Botanic Garden Open Day to celebrate plant conservation

More than 70 botanic gardens, arboreta and public gardens across Australia and New Zealand will be participating in a world-first mass open day on Sunday 29th May.

Aiming to promote the vital role botanic gardens play in plant conservation, the inaugural Botanic Garden Open Day will see participating gardens present a range of events including educational workshops, play activities, guided walks, gardening tips and plant giveaways.

The event is backed by ambassadors Costa Georgiadis and Jack Hobbs.

Landscape architect Georgiadis has an all-consuming passion for plants and is the host and co-creator of Costa’s Garden Odyssey for SBS television.

In 2013, he became the host of ABC’s Gardening Australia and works with schools, TAFEs, universities, industry and community groups to spread the message of creating a permanent self-sustaining culture.

Jack Hobbs has been Curator Manager of the Auckland Botanic Gardens (ABG) in Manurewa, Auckland  since 1997, after previously being Curator from 1988.

Hobbs was a presenter of television gardening programmes from 1991 until 2003, including eight years as a presenter on Maggie's Garden Show. For almost 20 years he ran an extensive plant breeding programme at ARBG which has produced many popular native plant hybrids including the popular 'Wiri' series of Hebe and Leptospermum which are now grown commercially in many parts of the world.

At the Melton Botanic Gardens in Victoria, the open day will include a bird watching walk at 9am followed by breakfast, introductory tours of the botanic garden from 10am, a display of flora and fauna-themed quilts, and a sausage sizzle.

The plant nursery will be open from 10am until 4pm.

The open day is being put on by Friends of the Melton Botanic Garden with Melton Environment Group and Willows Quilting Group.

Friends President John Bentley said it was a chance for people to check out the “hidden gem in the west’’ and see some of the 65 bird species spotted there.

Bentley stated “it’s really a different place to come and see in Melton.

“Visitors can see plants that are really suitable to grow in the west, and we sell those sorts of plants in our nursery.’’

The Botanic Garden Australia and New Zealand Open Day is being held from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 29th May 2016.

Click here to view Botanic Garden Open Day events and locations.

Images: Costa Georgiadis (middle) and Jack Hobbs (below).

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