March 2024Our amazing volunteer groups, the Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden, Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust, and the Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery, share what’s been happening in our spaces and some exciting projects they have been working on.
Read their newsletters here:Friends of Bolton Street CemeteryFriends of Wellington Botanic GardenŌtari-Wilton's Bush Trust
27 February 2024Easily overlooked and regionally endangered, very little is known about the habits and needs of our endemic small onion orchid Microtis oligantha. As this year’s Victoria University of Wellington Summer Scholar at Te Papa and Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, Ben Carson aims to make the acquaintance of these unusual orchids.
Continue reading here: How do you grow onion orchids? Peeling back the layers of an overlooked native | Te Papa’s Blog
24 February 2024Live music events have taken place at the gardens since at least the early 1900s. In 1979, the Wellington City Council hosted its first Summer City Festival, a series of outdoor events, concerts and activities.
The historic event is an opportunity for Wellingtonians to enjoy a slice of the local arts scene, elevated by a natural environment that becomes enchanting after dark.
Continue reading here: A history of Gardens Magic, the 154-year-old Wellington concert series | The Spinoff
1 February 2024The Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden warmly welcome Sandra Morris, this year's Artist in Residence, to the Wellington Botanic Garden. Sandra will immerse herself in the Garden's enchanting surroundings, following the Friends' simple brief: to showcase the Garden's magnificence.
Sandra is excited about renewing her love affair with the Wellington Botanic Garden, she plans to sketch in the gardens, interact with the public and staff, and observe the intriguing relationships between birds, insects, and plants.
Continue reading here: https://wellingtongardens.nz/events/artist-in-residence/
24 January 2024The Wellington Botanic Gardens has a new display on at the Treehouse celebrating women in botany from across the globe who made historic advances in their field.
Reg Harris, a botanist and a guide at the Gardens who put together the display, joins Emile Donovan for an interview on RNZ.
Listen here: Women in botany celebrated at Wellington Botanic Gardens
17 January 2024Water use in Pōneke is at an all-time high. With leaky pipes, forecast El Niño conditions, a growing population and a higher amount of water usage compared to other parts of the country, we’re losing more water than ever before. This impacts not only our residents and businesses, but the green spaces we use in the city.
Wellington Gardens Manager David Sole says that the team are keeping a careful eye on their water usage while still protecting rare and threatened plant species. “Our staff have been asked to be careful about how and where they use water and to regularly check the systems for overspray and leakage. There will be some hand watering of newly planted trees which is essential for their long-term establishment. If there’s low rainfall, we may lose floral displays, plants in planter boxes, and green walls across the city and we’ll be considering planting more drought-tolerant species over the winter months.”
Continue reading here: https://wellington.govt.nz/news-and-events/news-and-information/our-wellington/2024/01/saving-water-across-council-green-spaces
January 2024The Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden are thrilled to announce a collaboration with La Petite Chocolate. Together they have developed a select range of handcrafted small-batch chocolate bars.
Using herbs gathered from the Wellington Botanic Garden and the magic of a professional chocolatier, they are thrilled to present three stunning flavour combinations: Rosemary and Sea Salt, Thyme and Lemon, and Camomile and Orange plus the traditional favourites of dark and milk chocolate.
A portion of each sale is donated to the Friends so they can continue their support of the Garden. Available from The Treehouse and La Petite, Tinakori Road, Thorndon.
21 December 2023Gardens Magic returns for another triumphant year with the Gardens Magic Concert Series, Light Display, Kids Garden Trail, and Kids Explorer Days. Set amongst the natural beauty of the Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā, this iconic Wellington summer event will paint the gardens with original lighting, activities for the kids, and the vibrant, powerful sounds of our capital’s musicians.
Continue reading here: Gardens Magic 2024
10 November 2023 Across the city, our horticulture apprentices are gearing up to share their carefully crafted gardens with the always popular Hidden Gardens project – if you can find them!
he apprentices, who are all involved in the Council’s 3-year horticulture apprenticeship, have been developing their unique themed gardens since January, with creative themes ranging from witches, ferns and fungi, to tipu toi, the power of the soil, and an alpine adventure.
Everyone is invited to spend time at the gardens and enjoy the space with a picnic with friends and whānau.
Continue reading here: Get ready to beat around the bush with Hidden Gardens
30 October 2023
Karin van der Walt who works in the Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Laboratory at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, along with other researchers have published a paper on the advances in the cryopreservation of Syzygium maire (swamp maire, maire tawake) zygotic embryos.
Continue reading here: Advances in cryopreservation of Syzygium maire (swamp maire, maire tawake) zygotic embryos, a critically endangered tree species endemic to New Zealand.
20 October 2023
For those of you wondering about the new structure that’s appeared discreetly in the Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Epiphyte Garden, a ‘rātā shrine’ is what you’re looking at. It’s quite a special story. Adam Ellis works in creative fields; industrial product design and urban public gardens, integrating designed structural elements within lived landscapes. He also loves rātā.
Decades ago, Adam volunteered at Ōtari supported by Anita Benbrook. He learned so much from the gardeners and botanists that he wanted to ‘give back’, so recently approached manager Tim Park with an idea to design a ‘living structure’ that celebrates rātā. He’s built a few other iterations around the country but none like this one.
True to the Ōtari ethos of celebrating and protecting rare native plants, this new structure features the white-flowering rātā moehau (Bartlett’s rātā, Metrosideros barlettii) which is close to extinction. Only thirteen plants remain in the wild in the Far North.
Most rātā begin life as epiphytes and some grow into trees. This tripod-shaped structure is designed to rot away over time and its supports are filled with sphagnum that will host tendrils reaching to the ground from the rata planted at the top. It will take many years, but eventually, all going well, the plant will become a self-supporting tree.
We are grateful for Adam’s creative inspiration, to Ōtari staff who enabled the project, and especially for the generosity of John Randall, who funded the project as a living memorial to his late wife Robin, daughter of noted botanist, photographer, and Ōtari supporter, Olaf John.
Written by Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust
13 October 2023
We're upgrading the beloved Botanic Garden play area to make it a better place to play.
Works begin on Monday 16 October 2023, and the playground will be reopened to the public in February 2024, weather permitting. The play area will be unavailable for use during this time.
The design was shaped by public input and includes a modern dual flying fox, a large climbable tower, three long slides and an all-ages swing set. We also added sensory play equipment, in addition to popular play pieces - a trampoline, monkey bars, carousel, springers and swings.
Continue reading here: Botanic Garden ki Paekākā play area renewal
13 September 2023
Clare Shearman is the plant collections team manager for Wellington Gardens. She looks after the Botanic Garden, Bolton Street Cemetery and Truby King Park.
Her garden at home in Kelburn is full of dahlias, anemones, lavender, rosemary, and loads of freesias. Working at the Botanic Garden’s Treehouse Visitor Centre, with her visiting black bird pecking at her window, is dreamy.
Continue reading here: https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/nz-news/350071256/my-wellington-cheeky-kaka-and-inquisitive-blackbird
30 August 2023
Wellington’s Botanic Garden ki Paekākā is the first plant nursery in Aotearoa to ditch gas heaters and use heated pipes to keep their glasshouses warm.
Previously, the gas heaters in the glasshouses used to blow hot air around at floor level and were often temperamental and unreliable.They used up to 33,000 kWh of gas per month in the winter – that’s the same amount as 30 average Kiwi homes use in a year, in just one month! As well as being costly, the unpredictable temperatures caused health issues in the plants.
“What we’ve achieved at the Botanic Gardens is what we want to do everywhere else. Doing a smaller scale project like this one shows how much we can optimise systems and roll out similar changes in our facilities.”
Continue reading here:https://wellington.govt.nz/news-and-events/news-and-information/our-wellington/2023/08/botanic-garden-glasshouses-better-off-without-gas
9 August 2023
You cannot be much closer to extinction than the swamp helmet orchid (Corybas carsei), a tiny terrestrial orchid that is found in a single wetland in the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.Fortunately, recently published studies, part of Te Papa/VUW student Jennifer Alderton-Moss's (who is also a Research Technician at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush) thesis, are helping to understand how mycorrhizal fungi can be used to save one of our most threatened orchids.
Jennifer Alderton-Moss and Botany Curator Carlos Lehnebach describe the work.
Continue reading here: https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2023/08/09/our-swamp-helmet-orchid-is-a-step-closer-to-find-its-perfect-partner/
30 May 2023
Jennifer Alderton-Moss and Karin van der Walt who work in the Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Laboratory at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, along with Carlos Lehnebach from Te Papa Tongarewa, were recently featured in the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network Newsletter, Trilepidea, for their research on the propagation of Gastrodia cooperae (Cooper's black orchid).
Continue reading here: "First insights into the propagation of Gastrodia cooperae, an elusive orchid with unusual eating habits”
21 April 2023
Conservation and Science Advisor at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, Karin van der Walt, recently published a paper with six co-authors who are from Chile, South Africa and Spain. It looks at the potential impacts of climate change on ex situ conservation options for recalcitrant-seeded species.
Continue reading here: “The potential impacts of climate change on ex situ conservation options for recalcitrant-seeded species”
Photo Credit Chris Coad
1 February 2023
Two of Wellington’s iconic gardens have come up smelling of roses garnering a number of significant awards to add to their blooming trophy cabinet.
Continue reading here: Wellington gardens win awards and commendations
15 December 2022
Down the Garden Path olive oil is an exciting partnership between the blending expertise of Boundary Gardens and the Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden.
The boutique oil supports the activities of the Friends and celebrates the superior olives grown in the Wairarapa. This is an oil conceived, distilled, and bottled in the Wellington region. Further pressing hope to include olives picked from the established grove in the Botanic Garden.
The name Down the Garden Path is a nod to a Friends initiative some years ago. Everyone is familiar with the distinctive tiles set into the main sealed paths even if they don’t know that these subtle tiles signal the downward path to the city. You may recognise the tile on the label of this bottle.
A donation from the sale of every bottle supports the development of the Friends educational centre located in the soon-to-be renovated Begonia House. If you would like to know more about the Friends and what they do, visit their website.
Down the Garden Path olive oil can be purchased from the Treehouse Visitors Centre at the Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā.
Tasting notes
"A blended boutique oil with a creamy herbaceous flavour and a hint of pepper. Perfect for use with bread, salads, meats, and vegetables, or simply use as a light dressing or dip. This certified extra virgin olive oil is the perfect blend of country and city bringing sophistication to every table and tasting.
Feedback from a happy customer;
“I used Down the Garden Path olive oil in the Mediterranean salad we had yesterday accompanying some lamb culets. It was absolutely amazing. So thank you to the Friends and compliments to the blender.”
12 December 2022
Catch up with what’s been happening in Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, Wellington Botanic Garden, and Bolton Street Cemetery with the volunteer group's newsletters.
Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery
Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden
Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust
To learn more about these groups and to become a member, check out their websites: Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery, Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden, and Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust.
21 November 2022
Te Papa’s orchid expert, Carlos Lehnebach, is working with a team of other scientists from Ōtari Botanic Native Gardens, Victoria University, and Massey University to understand the population's genetic diversity and how its relationship with fungi helps it form seed. They hope that this greater understanding of the plant’s biology will help them to establish populations at other locations, and even establish a backup population at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush.
Continue reading here: Spider orchids and the rare, hooded swamp orchid — Corybas carsei
18 November 2022
The Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust commissioned social historian Bee Dawson to write a history of Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, and photographer, Chris Coad, to illustrate the tome. The result is a lively, informative, and beautifully produced 226-page account of the history of this special place.
Ōtari tells the story of Ōtari–Wilton’s Bush, the only botanic garden dedicated solely to the collection and conservation of the plants unique to Aotearoa New Zealand, and a native bush reserve with over a hundred hectares of regenerating forest, including some of Wellington’s oldest trees.
Botanical descriptions and archival research are enlivened by the colourful stories of the curators who created and managed the collections, starting with Walter Brockie in 1947, and the many gardeners, botanists, and volunteers who have worked on the internationally renowned garden and reserve. Ōtari–Wilton’s Bush is a taonga that sustains both the people who visit it and the country whose plant life it protects.
You can purchase the book through the Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust weekend hosts (between 11am to 4pm in summer) at the Ōtari Tāne Whakapiripiri visitor centre, the Botanic Garden Treehouse shop, bookstores, or online through the publishers The Cuba Press.
Photo Credit Phil Parnell
15 November 2022
Work is complete on the first new track at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush in 15 years. The new track makes Moko, the 800-year-old rimu and oldest tree in Wellington, more accessible.
Continue reading here: New Ōtari track ready for summer visitors
13 November 2022
Down the Garden Path Gin, is an exciting partnership between the distilling expertise of The Bond Store and the Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden. The collaboration is believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand, drawing inspiration from a similar collaboration created for Kew Gardens in the UK.
The boutique gin pays homage to the Botanic Gardens. Alongside more traditional botanicals, it includes an infusion that incorporates native kawakawa, and rosehips specially harvested from the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens. The inclusion of heritage roses results in a distinctive aromatic gin that is a salute to both domestic gardens and the Rose Garden. The result is a gin with a botanical signature that few (if any) other distillers are able to access. This is a gin conceived, distilled, and bottled in the Wellington region.
The name ‘Down the Garden Path’ is a nod to a Friends initiative some years ago. Everyone is familiar with the distinctive tiles set into the main sealed paths even if they don’t know that these subtle tiles signal the downward path to the city. You may recognise the tile on the label of this bottle.
A donation from the sale of every bottle supports the development of the Friends educational centre located in the soon-to-be renovated Begonia House.
"Smooth and elegant - this gin has a beautiful lightness on the palate, rounded out with the sweetness of rosehips - perfect summer drinking as a light martini or refreshingly served with a slice of dried orange or a swish of rosemary. This is the gin to enjoy with friends and support and celebrate the Wellington Botanic Gardens."
You can buy this special gin online from the Bond Store.
5 November 2022
The National Tree Climbing Championship swung into action at the Wellington Botanic Garden as the country's best arborists competed for a spot on the world stage.
Continue reading here: Arborists swing into action at NZ tree climbing championship
2 November 2022
A native longfin eel nicknamed ‘Tina Tuna’ has had life-saving surgery at Wellington Zoo, after being spotted with a large head wound while swimming in Kaiwharawhara Stream at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush in Wellington.
Continue reading here: Simply the best surgery for 'Tina Tuna' the native longfin eel
Two Amorphophallus konjac, aka Devil’s tongue, are in bloom at the Wellington Botanic Gardens. The unusual plant, which originates from Southeast Asia, blooms for a couple of days every few years, emitting a pungent smell to attract pollinating insects.
Continue reading here: What's all the stink about? The Wellington flower that smells like a 'dead rat'
25 October 2022
The explosion of Wellington’s kākā population has come with an unintended consequence – the birds are eating the Botanic Gardens’ rare trees to the point of extinction.
David Sole, the manager of the Botanic Gardens told NZME “I have to say a lot of people are quite disappointed at the damage, but we take a lot more positive view". Kākā were here before people, and ultimately the problem was people, so people have to solve it and the way we’ve had to do that is diversifying our species – we know what species they’re attacking so we just won’t replant those.”
Continue reading here: No more redwoods: The ‘unintended consequence’ of Wellington’s booming kākā population
19 October 2022
Māori artists and weavers; Frank Topia (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Haua) and Linda Lee (Ngati Kuri, Ngāi Takoto, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Raukawa) are welcoming people to join the next round of Ōtari Raranga Weaving community classes held at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush.
The classes aim to spread knowledge of traditional Māori weaving and healing practices, utilising the native plants at Ōtari Wilton’s Bush. Te Ao Māori is also gently woven into the classes with tikanga, waiata, and Te Reo Māori.
Continue reading here: Ōtari Raranga Weavers Present Their Spring/ Summer Season 2022
Report: July 2020 – June 2022
The Lions Ōtari Native Plant Conservation Laboratory has been in operation for four years. This dedicated facility provides Ōtari staff, volunteers, students, and external researchers with essential facilities and equipment to study New Zealand native plant species, providing baseline information to inform conservation actions. Being situated in a native botanic garden, the lab provides an opportunity for cutting-edge research into cryopreservation while at the same time establishing operational protocols for seed germination and long-term seed storage, which has immediate conservation benefits.
Read the full report: Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Laboratory Report: July 2020 – June 2022
25 April 2020
The Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery was formed in 1977 out of concern for the well-being of the burial sites during and following motorway construction and the need to recognise the overall values of the cemetery. The Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery is a community-based voluntary organisation with charitable status. Its funding comes from subscriptions and from donations raised through guided tours of the Cemetery. Additional and very welcome donations are received regularly from members and from those with ancestors in the Cemetery. Such donations are tax-deductible. All funds are put towards the ongoing work of protecting, conserving, and maintaining the Cemetery.
There are a few different self-guided trails that you can walk if you’re local to the area like the Memorial Trail which shows paths, provides information, and locates important graves in the cemetery, or the Anzac Map which highlights the memorials of 17 prominent servicemen. You can also learn how to locate a gravestone within the historic cemetery with the How To Locate A Gravestone brochure.
Check out the brochure here: First World War Memorial Walk
17 December 2019
Threatened by myrtle rust and habitat loss, the swamp maire’s soggy seeds are proving a challenge to preserve, even with the help of liquid nitrogen.
Karin Van der Walt, conservation and science advisor at Ōtari Native Botanic Garden, has six weeks to perform the experiments that could potentially save the species from extinction before the seeds rot, or germinate.
Continue reading here: Zombie swamp trees’ race against time
13 December 2019
Our newly relocated gift shop can be found in the Treehouse Visitor Centre. With a view from the tree-tops overlooking the centre of the garden, the Treehouse is a great place to take a rest stop and browse some fantastic New Zealand giftware. Our friendly staff can help you with information on the garden or surrounding areas of Wellington City.
The shop offers a wide range of New Zealand gifts such as soft merino ponchos, a variety of easy-care houseplants, practical garden products, unique souvenirs, books, cards, hand-made jewellery, and local products. Each purchase from the shop helps to grow the garden. We can post your postcards both within New Zealand and internationally, so you can easily keep in touch with friends and family.
Duck food, sunscreen, city maps, and brochures are also available for no charge, but a donation is always appreciated.
18 October 2019
Rob Lucas has traveled to some of the country's most remote and inaccessible areas, photographing the country's native flora. More than 3200 of his images feature in New Zealand's Native Trees, written primarily with the botanist John Dawson, who died in March.
Listen to the Radio New Zealand interview here: Nine to Noon: Decades photographing NZ native trees
15 October 2019
Did you know: the Wellington Gardens team is at the forefront of conservation technology? That we have a lab dedicated to understanding and conserving plant species?
Seed banks are important to plant conservation, but some plants don't do well in this type of storage. In order to preserve these species, we need to use another process. Join Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Conservation and Science Advisor Karin van der Walt as she shares information about this high-tech method on the In Defense of Plants podcast.
Listen here: In Defense of Plants Episode 230 - Cryogenic Conservation
9 October 2019
Our gardens are home to a dazzling array of plants and animals. They are fantastic habitats for a diverse population of endemic, native, and introduced birds. Wellington is one of the few cities in the world where native biodiversity is increasing!
Take some time and head out to the gardens, listen and look for our bird friends, and see how many you can find.
Pick up a copy of the guide at the Treehouse Visitor Centre or view it online.
Guide in te reo Māori or English