never taking off as garden plants and instead becoming collectors’ items. The problem is that collectors age or move on from the properties in which they’ve built their collections, and with few members of the next generation taking up the mantle of camellia collecting, plant numbers are dwindling. In some cases, there are only one or two plants of some species and cultivars left in the entire country.

Our living collection strategy defines a series of themes that the collections we curate must fall into – from holding importance in terms of research, conservation and education, to historical significance and value in ornamental displays. Camellias meet every one of these criteria. Beyond being a plant that even the most novice garden enthusiast will recognise, camellias have been desirable ethnobotanically for centuries, with tea coming from Camellia sinensis. Horticulturally, they are easy to grow and flower, and suffer relatively few diseases and blights. Quite a few of our camellias and the species we are working

WITH AUSTRALIA'S TROVE OF RARE CAMELLIAS UNDER THREAT, EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO CREATE A HAVEN ON THE SLOPES OF MOUNT TOMAH. MARION WHITEWHEAD REPORTS.

‘If we lose these specimens, we may never see them again’

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Supervisor of Ornamental Gardens and Nursery Marion Whitehead cataloguing the Gardens' collection

Senior horticulturalist Mitch Carle and Camellia Ark Australia's Stephen Utick

to collect are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as vulnerable, endangered, near threatened, extinct in the wild and critically endangered. And as an organisation, we are approaching 200 years of safeguarding, showcasing, and tending to camellias, with the first camellia planted in Australia at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in 1823.

Before setting off to collect and protect these rarities, however, we need to know which ones are the most vulnerable and where to find them.

To do this, we work in collaboration with Camellia Ark Australia (CAA), an organisation that strives to identify and preserve rare camellias. Through extensive networking and research, CAA locates camellia collections and gardens across the country that house these rare, horticultural treasures, and

identifies camellias at risk of being lost from our shores (and our gardens). We then identify what plants are the most critical to take into our living collection in terms of conservation, suitability to our different sites, and horticultural merit, and what would be the most beneficial to the visiting public.

In the case of many species of camellias in Australia, some plants exist in only a handful of collections and are some of the very last in the world, so safeguarding their existence is not just a horticultural issue but a matter of international conservation. Amassing a collection of these plants to be protected and displayed at the Botanic Gardens involves a large amount of research, travel, and a comprehensive propagation and distribution plan. And to assist in our search for rare Camellia species and cultivars, Carle and I have been lucky enough to be awarded the Clive and Lorna Backhouse Scholarship to fund our travel across New South Wales, and work with plant collectors to secure material from these precious plants. Over this past winter, on three separate trips that covered thousands of kilometres – and saw me consumer more McDonald’s

hash browns than I’d like to admit –we visited numerous collectors who have curated mind-blowing backyard camellia collections. Each one of these collections took decades to put together – a testament to these individual’s unadulterated love of camellias.

In the Shoalhaven we encountered the most comprehensive collection of Camellia reticulatas I have ever seen. For decades, Stan and Lorraine Heath ran a successful camellia nursery, and every time specimens arrived to be sold, Lorraine cherry picked the very best to add to her collection. With perfectly shaped shrubs arranged in rows, the dinner plate-sized Camellia reticulata blooms could be admired up close, allowing us to inspect the ethereal beauty of the deep red “Teresa Park” and the delicate folds of the coral “Ruta Hagmann’s” swirl of petals.

Just down the road in Berry, Graeme Oke and Robyn Bryce’s Camellia Garden felt like it had been curated in the exact opposite way – a woodland that was a world unto itself, with hundreds of camellias left to grow to their natural size. Over a 42-year period, Oke and Bryce filled their four-acre garden with a forest

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

‘Some plants exist in only a handful of collections’

Camellia japonica ‘Yours Truley’ with mutation

Camellia japonica ’Patricia Ann’

Camellia nitidissima

Wandering through the property felt like some sort of dreamscape’

exist some of the rarest species in the world, with a few seen only once when they were originally collected and described, and then never seen again.

of camellias, magnolias, acers and pieris. The towering overstorey had dropped a rainbow carpet of camellia petals and wandering through the property felt like some sort of dreamscape. While the flowers of Camellia reticulata couldn’t be closely inspected, the colourful canopy was unforgettable.

On two separate trips to Northern NSW, we basked in the glory of the Vietnamese and yellow-flowering camellias. With only Camellia nitidissima existing widely in cultivation, yellow certainly isn’t a colour you think of when you think of camellias. But with the deeply-veined, giant, glossy leaves, rainbow new foliage and fleshy flowers ranging from buttery yellow to pale gold with a purple edge, and some of the longest leaves I’ve ever seen on a camellia, this section of the genus is glorious. Within this group of camellias

A highlight of these trips to Northern NSW was spending time with Glenn Calcott, a generous collector whose garden is a cornucopia of the weird, wonderful and rare. We spent three frenetic and delightful days with Calcott, dropping into nearby gardens that housed their own treasure trove of plants, and darting from rare camellias to towering African gardenias to Black Hoyas (which twine their way out into the sunlight from his expansive shade house), his dog Toby bouncing at our heels.

In our time travelling across the State to hunt down the most rare and exquisite camellias, we were exposed to the amazing variety in the genus and the multitude of ways in which they can be grown, all the while gleaning endless ideas for a new Camellia Garden at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. The best part of our hunt, however, was the warmth with which the camellia community welcomed us. Collectors took us into their homes, served us cups of tea and took the time to tell

the stories behind every one of their precious plants. Collecting, to many of them, is less as a hobby and more a calling. One collector, upon inheriting a collection of rare camellias, dedicated years to learning about them before turning her entire property into a camellia haven, with numerous huge shade houses nurturing new collections.

The hospitality extended beyond our trips because when we returned to the Garden we began receiving packages of scions and cuttings for us to propagate for our collection. Camellia enthusiasts across the country are now embracing the opportunity to share their love of these blooms with the general public.

With our nursery now full of grafted specimens and the glasshouse packed with cuttings, along with the collection we had already begun to amass of camellias suited to our climate, we are well on the way to installing a truly unique collection of camellias on the slopes of Mount Tomah. And as we approach the 200th anniversary of the first camellia planted in the Gardens, we are hopefully leaving a legacy that future horticulturists can continue to build on over the next two centuries.

Camellia reticulata ‘Ruta Hagmann’

Camellia japonica ‘Emmett Pfingstl’

Camellia japonica ‘Spring Sonne’

TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS

WITH AUSTRALIANS ONCE AGAIN EMBRACING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, FOUNDATION & FRIENDS IS NOW OFFERING MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE PART IN SOME SPECTACULAR NEW TOURS TO ASIA.

CERAMICS & TEA CULTURE JAPAN

May 2024

Grade: Introductory*

Accommodation: 13 nights

Explore Japan through the theme of tea, the foundation of Japanese traditional culture. Take in elegant Kyoto and go off the tourist trail to visit a tucked away pottery village, all while experiencing Japan’s architecture, gardens, ceramics, and renowned ritual and horticulture of tea. The itinerary is being designed around private potters’ houses and studios, galleries and tea farms.

Member price: $9,900pp twin share (land content only)

Escort: Relle Mott, a former member of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney's education team, who over the past nine years has led tours to Japan, Uzbekistan and China.

Members can book these tours with confidence, thanks to COVID safety measures, such as extra cleaning and hygiene protocols. Some venture to remote areas, which means social distancing comes naturally, and the guided group sizes are limited to a maximum of 16 people. For more information or to book please contact us at foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au

BHUTAN’S RHODODENDRON FESTIVAL & MORE

April 2025

Grade: Moderate*

Accommodation: 9 nights

The itinerary is still being finalised for this 10-day tour − led by the highly-experienced Relle Mott –but it is sure to include a range of interesting botanical experiences in local villages and have a strong focus on local history. As well as experiencing pristine Himalayan scenery, guests will also visit Bhutan’s annual Rhododendron Festival. This tour is likely to fill quickly so please register your interest now.

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

Photos: World Expeditions, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Tigers Nest Monastry, Bhutan

Japan is home to around 30,000 Inari shrines

PLANTS IN THE GARDENS

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

Kohleria hirsuta (also known as Kohleria eriantha) Family Gesneriaceae

In the same family as the well- known African violet, this attractive plant does not appear to have a common name. Its botanical name was given to honour Michael Kohler, a 19th century natural history teacher in Zurich, Switzerland. All told, there are 24 species in the genus, all native to Central America, with a significant number (8 species) found only in Colombia.

It is an upright grower to around one metre in height, often less. The somewhat fleshy, mid-green stems and leaves are covered in fine velvety, reddish hairs. Leaves have finely scalloped margins. The bright scarlet to orange-scarlet, flared, tubular flowers can be up to four centimetres long in ideal conditions, but more likely to be 2–3 centimetres in general garden cultivation. The foliage is decorative in its own right, even when there are no flowers in bloom.

Kohleria hirsuta is easy to grow in any well-drained soil in a sheltered situation and makes a very decorative potted plant too. Whether planted in the ground or in a container, the soil or potting mix must have free drainage.

All plants, but especially containergrown plants, need to be kept on the dry side in winter. Over watering kills more plants than anything else. Plants, but especially container-grown plants, are best grown in shaded areas with shelter from strong wind.

In suitable conditions, Kohleria hirsuta have quite a long flowering period. Their main flowering is from late spring through summer, but in their habitat they are known to flower on and off throughout the year. These plants are sensitive to cold so will not thrive outdoors in regions where winter temperatures are low.

Kohleria hirsuta is growing in several parts of the Royal Botanic Garden with an especially fine display in bed 35 in the Middle Gardens in the shade of large mature trees with a fairly high canopy. There is also a good display in bed 83, behind the Conservatorium of Music. There may also be a few growing under some of the large figs in the Palace Gardens (adjacent to Macquarie Street) where they were quite often planted in past years.

Growing Friends Plant Sales very often has these lovely plants for sale. Margaret Hanks, Growing Friends, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

DISCOVER

‘There are 24 species in the genus, all native to Central America’

Kohleria hirsuta

BOTANIC GARDEN SYDNEY

There are so many plants to enjoy in the Garden this summer.

The Meadow is at its best and buzzing with pollinating insects. Creating a natural looking Meadow takes a lot of horticultural skill and the team does such an amazing job each year.

The Rose Garden has been improving every year with the introduction of roses suited to Sydney’s humid summers and mild winters. In peak flowering season, the mix of flowers and scent from the roses are worth a walk around. While there, check out what’s performing well in the nearby Trial Garden.

On a hot summer day, a walk through the native rainforest is a great treat –not only is the temperature significantly lower, but the plants are stunning. If you are there in February, look out for the spectacular Leichhardt Pine Neolamarckia cadamba with its spherical fragrant flowers. Other trees to look out for are

the Kigelia africana (Sausage Tree) near Henry Lawson Gate, which flowers in mid-summer with spectacular sausage shaped fruit following the flowers. The Barringtonia neocaledonica on the Spring Walk is another wonderful summer flowering tree.

The tropical gardens next to Botanic House are worth a visit anytime, but in summer you can see a range of gingers at their best. While there, don’t forget to check out the unusual bat-like flowers of Tacca integrifolia. In addition, our beds of annuals will this year be inspired by WorldPride – hosted in Sydney in late summer – and feature a pallet of red, orange, yellow, blue, purple and even green.

The Garden is the perfect place to spend a pleasant summer’s day with so much more to see than the few areas I have mentioned.

ROYAL

David Laughlin, Curator Manager

Rose Garden

Leichhardt Pine

‘In February look out for the spectacular Leichhardt Pine’

AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN

We are lucky at Mount Annan to have many iconic plants that perform well over the summer months. Following are just a few beauties to look out for:

• Ceratopetalum gummiferum (New South Wales Christmas Bush) produces amazing clusters of colour.

• Buckinghamia celsissima (Ivory Curl Tree) is a stunning example of an adaptable rainforest species that can be grown in temperate and sub-tropical gardens.

• Anigozanthos cultivars (Kangaroo Paw) is a showy masterpiece. There are now many different cultivars, but typically you will have success with larger varieties. Just ensure they are in full sun and your soil drains well.

• Babingtonia virgata (Heath Myrtle) grows 2–4 metres and is covered with white flowers leading up to Christmas.

• Brachychiton populneus x acerifolius is a stunning hybrid cross between an Illawarra Flame Tree and Kurrajong Tree. Flowering late spring to early summer, this beauty displays clusters of red bell-shaped flowers.

• Corymbia ficifolia (Flowering Gum) is hardy, beautiful and attractive to native birds. Flowering in December, it is the perfect specimen to catch one’s eye during the festive season.

• Stenocarpus sinuatus (Firewheel Tree) produces a spectacular display. Keep an eye out for its eye-catching orangered flowers. It is a large tree and can grow to 30 metres, however, often only growing to 10 metres in cultivation. Jarryd Kelly, Supervisor Horticulture

BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTANIC GARDEN

Lapageria rosea, the Chilean Bell flower, is the national flower of Chile. Featuring fleshy red, pendulous flowers contrasted against its deep green glossy leaves, this elegant climber flowers throughout the summer, and in the right conditions can flower for up to nine months.

Named for Napoleon’s wife Josephine (whose maiden name was Tascher de la Pagerie), it can be found at the top entrance of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden’s Gondwanan Garden. The aril of the flower is edible and said to taste like cucumber and it is pollinated in its native Chile by hummingbirds. With the vine twining clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise when grown in the southern hemisphere, Lapageria is a wonder to behold on a hot summer day. Marion Whitehead, Supervisor Ornamental Gardens and Nursery

GROWING FRIENDS PLANT SALES

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Mon–Fri 11am–2pm, Sat 10am–2pm

Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Mon–Sun 9am–4pm

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah Mon–Sun 9.30am–4.30pm

*Christmas/New Year hours may vary

GROWING FRIENDS

Growing Friends’ preparation of plants for summer has been a little hindered by the cold and cloudy winter, but we are looking forward to some sunshine and warmth boosting growth in time for Christmas. We are planning to have many attractive gift ideas and plants for our loyal customers.

Over the past few years we have been progressively introducing more shadeloving plants, which are suited to indoors and smaller, protected environments characteristic of inner-city living spaces. Our biggest sellers over the past year include numerous ferns such as Blechnum ‘Silver Lady’ and Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Montana’, a wide range of Rhipsalis and Lepismium cacti species, numerous Hoya, begonia and bromeliads. Indoor mini-gardens and succulent bowls have also been selling well and will make great gifts for Christmas.

The flow of native plants from our Mount Annan nursery has been particularly affected by the cold and cloudy weather, but we are now expecting a renewed supply of the most popular plants such as Actinotus helianthi (Flannel Flower), Crowea exalata (wax flower), Tetratheca thymifolia (Black-eyed Susan) and the iconic West Australian native shrub, Lechenaultia biloba (Blue Leschenaultia).

In time for Christmas, we are also expecting to have a limited supply of very handsome Wollemi Pine available at both Sydney and Mount Annan Growing Friends Plant Sales.

Raoul de Ferranti, General Coordinator, Growing Friends

Photos: wikipedia.org, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Lapageria rosea

Corymbia ficifolia

WHAT’S ON

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

CELEBRATIONS

NEW YEAR’S EVE PICNIC

Royal Botanic Garden, Mare & Foal Lawn, Sat 31 December, 5pm–12.15am

Not sure how to welcome 2023? Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2022 with Foundation & Friends! Our exclusive picnic is perfect for groups of all ages, including families with children. This self-catered outdoor harbour-side picnic is one of the few New Year's Eve events where BYO alcohol is permitted. In this fully enclosed area you will be able to stretch out and relax while enjoying your favourite snacks and a stunning view over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. On top of all the fun, all ticket purchases help us continue to support the vital work that takes place in your Botanic Gardens.

M $160 MG Member’s Guest $190 C Child $30 (6–15 yrs) F (0–5 yrs) botanicgardens.org.au/NYE-picnic

ARTISANS 21ST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Tattersalls Club, Hyde Park Sydney Wed 8 February, 6.30pm–10pm

Join Foundation & Friends to celebrate 21 years of the Artisans in the Gardens exhibition. Enjoy a three course meal at the exclusive Tattersalls Hyde Park, one of our long term partners. Take the evening to reminisce on the rich history of this unique exhibition and reflect upon the exquisite work many artists have contributed. There will be pieces of Artisans in the Gardens’ history on display, and attendees will enjoy brief talks from key people discussing the important opportunities the exhibition has provided.

M $110 NM $120 i BF botanicgardens.org.au/21-Artisans

Photos: Craig Brokensha, Kris McKee , Samee Lapham, © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

KEY: M Foundation & Friends’ member NM Non-member MC Member’s child NC Non-member’s child MP Materials provided

MT Morning tea provided L Lunch provided R Refreshments provided B botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On F Free BF Book through Foundation & Friends New member gift voucher can be used i More information with booking

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

FLORAL BAUBLE WORKSHOP with Kris McKree

Royal Botanic Garden, Maiden Theatre

Thu 1 December, 1pm–4pm

Join local Sydney florist Kris McKee for a floral bauble-making workshop just in time to decorate your tree for the festive season. You'll create four beautiful baubles using a variety of dried floral materials. Each bauble is unique, and you'll have an opportunity to let your creativity shine! Participants will enjoy a glass of sparkling wine while they create their floral baubles.

M $80 NM $95 MP R i BF botanicgardens.org.au/bauble

BOTANICAL FOCUS: INTENSIVE WORKSHOP

with Beverly Allen

Royal Botanic Garden, Maiden Theatre

Tue 7–Fri 10 February, 9.30am–4pm

This four-day workshop will build your watercolour skills for botanical painting, with demonstrations of techniques – from initial washes, to dry brush detail and finishing. The emphasis will be on close observation, accurate drawing, the many subtleties of colour and the use of light to create a three dimensional painting.

For intermediate to advanced students.

M $530 NM $570 MP i BF botanicgardens.org.au/botanicalfocus

GARDENING SKILLS WORKSHOPS

with Botanic Gardens’ experts

Royal Botanic Garden

Rathborne Lodge

• Plant classification and nomenclature Sat 3 December, 9.30am–3.30pm How do we identify and name plants? Learn how botanists group plants into classification levels using common characteristics, relationships, ancestry and DNA to unravel evolutionary trees and accurately identify plants in their family group. We work with a scientist from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science to look at the standard descriptors of plant parts and patterns which are used to identify plants.

• Pest and disease management Sat 14 January, 9.30am–3.30pm

This session covers pest and disease problem identification and management using IPM (Integrated Pest Management) – where close observation and early treatment with manual removal, traps or organic sprays are the preferred methods. You’ll also cover prevention and control methods using garden design, rotation cropping and companion planting to maintain a balance of beneficial biodiversity in the garden.

• Plant selection for Sydney gardens Sat 4 February, 9.30am–3.30pm

BOTTLE & BRUSH with Outer Island

Royal Botanic Garden, Rose Garden Pavilion, Thu 16 February, 5pm–7pm

Celebrate the arrival of Sydney WorldPride with a wine glass in one hand and a paint brush in the other! Sip some wine, laugh with friends, and create your very own Pride-themed masterpiece in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Join the young and enthusiastic artists behind Outer Island who will guide you step-by-step in creating a dazzling painting to take home at the end of the day. Perfect for an afternoon out with friends or the first step toward learning to paint in a fun, relaxed environment.

M $80 NM $90 MP R i BF botanicgardens.org.au/bottle-brush

Choosing the most suitable plants for your garden in the Sydney region varies according to location, aspect, altitude, microclimates, soil and rainfall patterns. In this session we learn about the importance of matching plants’ origins and cultural requirements to the conditions at your place. We discuss why garden design influences what plants will best suit and thrive, and how to buy the best possible stock from nurseries.

M $162 NM $180 per workshop botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

TALKS & WALKS

NATURE THERAPY WALKS

• Royal Botanic Garden

Visitor Centre

Sun 4 & 18 December, 8 January 5 February, 10am–12noon

• Australian Botanic Garden Visitor Centre

Sun 11 December, 15 January 12 February, 10am–12noon

• Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Visitor Centre

ABORIGINAL HARBOUR HERITAGE TOUR with First

Nations Guides

Royal Botanic Garden, Visitor Centre

Every Thu, Fri & Sat (excl. public holidays), 11am–12noon

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 & community.

M $27 NM $30 MC NC $20 (6–15 yrs)

F (0–6 yrs)

botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

ABORIGINAL BUSH TUCKER with First Nations Guides

Royal Botanic Garden, Visitor Centre

Every Thu, Fri, Sat (excl. public holidays), 1pm–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.

M $27 NM $30 MC NC $20 (6–15 yrs)

F (0–6 yrs)

botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

Sat 21 January, 11am–1pm

Originating in Japan, Shinrin-yoku (forest therapy) is a preventative health practice that improves wellbeing by immersing one’s senses in nature to reduce stress levels and promote relaxation by lowering your pulse and blood pressure.

Suitable for 13+

M $36 NM $40 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/ What-s-On

bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com. au/What-s-On

3-HOUR NATURE THERAPY WALKS

Royal Botanic Garden, Visitor Centre

Sun 22 January & 19 February

10am–1pm

The three-hour Nature Therapy walk has been introduced to enhance the well-being benefits of the immersive Japanese practice of Shinrin yoku Soak up the sights, sounds, textures and smells of nature, with time for listening, reflection, healing and mindful presence. Included is a tea-sharing ceremony, inspired by the Japanese ‘way of tea’.

Suitable for 13+

M $39.50 NM $45 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

ORIENTAL GARDEN WALK

Royal Botanic Garden, Maiden Theatre, Tue 31 January, 10am–12.30pm

Our modern gardens owe much to intrepid plant hunters such as Thunberg, Fortune and Forrest, who made risky journeys to distant lands collecting countless plants new to science. Celebrate Chinese New Year by getting to know the fascinating stories behind the plants of the HSBC Oriental Garden in this talk and walk with our fantastic guides. Learn about the evolution of this quiet spot in the heart of our Garden, from Maiden’s Bamboo Grove to the important wild-sourced collection of Asian plants that it is today.

M $40 NM $50 MT i BF botanicgardens.org.au/garden-walk

Photos: © Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

EVERGREEN, THE BOTANICAL LIFE OF A PLANT PUNK

Book talk with Tim Entwisle

Royal Botanic Garden Rose Garden Pavilion

Sun 12 February, 10.30am–12noon

Join Tim Entwisle, respected botanist, well-known scientific communicator, and one of the world’s finest botanic garden directors for an engaging book talk. In his memoir, Tim discusses his belief that nature sanctuaries, such as botanic gardens, can cure the ills of the world and address the key threats of our lives.

M $30 NM $45 MT i BF botanicgardens.org.au/evergreen

ASTRONOMY AT THE CALYX

Royal Botanic Garden, The Calyx

Tue 14 February, 7pm–9.30pm

Celebrate Valentine's Day! Join us for a night of astronomy and stargazing in the heart of the Royal Botanic Garden. Over a glass of wine, discover what the night sky teaches you with First Nations astronomer Drew Roberts, then travel through space to visit mysterious planets far from Earth with renowned astronomer Dr Angel Lopez -Sanchez or Fred Watson.

Suitable for 12+

M $37 NM $43 botanicgardens.org.au/astronomy

SYDNEY WORLDPRIDE 2023

An evening with 500 queer scientists

Royal Botanic Garden, The Calyx Mon 20 & Tue 21 February, 6pm–9pm

Following the success of our sold-out events in 2019, 2020 and 2021, we are proud to return in 2023 as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023 with not one, but two evenings, featuring different panels of LGBTQIA+ scientists as speakers. The 500 Queer Scientists initiative was launched in 2018 to help provide increased visibility, support and role models for LGBTQIA+ scientists.

M $30 NM $45 prideamplified.au

SUNSET SPOTLIGHT

• Royal Botanic Garden, Woolloomooloo Gate

Last Wed of the month, timings vary according to sunset

• Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan Drive Gate

Last Fri of the month, timings vary according to sunset Visit biodiversity 'hotspots' to look for nocturnal animals. Join an experienced guide as we try out spotlighting and other fieldwork techniques used by our scientists. Suitable for 8+ (children must be accompanied by a paying adult)

M $36 NM $42 MC $17 NC $20

botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/what-s-on

GHOSTLY GARDEN

Royal Botanic Garden Woolloomooloo Gate

Every second Friday, timings vary according to sunset Take a twilight adventure through the Royal Botanic Garden in this spinetingling storytelling event. Come within the Garden gates after hours and hear spooky stories of the Garden's past as bats flit above your head and night-creatures stare from the treetops. Suitable for 12+ (children must be accompanied by a paying adult)

M $37 NM $42 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

KIDS’ ACTIVITIES

SANTA’S STUDIO

• Australian Botanic Garden

Bowden Centre

Tue 20 December, 12noon–1.30pm

• Royal Botanic Garden, Moore Room

Wed 21, Thu 22, Fri 23 December

12noon–1.30pm

Join us at Santa’s Studio where your little elves will create Christmas crafts for family and friends using a range of materials. Dressing up is encouraged. Suitable for 4–10 yrs MC $16 NC $18

botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/ what-s-on

DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS – OUTDOOR THEATRE

• Australian Botanic Garden

Marquee Lawn

Tue 20 December, 10am–11am

• Royal Botanic Garden, Araucaria Lawn Wed 21, Thu 22 & Fri 23 December 10am–11am

Kids will love this hilarious Christmas story featuring two elves who have been sent to Australia to prepare for Santa’s visit, but things don’t quite go to plan.

MC $16 NC $18

botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/ what-s-on

GARDEN GRUBS

• Royal Botanic Garden, Moore Room

Wed 11, Thu 12, Thu 19, Fri 20 Mon 23, Tue 24 January, 9am–3.30pm

• Australian Botanic Garden, Bowden Centre, Tue 17 & Wed 18 Jan 9am–3.30pm

Kids will spend the day participating in a range of creative and action-based activities while connecting with nature.

Suitable for 6–12 yrs

MC $81 NC $90 (9am–3.30pm)

MC $90 NC $105 (8.30am–4.30pm)

botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/ what-s-on

WATER WARRIORS

• Royal Botanic Garden, Rathborne Lodge

Wed 11 & Thu 12 January, 10am–11.30am & 12.30pm–2pm

• Australian Botanic Garden, Bowden Centre

Tue 17 & Wed 18 January, 10am–11.30am & 12.30pm–2pm

• Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Waratah Education Centre

Thu 19 January, 10.30am–12noon & 1pm–2.30pm

Keep cool as we go dip-netting by the pond to see freshwater ecosystems come to life and discover tiny critters. Learn how plants use their superpowers to save water in the heat and how to start a mini succulent and cacti nursery to take home. Suitable for 5+ (accompanied by adult) MC $16 NC $18 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/what-s-on bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com.au/what-s-on

KIDS’ BISCUITS & BUSH TEA

• Royal Botanic Garden

Rathborne Lodge

Thu 12 Jan & Fri 13 Jan

10am–11.30am & 12.30pm–2pm

• Australian Botanic Garden Bowden Centre

Mon 23 Jan, 10am–11.30am & 12.30pm–2pm

Take a bush-food adventure through the Garden and make your own tea!

Suitable for 5+ (accompanied by adult)

MC $16 NC $18 botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On australianbotanicgarden.com.au/ what-s-on

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

MEMBERS ONLY

Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens Ltd, Cottage 6, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney 2000

Phone: (02) 9231 8182

Chief Executive Officer: Peter Thomas foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au botanicgardens.org.au/foundationandfriends Office hours: Mon–Thu, 9am–3pm

facebook.com/FoundationandFriends instagram.com/FoundationandFriends

EDITORIAL

Editor: David Carroll

Designer: Lauren Sutherland

Coordinator: Helen Goodall

Feature writers: Dr Brett Summerell (Botanical Science), John Siemon (Horticulture), Sue Wannan (Arts) and Miguel Garcia (History) Scientific adviser: Dr Russell Barrett

QUEER PLANTS WALK

Royal Botanic Garden, Maiden Theatre, Sun 19 February, 10.30am-12.30pm

Plants are queerer than we can imagine! Celebrate WorldPride by joining our volunteer guides to learn how plants have been successfully embracing diversity for millions of years. We will reveal the sexy, scandalous and sweet secrets of our plants, and why striving to understand them matters to us all. The event will start with a morning tea and conclude at the Love Your Nature exhibition at The Calyx. For Foundation and Friends members and a guest. Tickets limited.

F NM $25 MT i BF botanicgardens.org.au/ffqueerplants

HELPING HANDS

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

Members Only F i BF

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, Education Centre

Wed 7 December, Wed 1 February, 8.30am–12noon

Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, meet at the main car park Wed 14 December, Wed 8 February, 8.30am–12noon

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Foundation & Friends’ Terrace Thu 15 December, Thu 16 February, 8.45am–12noon botanicgardens.org.au/What-s-On

Regular contributors: Raoul de Ferranti, Carol Griesser, Margaret Hanks, Jarryd Kelly, Greg Lamont, David Laughlin, Simon Reid and Marion Whitehead

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 our Botanic Gardens and their vital horticultural, scientific, education and conservation work.

Join our vibrant community of members today by phoning (02) 9231 8182 or visiting botanicgardens.org.au/membership

Membership fees: Standard $70, Concession/student $60, Household $95, Household concession $80

Christmas

on

now

Camellia Japonica ‘Tiffany’ by Beverly Allen, celebrating 200 years since the first camellia planting at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

Camellia japonica