Dunedin Botanic Garden horticultural collections supervisor Dylan Norfield will receive an institute fellowship for his work in many fields.
Mr Norfield won 30 Royal Horticultural Society gold medals at Chelsea flower shows before coming to Dunedin and his passion for preserving plants has seen him grafting rare oaks and collecting seed in China, as well as curating more than 2000 plants at the Dunedin Botanic Garden and overseeing its collections. He has written numerous articles for Kiwi Gardener magazine, hosted radio shows, led master-classes and — in his spare time — turned a scrub-covered paddock at Doctors Point into a Garden of National Significance.
The driving force behind the Northern Cemetery’s significant heritage rose collection, one of the most important in the Southern Hemisphere, Mrs Rawling has put New Zealand’s heritage roses on the world map. She played a pivotal role in creating a register of New Zealand’s heritage roses, an important tool in finding and saving rare roses. She and her husband, Mike, showcase old roses at Wylde Willow, their award-winning Dunedin garden.
The Horticultural Communicator award is being presented to Gillian Vine, a prolific garden writer for more than 20 years for numerous publications including the Otago Daily Times, The Star, Greymouth Star and Kiwi Gardener. She was recently elected president of the Otago Rose Society and edits its monthly newsletter. — Allied Media
