Geelong Botanic Gardens 21st Century Garden
Episode: #5 21/04/07
Presenter: Melissa King
If you asked Melissa to describe a 21st Century garden she would say it should feature the best dry tolerant plants, look good year round with little maintenance and explore modern materials and landscape elements. A great place to explore this concept is at the Geelong’s Botanic Gardens.
The 21st Century garden at Geelong’s Botanic Gardens is a showcase of dry climate gardening at its best and the modern design forms a dramatic contrast to the layout of the original 19th Century style garden.
When it comes to the planting, the garden explores three main themes.
The first is regional relevance, in other words they have used plants that are indigenous to the area so have adapted to the local conditions.
The second key area is Plant Adaptation. The garden features both Australian and Exotic plants that have adapted to arid environments, like the Queensland Bottle Tree (Brachychiton rupestris).
It gets the name “bottle tree” because of the bulbous trunk which can get to 2 metre diameter. The trunk is like a bottle in that water is actually stored between the inner bark and the trunk. In fact the Aboriginals carved holes into the bark to create little reservoirs.
Plant evolution is another theme so you will find lots of plants of ancient origin, like the towering Bunya Bunya Pine (Auraucaria bidwillii). It is native to south-east Queensland and can reach heights of 30-40 metres.
It a new garden, but it also incorporates several heritage trees. The Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco) was one of the first specimens to be planted in the Geelong Botanic Gardens back in the late 1850’s and it now takes centre stage in the 21st Century Garden.
If you haven’t made a trip to Geelong’s Botanic Garden yet then put it on top of your list of things to do. It is beautifully positioned overlooking the waterfront and Corio Bay and it is a hotspot for dry climate gardening.
Geelong Botanic Gardens
Eastern Park, Geelong
Presenter: Melissa King
If you asked Melissa to describe a 21st Century garden she would say it should feature the best dry tolerant plants, look good year round with little maintenance and explore modern materials and landscape elements. A great place to explore this concept is at the Geelong’s Botanic Gardens.
The 21st Century garden at Geelong’s Botanic Gardens is a showcase of dry climate gardening at its best and the modern design forms a dramatic contrast to the layout of the original 19th Century style garden.
When it comes to the planting, the garden explores three main themes.
The first is regional relevance, in other words they have used plants that are indigenous to the area so have adapted to the local conditions.
The second key area is Plant Adaptation. The garden features both Australian and Exotic plants that have adapted to arid environments, like the Queensland Bottle Tree (Brachychiton rupestris).
It gets the name “bottle tree” because of the bulbous trunk which can get to 2 metre diameter. The trunk is like a bottle in that water is actually stored between the inner bark and the trunk. In fact the Aboriginals carved holes into the bark to create little reservoirs.
Plant evolution is another theme so you will find lots of plants of ancient origin, like the towering Bunya Bunya Pine (Auraucaria bidwillii). It is native to south-east Queensland and can reach heights of 30-40 metres.
It a new garden, but it also incorporates several heritage trees. The Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco) was one of the first specimens to be planted in the Geelong Botanic Gardens back in the late 1850’s and it now takes centre stage in the 21st Century Garden.
If you haven’t made a trip to Geelong’s Botanic Garden yet then put it on top of your list of things to do. It is beautifully positioned overlooking the waterfront and Corio Bay and it is a hotspot for dry climate gardening.
Geelong Botanic Gardens
Eastern Park, Geelong
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