July in the GardensWe are tumbling through fallen leaves and clown hoops this month at Melbourne Gardens. It's school holidays and Circus Oz is in town, presenting Precarious under the heated Big Top. Read on for more great upcoming programs for kids. July is an important month for the Gardens, as we celebrate NAIDOC Week. The main event, Koolin-ik ba Kirrip-buluk is held at Cranbourne Gardens, with thousands expected to attend. I look forward to seeing you there, weaving baskets and learning all about delicious bush tucker. There will even be a free barbecue! Finally, I'm thrilled to share with you the generous $27M funding boost we have received from the State Government, announced by the Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio last week. This will support a welcome uplift of our beloved Gardens, allowing us to give you so much more when you visit us in the future. See you in the Gardens, Tim Entwisle
Director and Chief Executive
Join bush food walks, learn traditional weaving techniques and hear storytelling by community Elders while celebrating the impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women make in our community. At Melbourne Gardens, enjoy bush food tastings and learn about traditional plant uses on a guided walk around the gardens. At Cranbourne Gardens, work up an appetite during a workshop with the legendary Indigenous Hip Hop Projects team and fill your belly with a free BBQ lunch.
Cranbourne Gardens
Wednesday 11 July
10am to 2pm
FREE
Melbourne Gardens
Thursday 12 July
10am to 2pm
FREE
Winter Plant Sale
Select from a range of species, many of which you will find flourishing in the Australian Garden. Prices start from as little as $2.
Presented by Cranbourne Friends. Cranbourne Gardens
Saturday 21 July & Sunday 22 July
10am to 4pm
Open House Melbourne
View the sun through a historic telescope in Melbourne Observatory and explore Plant Craft Cottage – the oldest heritage-listed building in any of Victoria’s public gardens.
Melbourne Gardens
Saturday 28 July
10am to 4pm
FREE
During the School Holidays
There are activities galore at the Gardens these school holidays!
Watch acrobatics at Precarious by Circus Oz Read more
Join the NAIDOC celebrations Read more
Make beautiful cards with plant materials Read more
Collect data for climate change research Read more
Learn all about our extraordinary trees Read more
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon of punting on the lake Read more
View our starry skies from a powerful telescope Read more
Create paper animals in an origami workshop Read more
Peruse an art exhibition inspired by storms Read more
Travel through the varied landscapes of Australia Read more
$27m funding boost to revitalise the Gardens
We are so excited to share our fantastic news with you! Last Friday, the Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio MP surprised us at our staff recognition ceremony with the announcement that Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria would receive $27M in funding from the State Government, with $5M per year, ongoing.
Soon you will be able to enjoy revamped picnic areas at Cranbourne Gardens, new signage and better lighting at Melbourne Gardens, as well as the opportunity to participate in new digital tours, community programs and major events. This will also support the employment of 18 new critical staff across Horticulture, Science and our public-facing roles.
Unravelling the secrets of the orchid
Did you know that Victoria is home to over 400 species of orchid, many of which cannot be found elsewhere on Earth? Sadly, a huge number are also facing extinction.
The Orchid Conservation Program, led by Dr Noushka Reiter and colleagues from RMIT and ANU, has recently discovered that the secret to conserving the endangered Metallic Sun Orchid (Thelymitra epipactoides) isn't in the plants you can see, but the fungi you can't.
Melbourne Gardens
Among the 6000 Daffodil (Narcissus) bulbs planted in 2014, 'Camelot' and 'Avalon' are two of the varieties that will flower on Oak Lawn this Winter and Spring. A few flowers have recently bloomed, with a cluster to burst open soon, carpeting the earth beneath the deciduous trees a sunny yellow. These plants originate from Spain and Portugal, and when grown at home they should be planted twice as deep as the width of the bulb, in full sun to part shade.
Cranbourne Gardens
Look up in the Diversity Garden and see the beautiful flowers and unusual seed capsules of the Bald Island Marlock (Eucalyptus conferruminata). These nectar-rich flowers keep opening over many months and kids love to put the flower caps on their fingertips and pretend to be lions with big claws. Originating in south-coastal Western Australia, this plant is well suited to seaside gardens and likes well drained soils, but will tolerate other soil types.
In the shop this July you'll find beautiful silk scarves by Victorian Aboriginal artist Lyn-Al Designs. Later this month, we're proud to launch a collaborative range with award-winning designer Jenny Jones, with pieces inspired by the treasures hidden in the Gardens' State Botanical Collection.
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