Anna Howe ‘36 Views of a mountain, a tower and gardens’
2026-11-12 12:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Sydney) | ANBG Theatrette, Clunies Ross Street Acton ACT 2601, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
In this talk Anna compares photographs of Black Mountain and its tower to Hokusai’s 36 views of Mt Fuji and discusses how they might guide us to look at local scenes in different ways.
Abstract
The Great Wave of Kanagawa is one of the most famous posters in the world. It is one of Hokusai’s thirty-six views of Mt Fuji. Less well known are Riviere’s thirty six views of the Eiffel Tower, and even less known, the thirty six views of the 17th century gardens of the Chinese emperor Kangshi. Here in Canberra, we have a mountain, a tower and gardens located together, captured by many artists and photographers. How does looking at these three sets of historical views from Japan, Paris and beyond the Great Wall near Beijing, alongside comparable views of local scenes guide us to look at our mountain, tower and gardens in different ways, now and in the future?
Biography
Anna Howe brings her background in urban geography (BA Hons, MA, and PhD), her travels and her interests in gardening to bear on familiar scenes in Canberra. Retiring in 2011 and returning to Canberra revived her interest in the unique urban character of the national capital. She has explored this interest as an active member of the ACT National Trust, the Australian Garden History Society and the Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. She is not a botanist or a horticulturalist; she is an aspiring photographer.
Booking Link – https://www.trybooking.com/DNXHF
One-hour talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated.
Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.
It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; several talks are booked out very quickly. Bookings can be made about 30 days in advance until Wednesday night before the talk.
The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG Library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au

Dr Karen Marsh ‘A koala’s guide to fine dining’
2026-11-19 12:30 - 13:30
Karen will talk about Koalas’ dietary habits and how they influence where they live.
Abstract
Koalas are famous for being fussy eaters, but what makes one Eucalyptus leaf more appealing than another? In this talk, Dr Karen Marsh will explore the hidden world of koala nutrition and food choice. Drawing on research into the feeding ecology of koalas, she will explain how the nutritional quality of eucalypt leaves influences where koalas live, what they eat, and how they cope with landscape disturbance, such as fire. The talk will reveal how understanding food quality can help scientists identify high-quality habitat and improve conservation strategies for one of Australia’s most iconic marsupials.
Biography
Dr Karen Marsh is head of the Animal-Plant Interactions and Nutritional Ecology group at the Research School of Biology, ANU. Her research predominantly focuses on the feeding ecology and nutritional physiology of possums, gliders and koalas. This includes why captive koalas are picky eaters, what defines high quality habitat, and how hot weather affects food quality and diet selection. She is particularly interested in how nutritional knowledge can be used to inform the conservation of marsupials that eat eucalypt leaves and the management of their forest habitats.
Booking Link – https://www.trybooking.com/DNXHH
One-hour talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated.
Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.
It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; several talks are booked out very quickly. Bookings can be made about 30 days in advance until Wednesday night before the talk.
The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG Library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au

Maurice Hermann ‘Success in propagating and growing Australian native plants’
2026-11-26 12:30 - 13:30
Maurice will coach us to success on propagating and caring for Australian native plants.
Abstract
Maurice will describe how the home gardener can successfully propagate Australian native plants, without the need for a glasshouse or a ‘green thumb’. He will also give some tips on how to plant and care for native plants.
Biography
Maurice has been a keen gardener since he and his wife moved into their home in Kambah over 50 years ago. Battling droughts, frosts, some wet years and heavy clay soil, Maurice now has a hardy garden of mainly native plants. Being naturally parsimonious, many of the plants grown in his garden have been propagated by himself or bought as young tube stock from local propagators such as the Friends of the ANBG Growing Friends group. After retiring, Maurice wanted to get more involved in gardening or environmental groups and was attracted to the Growing Friends group, where he ended up being the group’s Convenor for eight years.
Booking Link – https://www.trybooking.com/DNXHJ
One-hour talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated.
Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.
It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; several talks are booked out very quickly. Bookings can be made about 30 days in advance until Wednesday night before the talk.
The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG Library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au
