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Dunedin is soon to enjoy its first official garden festival, Garden Ōtepoti Dunedin — Four Seasons of the South.
Festival organiser Clinton Chambers, of Taste Nature Social Enterprise, says Garden Ōtepoti Dunedin or “Go-Dunedin” is about showcasing the region’s botanical diversity.
The aim is to create a ‘‘lively, dynamic garden-themed celebration to get people exploring the city’s public and private gardens’’.
He says Go-Dunedin is the first festival in New Zealand to celebrate gardens all year round.
“Our unique temperate climate and distinguishable seasons provides Dunedin with a gardening advantage over other regions. Each season will have its own programme of events and is aptly themed to match the season.”
The inaugural festival’s spring programme is set to take place during October. The theme is “Bloom”. It will include a series of events and hosted garden tours over the 10-day spring-themed programme.
Gardens wanted
Organisers are calling out to passionate gardeners who want to showcase their garden during the Dunedin open garden tour over Labour Weekend.
A team of garden curators will assess gardens of interest. Go-Dunedin will provide full support including organising the tour, ticketing and the programme.
“All the gardeners need to do is to get their gardens ready and blooming”.
For more details visit go-dunedin.nz or Facebook page Garden Ōtepoti Dunedin.
It will be a self-book garden tour where visitors build their own route through Dunedin’s private and public gardens, and ‘‘the more private gardens we have on display, the more variety of plantings and blooms visitors get to see’’.
As well as the Labour Weekend garden tour, Garden Ōtepoti Dunedin’s spring ‘‘Bloom’’ programme will offer several drawcard events at gardens of significance around the city including Larnach Castle and the Dunedin Botanic Garden. There will be a calendar of free and paid activities and events, wrapping up with a free family picnic day on Labour Day, Monday, October 26, at the Dunedin Botanic Garden. — Allied Media