Botanic Gardens

By Dale Arvidsson

Conifers are among the oldest and most diverse groups of plants on Earth. They have existed and evolved for more than 300 million years, surviving ice ages, changing climates, and mass extinctions. These plants have adapted to a wide range of habitats, living just above sea level in the tropics to over 3000 metres in altitude and above the timberline of the world’s highest mountain ranges.… Continue reading

By John Arnott 

At time of writing, I am a few weeks off ‘hanging up the boots’ at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, entering a ‘retirement phase’ of a gardening career that has straddled five decades of public gardens horticulture. Over this period, I have witnessed numerous trends come and go, and thought it would be fun to quickly reflect on a few of these in this article.… Continue reading

By Barbara Wheeler

Often seen growing as scrappy carpark plants, badly pruned to keep within the bounds of narrow strips of garden beds and frequently planted in the wrong place, the wonderful indigenous flora of New Zealand has had a history of being overlooked and much maligned in its own country.… Continue reading