Events at the Botanic Gardens

Calling all parents, grandparents and caregivers! Bring your preschool-aged tamariki into the Christchurch Botanic Gardens to enjoy a simple craft or plant-based activity with the Canterbury Horticultural Society.

Stories, toys and colouring-in are available too.

• All welcome - no booking needed (caregiver supervision is required).
• Tea and coffee are provided.
• Gold coin koha entry
• Runs during school term-time.

Enjoy gardening and nature-based activities with your preschooler.

More information is available on the Canterbury Horticultural Society Facebook page(external link).

Join this enthusiastic group of children who meet for practical gardening activities and to learn the science of good gardening with the Canterbury Horticultural Society.

If you know a child between 7 and 14 years of age who would be interested in learning more about all sorts of gardening then get in touch with the CHS(external link). 

• Meet at The Kiosk (just over the footbridge from the Armagh St car park).
• Free, but participants must bring their own face mask and gloves for handling potting mix.

Please note that September's meeting will take place at the Lincoln Events Centre on Sunday 27 September at 1pm so children can explore and discuss the Botanical Expo.

Envirokids is a chance to connect kiwi kids to our environmental community and it's free! 

Every Saturday, the Envirohub(external link) will have activities for kids inspired by the mahi (work) of different organisations who work with the environment. Activities available between 10am-3pm every Saturday (even in the holidays!).

• 10am to 3pm every Saturday at the Kiosk, Botanic Gardens.
• Children that come regularly can record their learning in a special passbook available once they attend their second event.
• EnviroKids is also an accredited Children's University learning destination so stamps are available for participating children's passports.

Find out more information about EnviroKids(external link) or keep up to date on the EnviroKids Facebook(external link). 

• An opportunity to join an on-going conversation or have a one on one chat.
• Free, no bookings required.
• Drop into the Kiosk anytime between 10.30am and 1pm in the Kiosk, Botanic Gardens.

Find more information about Environmental Chat(external link).

Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens volunteer guides for free guided walks at the Botanic Gardens (November to April) and Mona Vale Gardens (year round). Pick and choose from a wonderful selection of topics or come along to all of them for a dose of exercise, beautiful displays and education rolled into one.

See the walk schedule.

Botanic Gardens Guided Walks

• October to April
• 1.30pm daily lasting 45 to 90 minutes.
• Meet at the Kiosk, Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Mona Vale Guided Walks

• Selected dates throughout the year.
• 1.30pm, lasting approx. 90 minutes.
• Meet by the Mona Vale rose garden.

If you have any queries about guided walks at Mona Vale or the Botanic Gardens, please contact friendsofthegardens@gmail.com

Hosted by the Canterbury Horticultural Society: 

Garden Life

Main Speaker: Matthew Crampton - Grow Good Soil

The old phrase ‘it all starts with the soil’ is certainly true when it comes to growing a healthy garden. Good quality soil improves water holding capacity, nutrient cycling and gives plants the ability to grow vigorous roots. Matthew will share some insider tips on how to influence soil health to build a strong foundation for healthy roots and therefore robust plants.

Matthew has spent his career working with growers and farmers throughout New Zealand. He has worked in the horticulture, agriculture and arable industries including setting up a successful hydroponic facility, working at Wattie’s producing vegetables, producing export vegetable seed crops and providing technical on-farm problem-solving in some pretty tricky situations.

Mini speaker: Paul Hooper, Intelligro

Paul Hooper is the Horticulturist at Intelligro in Rolleston. Paul joins us to talk about the makeup of organic compost and its benefits for the garden, as well as common problems and questions he encounters around composts, mixes and soil mixes.

Where: The Kiosk, Christchurch Botanic Gardens (Just over the footbridge – Armagh Street car park).

Cost: Members $5, non-members $10

Tea, coffee and biscuits included

Find out more from the Canterbury Horticultural Society website.(external link)

Celebrate 160 Years of Canterbury Horticultural Society with a free spring flower show in the Kiosk. The event will feature the Canterbury Daffodil Championships and heritage floral displays from Christchurch garden clubs.

In association with the Christchurch Heritage Festival.(external link)

Add some spring colour!

The Canterbury Horticultural Society are running a colouring competition as part of the event. Winners from each age category will receive a $30 gift voucher from Telling Tales: Scorpio Children’s Books(external link). Deliver completed entries to The Kiosk in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens for display over the Spring Show, weekend of 8-9 October. Winners announced Monday 10 October 2022.

Download the colouring sheet(external link).

Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens for their monthly speaker series.

October's speaker is Botanic Gardens' Director Wolfgang Bopp and his wife, Janet Cubey. Wolfgang and Janet will talk about their memorable trip to the visit the 'fynbos' of South Africa. 'Fynbos' refers to the plants associated with the mountains of South Africa's Cape region.

• $5 for CHS and Friends' members.
• $10 for the general public.
• Refreshments included.

Friends talks are hosted in the Kiosk - just over the footbridge from the Armagh Street car park, and near the children's play area. 

Bring butterflies into your garden!

Come along to The Kiosk in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens during the school holidays for an hour-long session dedicated to butterflies! Learn about the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly and how to home and care for these beautiful creatures. This fun session led by Maria Romero of the Butterfly Musketeers(external link) will ignite your children’s passion and connection to nature.

Maria Romero is the author of “An Educational Guide on Monarch Butterflies” - an excellent book for anyone who wants to raise healthy monarch butterflies. Maria was awarded the Christchurch Civic Award for her services to the environment and education in 2020. 

Venue

The Kiosk – Christchurch Botanic Gardens, conveniently located just over the footbridge from the Armagh Street car park.

Costs and payment

$5 per child. Suitable for children 5+ years.

Visit the Canterbury Horticultural Society website(external link) to book your place. Limited availability.

Learn about propagation methods.

Softwood cuttings

7pm to 9pm, Friday 13 October

Softwood cuttings can be used to propagate a wide range of perennials and deciduous shrubs in Spring and early Summer.

Introduction to softwood cutting propagation:

• Examples of source plant material 
• Environmental factors affecting cutting propagation
• Materials requirements and their selection 
• Preparation of cutting materials for propagation 
• Planting of cuttings
• Care and management within a propagator
• Hardening off
• Transplanting and potting on
• Care and management after transplantation

Tutor: Pratima Dhakal Acharya

With a Master’s degree in Horticultural Science from Lincoln University and in charge of propagation at a local commercial nursery, Pratima is an expert in her field. A passionate horticulturist, Pratima is motivated to work with people and plants to contribute to a sustainable future.

Venue

The Kiosk – Christchurch Botanic Gardens, conveniently located just over the footbridge from the Armagh Street car park.
Email: office@chsgardens.co.nz

Costs and payment

• $40 Members & Friends of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens
• $50 Non-Members

Book your place on the Canterbury Horticultural Society website.(external link)

Workshop attendees will take home an array of plants to start the growing season

Become a Member of the CHS(external link) and receive up to 20% off all our courses and workshops.

Get to know your soil this Spring

There is an old phrase which says, “it all starts with the soil” and when you are growing a healthy garden that is certainly true. Healthy soil is important because plants derive water, nutrients and stability from the complex structure and organisms that surround them. It improves water holding capacity, nutrient cycling and gives plants the ability to grow healthy strong roots.

In this 2 hour workshop we’ll be getting our hands dirty, testing and inspecting soil samples and looking at how we can influence the quality of our soil at home.

Tutor Matthew Crampton

M.Sc, B.Sc, Cert.

Matthew has spent his career working with growers and farmers throughout New Zealand. He has worked in the horticulture, agriculture and arable industries including setting up a successful hydroponic facility, working at Wattie’s producing vegetables, producing export vegetable seed crops and providing technical on farm problem solving in some pretty tricky situations.

Venue

The Kiosk – Christchurch Botanic Gardens, conveniently located just over the footbridge from the Armagh Street car park

Costs & Payment

$40 Members & Friends of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and $50 Non-Members.
Includes garden-friendly giveaways and prizes to take home!

Visit the Canterbury Horticultural Society website(external link) to book your place.

Join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens for a field trip to the Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden.

This is a wonderful evolving sculpture garden and native regeneration project owned by Peter and Annabel Joyce. We will meet at the venue at 1pm for a picnic lunch followed by a talk by Peter at 2pm.

• $10 per person.
• 1/199 Cossars Road, Tai Tapu.

More information(external link).

To get involved in volunteering in the Botanic Gardens, join the Friends of the Botanic Gardens(external link).