Plants from all over the world are represented from many different habitats.
There is the coastal Mertensia maritima from the northern hemisphere with glaucous foliage and blue flowers; Celmisia and Aciphylla from mountain regions of New Zealand; and from dry stony African slopes, the many bright hues of the African daisy, Arctotis.
Plants in the rock garden come in a range of habits, shapes and sizes.
The myriad species include those with underground storage organs such as Romulea; short-lived plants like the many colours of annual Linaria; a variety of perennials including thrift with pink flowers erupting from grassy mounds; shrubs and miniature trees such as the dwarf rowan, Sorbus reducta from mountains in Tibet; and the occasional large tree such as the wonderful old lancewood, Pseudopanax crassifolius.
These plants form layers in the garden protecting and complementing each other.
As well as plants to admire, there is the added bonus of the wildlife living and feeding amongst them.
Birds are the most obvious visitor or resident, but the core inhabitant is seen briefly when the sun is out - the brown common skink basks on warm rocks and scurries away as soon as movement is detected nearby.
Come and enjoy the delight of discovering what's flowering, and see if you are quick enough to spot a skink before it detects you.
-Robyn Abernethy is the Alpine Rock & Water Collection Curator at Dunedin Botanic Garden
