The Australian National University, Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) and the ANBG Friends sponsored a half-day symposium on 12 June 2014 on alpine plant research and management, building on their existing ARC linkages research program into alpine seed ecology. The symposium covered the role of botanical gardens in alpine plant conservation, recent and current research into alpine plant ecology, and directions for future research.
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Symposium 12 June 2014: Plant Conservation & Management for the Australian Alps
Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Welcoming our new Patron, Her Excellency Lady Cosgrove
We are honoured that Her Excellency Lady Cosgrove has accepted the role of Patron of the Friends.
Her official biography lists her personal interests as including art and architecture, nature and gardens, and she is a keen sports follower. Lady Cosgrove has been actively involved in the welfare of partners in the defence community and became the inaugural Patron of Partners of Veterans Australia. She has worked with numerous voluntary organisations supporting aged and disabled people, and endangered Australian wildlife.
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Art workshops at the Gardens, 9-11 May
The Gardens will be hosting several art workshops next Friday, Saturday and Sunday (9 – 11 May).
Julie McEnerny will be conducting Botanical Art Workshops on Friday and Saturday, in conjunction with her exhibition Offshoots at the Visitor Information Centre. Bookings are essential at www.anbg.gov.au/gardens.
Craft ACT artists-in-residence Annee Miron and Sally Blake will conduct workshops on Saturday and Sunday in the Crosbie Morrison Building. Bookings are essential and close Wednesday 7 May; contact julie.akmacic@environment.gov.au or phone (02) 6250 9405.
Saturday, 03 May 2014
RHS Medal winner Nilavan Adams
ANBG Botanic Art Group member Nilavan Adams has done it again!
Nilavan has been awarded the Silver Gilt medal at the Royal Horticultural Society 2014 Botanical Art Show in London.
This exhibition showcases work from some of the world’s best botanical artists. The official guidelines note that:
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Red Centre Garden
The Red Centre Garden, which opened in October 2013 after four years of careful planning and an immense amount of work by the Gardens staff, has become a major attraction for visitors to the ANBG and to Canberra in general. A warm and dry summer resulted in wonderful displays of colour, the blues and purples of the massed Swan River Daisies, Sturt’s Nightshade and Sturt’s Desert Rose together with the brilliant greens and silvery greys of the young acacias, Silky Heads and ‘tobacco’ plants contrast beautifully with the red sand and dramatic rocks in the Rocky Outcrop and Rocky Escarpment. Many visitors are taking advantage of the Flora Explorer tours to enjoy the spectacle of the Red Centre Garden in comfort. Click on the heading for more information.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Banks' Florilegium at the National Library of Australia
Banks’ Florilegium is a collection of colour prints based on the 955 field drawings made by artist Sydney Parkinson to accompany the botanical specimens, collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, on the 1768-1771 Endeavour voyage of discovery and circumnavigation of the globe, which was lead by Captain James Cook.
Three groups of Friends were privileged to attend a viewing of prints based on the Australian component of Banks’ Florilegium at the NLA on 19 March 2014. The viewing followed an excellent talk by Catriona Anderson from the NLA at the Friends' Twilight Dinner in February.
Click on the heading to see Catriona Anderson’s notes prepared for the viewing.
Monday, 24 March 2014
Art in the Gardens with Friends 2014
The popular Art in the Gardens with Friends botanical art exhibition is back for its seventh year at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. From 22 March to 21 April, visitors can explore a collection of botanical paintings and drawings. For the first time, this year’s exhibition includes fired ceramic wall pieces. Many of the artists will be on hand throughout the exhibition to talk about their work and about the Friends’ Botanic Art Group. The exhibition is on display from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm daily in the Gardens’ Visitor Centre. Entry is free.
Click on the heading above for information on the exhibition opening.
Saturday, 22 March 2014
Walks in Westbourne Woods
Westbourne Woods Arboretum was established by Charles Weston in 1913 on a 120 hectare site at Yarrulumla. More than 200 different species of conifers, exotic hardwoods and native Australian trees were planted between 1914 and 1918, with additional plantings in 1949. The Royal Canberra Gold Club was established in the Woods from 1949. More information may be found on the ACT Government Libraries website.
Free guided 2-hour walks are conducted through the Woods on the second Sunday of every month. Guides are volunteers, a number of whom are closely linked to the Friends of the Botanic Gardens. For details of when and where to meet, and the schedule of walks and guides for 2014, click here.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Campsis Newsletter - Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens
The latest issue of Campsis, the newsletter of the Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens, has just been published. This issue marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association. Click here to download it.
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Flora Explorer, and The Red Centre Garden, acquires a new fan
The Patron of the Friends, His Excellency Mr Michael Bryce AM AE, recently enjoyed a ride up the mountainside to visit the upper reaches of the Gardens in Flora Explorer, the 12-seater electric vehicle donated by the Friends. Following the normal route of a Flora tour, he was accompanied by our President, David Coutts and the Curator of the Gardens, David Taylor, as well as Friends and Flora drivers Marion Jones, Barbara Podger and Jill More. His visit included a walk around the Red Centre Garden - which was aglow with colour in the midday sun.
Thursday, 12 December 2013
