Christchurch Botanic Gardens

Christchurch Botanic Gardens are beautifully situated on flat land adjacent to Hagley Park close to the city centre, where citizens can easily enjoy this quiet civic amenity alongside the curves of the slow and shallow Avon River (Photo 1). The first tree was planted in 1863 by Enoch Barker, the first Government Gardener. This oak tree (Quercus robur) is still to be seen by the river near the footbridge leading to the Daffodil Woodland. During the 1870s and 1880s the Curator, John Armstrong, and his son Joseph, were responsible for the paths and general layout as we find it today.

Mature trees, many of which were originally brought from England by sea, give shelter to spacious gardens with collections of native and imported plants. Six distinct areas constitute a Conservatory Complex, providing a variety of suitable environmental conditions for plant collections.

The features which caught my attention, during visits in November, were the wonderful collection of trees, the Heritage and the Central Rose Gardens (Photo 2), the Conservatory Complex, the New Zealand Garden and the Rock & Heather Garden (Photo 3), but there is much, much more to see, experience and explore, whatever your gardening interest.

The gardens are beautifully maintained by the Christchurch City Council, whose mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of the world's flora, including special areas devoted to plants of the Southern Hemisphere.

Glossary