Hosted by the Friends of Melton Botanic Gardens in partnership with the Shire of Melton the recent network meeting was a great success. Themed ‘Developing New Gardens’ the event attracted 75 participants who were welcomed by Justin Mammarella, Mayor of Melton Shire.
Participants represented 18 Botanic Gardens, 11 Friends of Botanic Gardens groups and 3 organisations managing public gardens. Victoria currently has 52 financial members comprising institutional, associate and individual memberships.
- BGANZ update
Convenor, Annette Zealley, presented the BGANZ communications plan kit which has been distributed to financial members. The PowerPoint presentation which forms part of the kit was used to provide an update on the focus for BGANZ VIC this year. Members of the Victorian Executive Committee were introduced. Our representative on the BGANZ Committee is John Arnott, Manager Horticulture, RBG Cranbourne. Peter Symes, Curator Horticulture, RBG Melbourne, represents Victoria on the Professional Development sub-committee.
The program for 2012 was outlined with further details will be provided during the year via the website and direct email:
- May 2012 ‘Plant Based Solutions’ Professional Development Workshop – in partnership with Parks & Leisure Australia
- August 2012- Network meeting ‘Restoring Heritage Landscapes’ to be hosted by Williamstown Botanic Gardens
- October 2012- Plants Forum
The BGANZ website is becoming more active and members are encouraged to use and contribute to this valuable resource. Members are encouraged to provide updates on their gardens, for example a 200 word article and image. Members can contribute to email updates to members with newsworthy items for example events and job opportunities. The site now contains a ‘members only’ section with toolkits and reference documents which members can use and contribute to the reference library.
The BGANZ VIC Executive is supporting regional gardens through the provision of advice including site visits. Executive meetings move around Victoria and are supplemented by phone conferences. A few gardens have taken advantage of the offer to seek advice on the development of collections plans using the BGANZ VIC Collections Management Toolkit. Executive members have undertaken site visits to Wombat Hill Botanic Garden (Daylesford) and Castlemaine Botanic Garden to discuss collections management. Gardens developing plans are encouraged to contact the Executive to seek peer review from members.
Sharon Willoughby, Manager Public Programs RBG Cranbourne, provided an overview of the Botanic Gardens Education Network (BGEN). The networks delivered a professional development workshop at the BGANZ Congress in Albury in 2011. This network is developing and members with an interest in public and education programs are encouraged to participate.
- ‘Developing New Gardens’
‘Cultivating a Community and Constructing a Garden’ Melton Botanic Garden
Friends of Melton Botanic Garden President, John Bentley, gave an overview of the development of the Melton Botanic Garden since 2003. A planning phase including a feasibility study, concept plans and detailed design plans have guided the Friends and Shire of Melton in implementing their vision.
Running through the newly gazetted site is Ryans Creek. With remnant indigenous plants the watercourse includes a small lake which supports bird life. Trees already growing on the site have been identified and botanically labelled. Planting of the Dryland Eucalyptus Arboretum in 2011 saw the Friends putting the first collection in the ground with team planting days.
With almost 200 members the Friends group actively seeks support for their vision from the local community. Seeking sponsorship, grant funding and working in partnership with the Shire of Melton the Friends have been able to undertake a series of projects to implement the landscape plan. The Friends recently announced that Jane Edmunson is the Patron for the group.
For further information: http://fmbg.org.au/
‘Plans for a new Botanic Garden in Shepparton’
Councillor Jenny Houlihan of Greater Shepparton City Council presented the plans for the emerging Botanic Garden in Shepparton. The site for the garden is not without challenges. Bordered by the Broken and Goulbourn Rivers it is on a floodplain and contains an old tip site. Both these constraints have been turned to opportunities with the inclusion of remnant forest and parkland abutting the Broken River providing biodiversity and connection to local housing estates.
The mound of the tip site is a high point in Shepparton and landscape architects CPG have developed an innovative design to maximise the sites potential. Using the vantage point of the mound landscape plantings will reflect the patchwork of agricultural use for the Shepparton region- reflecting both dryland farming and irrigated production horticulture of the food bowl.
Collections plans will be developed to guide the planting of the Botanic Garden. It is with great interest that we will watch this garden into the future.
‘Stage 2 Australian Garden’ RBG Cranbourne
Warren Warboys & Sharon Willoughby presented Stage 2- a behind the scenes tour of the construction of the garden due to open this year. Construction of the new garden rooms in Stage 2 includes the Forest Garden, Melaleuca spits, and River Walk. Challenges include the construction and installation of large scale landscape features and planting around a construction site.
Visitor interpretation and programs are being developed in conjunction with the landscape. With the scale of the new garden and distance from the visitor centre new directional signs have been designed. An important part of the design process is ‘prototyping’ which involves making examples of the signs and putting them in the landscape to see how they work in practice- invaluable advice for any garden embarking on new signage.
We encourage you to visit the Cranbourne gardens website for images of the new garden and further information: http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/rbg-cranbourne
- Around the Traps
A lively session facilitated by Tim Rowe of Sale Botanic Gardens showcased the highlights of a number of regional botanic gardens.
Colac Botanic Gardens
- Are updating their master plan, currently in draft
- Have an outbreak of elm leaf beetle
- Are opening an outlook area between the gardens and lake foreshore
Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens
- Have 51 members, 29 from Victoria
- Have an updated website http://www.friendsbotanicgardens.org/
- ‘Mangroves, Myalls & More’ Conference will be hosted by the Friends of the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden Inc at Port Augusta 18-19 August 2012. Website for more info.
Maranoa Gardens
- Are updating their management plan to guide the future of the garden
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
- Are implementing the award winning landscape plan. Key actions include a hydrology report for the creek, installing a new arbour
- A Curators position will be advertised in the new financial year
Footscray Park
- Edwardian era gardens on the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne. Plans for a series of restoration projects including stormwater harvesting, memorial lawns, lookout restoration.
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
- Implementation of the storm water recycling project is well underway with monitoring showing a reduction of potable water use by 30%
- Very focused on management of the risk of Myrtle Rust through the development of protocols including restriction of plant material coming into the garden, monitoring sentinel plants and setting up quarantine.
Friends of Australian Botanic Gardens Shepparton
- Described their journey to develop plans and skills in membership
Friends of Camperdown Botanic Gardens
- Described how the vandalism of the Robbie Burns statue, new landscaping around council buildings and heritage listing has reinvigorated an interest in the Botanic Gardens. Council is considering the development of a management plan for the garden.
Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens
- Friends have been fundraising through local garden open days to support the garden.
- The rustic cascades designed by Sangster & Taylor are being restored.
- A collections management plan to develop a conifer collection has been drafted. New plantings will address issues with the loss of trees from senescence and storm damage.
- The new Café occupying the old curator’s residence is adding value to the garden experience.
Ballarat Botanic Gardens
- Has celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ‘Head of the Lake’, note there is now water in the lake!
- 60th year of the Begonia Festival this year
- Friends of Ballarat Botanic Gardens education group are running children’s activities
Sale Botanic Gardens
- Friends hosting a ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ to engage children
- Held a collections planning workshop with Kevin Walsh to guide the further development of collections
Williamstown Botanic Gardens
- Are restoring the ornamental lake, reviewing their master plan to focus on future projects
- Friends group is 2 years old and are focusing on plant labelling using the machine which has done service at Melbourne, Geelong and Bendigo!
- Will be hosting the next BGANZ VIC network meeting in August themed ‘Restoring Heritage Landscapes’
The development of the Master Plan involves ongoing consultation with stakeholders and members of the wider community. A steering committee is guiding the project and includes representatives of local stakeholders, the Friends of Bendigo Botanic Gardens and also Richard Barley, Director Melbourne Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. The Master Plan design is being peer reviewed by Catherin Bull AM, the Elizabeth Murdoch Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne.