Green dragons alive and well at Dunedin Botanic Garden
Pinellia tripartita is an interesting and somewhat peculiar herbaceous perennial belonging to the arum family.
Garden Life
‘Astilboides’ a striking addition to a woodland garden
‘Astilboides’ a striking addition to a woodland garden
It is the large, rounded leaves of Astilboides tabularis that make this herbaceous perennial so noteworthy and unique among garden plants. The bright green leaves resembling lily pads or...
Colourful geraniums will tolerate heat, dry
Colourful geraniums will tolerate heat, dry
Colourful and forgiving of neglect, geraniums come in a variety of foliage and flower colours, of different shapes and textures.
Your garden, December 13th
Your garden, December 13th
What's happening in your garden.
Wort is this?
Wort is this? Plant’s appearance mistaken as cure for what ails you
The word wort is an old word simply meaning root, herb or plant. It faded from everyday use during the 17th century but is still incorporated in the common names of many plants today.
Shrub brings airy grace
Shrub brings airy grace
Tucked away in a sheltered spot of the Lindsay Creek border next to the Wolf Harris fountain there is an appealing combination of foliage and flowers on display.
Mock orange an excellent filler in border
Mock orange an excellent filler in border
A must have for every garden is the mock orange shrub, Philadelphus. A member of the hydrangea family Hydrangeaceae, there are 60 species and numerous garden origin hybrids and cultivars.
‘Tree-in-a-hurry’ has rapid growth but short life
‘Tree-in-a-hurry’ has rapid growth but short life
Virgillia oroboides is widely known as keurboom in its native homeland of South Africa, translating to "choice tree" for us in New Zealand.
Avoid temptation to plant seeds all at once
Avoid temptation to plant seeds all at once
It's warming up out there and now is the prime time for sowing seeds for your flower and vegetable gardens.
Kahikatea an ancient survivor
Kahikatea an ancient survivor
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, kahikatea or white pine — whichever of these names we are familiar with — was once abundant in swamplands, and lowland forests throughout New Zealand. However,...
Mint bush pops with prolific purple flowers
Mint bush pops with prolific purple flowers
The delightful shrub Prostanthera rotundifolia, also known as round-leaf mint bush, is a fast-growing southeastern Australia plant that in ideal conditions can reach up to 3m high.
Burgundy foliage creates stand-out shrub
Burgundy foliage creates stand-out shrub
While you may not have heard of euphorbias or the family Euphorbiaceae, it is quite likely you have seen one or more of these plants in their different shapes and forms in home gardens or...
Improving plant health can counter thrips
Improving plant health can counter thrips
Thrips such as the greenhouse thrip are an increasing problem in our warming and drying climates.
Dainty flowers impressive in a cluster
Dainty flowers impressive in a cluster
The delicate beauty of this wee shrub inspired Swedish naturalist and explorer Carl Linnaeus to name it after Andromeda.
Easy-care plant often overlooked
Easy-care plant often overlooked
Bergenia, or elephant’s ears as it’s often called, is an old-fashioned plant that seems to have been around forever and it’s likely you will find a patch flowering in many mature gardens.
The deformed beauty of tree burrs
The deformed beauty of tree burrs
Do you have a tree in your garden with a large knobbly lump?
Drawn to alluring scent of ‘Illicium’
Drawn to alluring scent of ‘Illicium’
As you walk along the pathway from the pedestrian entrance off Great King St in the Dunedin Botanic Garden there are two lush evergreen shrubs of Illicium majus with highly scented flowers.
Spring, summer sun brings dove displays
Spring, summer sun brings dove displays
At the Botanic Garden Aviary, there is a small number of the gentle Barbary dove, a domesticated form of the African collared dove.
Tāwhiri karo, a rogue, dynamic ‘Pittosporum’
Tāwhiri karo, a rogue, dynamic ‘Pittosporum’
New Zealand has many interesting pittosporum species that deserve to be more widely recognised and cultivated.
Balch’s Island to feature during tour
Balch’s Island to feature during tour
Balch's Island is a garden bed just east of the "Cherry Walk", which is named after Robert Balch, a deputy director of the Dunedin Botanic Garden between 1946 and 1969.