Celebration gardens planted

Dunedin Botanic Garden apprentice Nick Coughlan prepares flowers for planting at the Dunedin Railway Station as part of a display celebrating the Botanic Garden's 150th anniversary. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.

Gardens around the city are having flora planted in the shape of Botanic Garden features such as the kaka beak flower, the winter garden glasshouse, the tea kiosk roof, the outline of a Mt Cook lily and a pyramidal tree like the wellingtonia, the outline of the bronze cone in the Cedars of Lebanon Garden, an outline of the sculpture at the entrance of the Botanic Garden, Sid the sulphur-crested cockatoo from the aviary, and the words "Dunedin Botanic Garden 150th".

Delta and Botanic Garden staff have spent the past two days preparing and planting at the Dunedin Railway Station's garden plots.

Dunedin City Council garden collections supervisor Barbara Wheeler said by January - peak growing time - the gardens would offer a picturesque display.

It was planned to coincide with the beginning of the Dunedin Botanic Garden's 150th celebrations, she said.

A carpet bedding display would also be created at the Botanic Garden during the week beginning November 19.

Peak growing for this display will be in January-February, she said.

"Hard landscape is being installed at present for this display. It will be significantly different from the usual bedding displays bedded out in front of the tea kiosk in the lower garden and will remain in until April 2013."

She said people should also keep an eye on the Albany St bedding plot, which would be planted out with its own Botanic Garden 150th anniversary celebration display in autumn next year.

"This will be at its peak in August-September 2013."

john.lewis@odt.co.nz