Across Australia and New Zealand, Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ) members are showing what coordinated action across a network of botanic gardens can achieve through Botanic Gardens Week during May 2026 with the theme Where Your Health Grows.
At the centre is the Grow Your Health Challenge—a shared initiative that connects local engagement with a clear, collective message about the role of botanic gardens in supporting social, mental and physical wellbeing.
A shared platform, delivered locally
The Grow Your Health Challenge invites people to visit their local botanic garden and take simple steps to support their health—walking, pausing, noticing, connecting. Participants can return regularly, building habits linked to time in nature.
For member gardens, it provides a flexible framework. It can be layered onto existing programs, used as a stand-along engagement opportunity, or delivered through self-guided experiences, making it accessible across different scales and capacities.
Amplifying impact across the network
Botanic gardens already support mental, physical and social wellbeing. What BGANZ enables through the Grow Your Health Challenge is amplification.
Through shared messaging and coordinated timing, member organisations are:
- Extending their reach
- Contributing to a stronger, unified sector voice
- Increasing visibility of their work.
This collective approach strengthens engagement and reinforces the role of gardens as essential community assets.
Partnership and reach
The challenge is supported by partners including Weleda, Backyard Botanicals and Frank Green, adding further visibility and incentive for participation.
Ongoing value
The importance of accessible, low-cost wellbeing solutions continues to grow. Botanic gardens are uniquely placed to meet this need—and, through BGANZ, to communicate that value at scale.
Image credit: Haru Creative on Pixabay.
