Join us for one of our upcoming events at the Gardens. We look forward to seeing you!
Download a map of the Botanic Gardens [PDF, 2.2 MB] showing all event locations.
10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday
The flamboyant fabric creations of local costume artist Jenny Gillies are on show in the Old Information Centre - come see the riot of larger-than-life flowers and fruit on display.
For more information, visit www.jennygillies.com(external link)
5.30pm to 7.30pm Thursdays, August 29 to September 26,
9am to 1.30pm Saturday 14 September
The Canterbury Horticultural Society is hosting HortSkills: Intermediate Level, a horticultural course aimed for those who have moved beyond the foundations.
This five week, six session course will cover weeds, lawn care, plants for garden design, propagation, plant parts, functions and botany. Sessions take place on Thursday evenings with the exception of one practical session on a Saturday morning.
10am to 12pm, Wednesday 11 September
Did you know that many common weeds are actually edible, not to mention tasty and nutritious? The Canterbury Horticultural Society will host Tuahiwi Botanicals who are presenting a workshop on edible (and not so edible) weeds. You will learn the basics of identifying what you can and can't eat, how to safely taste plants and what you can make with them - pesto and herbal tea anyone?
4pm, Sunday 22 September
The Friends of the Botanic Gardens are proud to present September's speaker, Guillaume Jacob, Curator of the American Section, Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
Guillaume will speak about the diversity of palm trees and illustrate his talk by visiting the variety of species in the Gardens.
1.30pm, Saturday 28 September
Learn how to grow new plants from cuttings and division. Everyone welcome!
Daily, 28 September to 28 October
Have fun exploring the rich cultural heritage of Ōtautahi with “What’s the Story?”, a city wide trail run jointly by Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Tūranga Central Library and Canterbury Museum.
Grab a free trail guide from the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre or one of the other venues to dive in!
1pm to 2pm, Monday 30 September
Enjoy a guided walk through the gardens and learn about the significance of some of the Gardens’ commemorative trees.
Find out more information(external link), or check out the rest of the Breeze Walking Festival programme(external link).
7pm, Monday 7 October and 9.45am, Tuesday 8 October
Join the Canterbury Horticultural Society for All About Gardening in October
This month's speaker is Robyn Kilty will her talk 'The New Perennial Movement'. This movement reflects a sustainable way of gardening using grasses and perennials growing together to create a natural field in the style of designer Piet Oudolf. The New Perennial Movement is about selecting the right plants and knowing how to group them aesthetically so that they require minimal use of resources. It’s also about which species make good neighbours both ecologically and aesthetically and which thrive together in a particular climate and/or geographic situation.
11am daily, Thursday 19 to Friday 27 October
Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens for a guided walk through the New Zealand section to see plants named for Banks and Solander.
4pm, Sunday 20 October
The Friends' of the Botanic Gardens are proud to present October's speaker, Ewen Cameron, Curator of Botany at Auckland Museum.
Ewen will present his talk 'Banks and Solander celebration 250 years: The first descriptions, illustrations and scientific collections of the New Zealand Flora'.
Ewen has been the Curator of Botany at Auckland Museum for over 25 years. Through field work and herbarium research, Ewen has built up a life time of knowledge of northern New Zealand vascular flora. He has looked at over 1400 herbarium specimens, spread over ten herbaria, while researching what Banks and Solander collected in New Zealand. The Auckland Museum holds a full set of the New Zealand section of Banks' 'Florilegium', also a proof set of the 'Florilegium' from the 1890s, as well as 543 Banks and Solander herbarium specimens.
Time to be confirmed, Wednesday 23 October
The 1769 Garden is part of Waikereru Ecosanctuary, a project initiated by Dame Anne and Jeremy Salmond. Curator of the 1769 Garden, Malcolm Rutherford, will talk about the creation of the garden, how it is used today and some of the stories it holds through the design and species choice.
10am to 3pm daily, October 11 to November 3
Two hundred and fifty years ago, botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to New Zealand. They were fascinated by New Zealand's unique plants and collected the first herbarium samples. Celebrate the 250th anniversary of their discoveries and see images of plant specimens at the Botanic Gardens, kindly lent by the Allan Herbarium, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research.
11am to 3.30pm, Sunday 3 November
Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens for their popular Spring Plant Sale! Snap up some gorgeously propagated native and exotic plants for competitive prices.
7pm, Thursday 14 November
For the 2019 Margaret Watling Memorial Demonstration, be amazed by the extraordinary floral creations of 'The Sky is the Limit' by Franca Logan of Florienne.
Franca Logan is the owner of Florienne, a floral design studio in Auckland. Originally from the Netherlands, Franca has been a florist for over 25 years and has taught and designed around the world. Throughout her career she has been published in multiple floral design magazines and won numerous awards at flower shows around the globe.
4pm, Sunday 17 November
The Friends of the Botanic Gardens are proud to present November's speaker, the Botanic Gardens' own Luke Martin, Collection Curator New Zealand Section.
Luke's presentation will cover his experience working with indigenous species for the Department of Conservation and how this relates to his work in the New Zealand Section of the Botanic Gardens. The talk will begin in the Kiosk and, weather permitting, move into the New Zealand section.
9am, Saturday 23 November
Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens on a Banks Peninsula adventure to visit two fabulous large country gardens.
The morning will be spent visiting Fisherman's Bay followed by a BYO lunch at the Akaroa Heritage Park and possibly a coffee stop in Akaroa. In the afternoon, enjoy the beautiful French Farm (formerly Nancy Tichbourne's garden).
To get involved in volunteering in the Botanic Gardens, join the Friends' of the Botanic Gardens(external link).
