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A jam packed November 2019 edition to kick the summer off! What’s in this edition…? President’s Patch p.2

Botanic Bulletin p.3

Wrap-up of the 150th celebrations - The tulips came to the party p.4

Paekākā - Wellington Botanic Gardens te reo name p.5

‘Garden of Secrets’ social and film evening p.6

Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand 9th Congress report p.7

The Botanic Garden’s five native forest areas p.11

Hakea splendour p.13

Walks and Activities p.16

The Friends’ Exchange p.18

Duck pond with swans, and original band rotunda 1920. Swans were a feature of the ‘Swan Pond’ even up to the 1960’s. Courtesy of the Donal Duthie Postcard Collection

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President’s Patch

The end of 2019 is approaching, and on a particularly high note for the Garden. Since this time last year, the wealth of 150th anniversary events, from the Victorian Picnic through to the Bioblitz have served to emphasise what a special place we have so close to the centre of Wellington. The variety of celebrations displayed the recreational, cultural, scientific and educational value of a botanic garden – and the wisdom of James Hector and his colleagues in insisting that this developing settlement would not be complete without such a facility. As we have regularly reported to the membership, your committee has spent much of the year finalising the Friends’ gifts to the Garden in recognition of this milestone. The Rose Garden fountain has been restored for much less that we had envisaged, thus leaving us with significant savings that we hope to apply to the further development of that area of the Garden. Our booklet celebrating Katherine Mansfield’s love of the Garden is now on sale in the Garden’s shop (now in the Treehouse!) and at a number of outlets in Wellington and, within the last week or so, the Wellington Botanic Garden Endowment Fund was legally established with Wellington’s Nikau Foundation. Members can expect to learn more in the New Year on how they can contribute to this fund. In addition to the 150th events, a highlight since I last reported was the Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ) Conference reception in the Begonia House, in October. It was a delight to introduce our Australian and New Zealand colleagues to our Garden and to acquaint them with what the Friends do. BGANZ generously invited two of our guides (Jenny Hickman and Reg Harris) to attend the conference itself which was held in Te Papa. Their report features in this Newsletter! In late November, the availability of the short Canadian documentary The Garden of Secrets, allowed the committee to host an end of year gathering in the Treehouse to thank those who do all the work during the year – our guides and the Garden staff especially – and what a good year they have to reflect on. The documentary was particularly apposite in that it focussed on the role of botanic gardens in research, technological and design, as well as botanical. I trust all members have a most enjoyable Christmas and a prosperous and rewarding 2020.

Rob Hole President FOWBG

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Botanic Bulletin Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. With the Botanic Garden 150 Celebrations drawing to a close with one last informal picnic on Sunday 24 November, it marks a momentous year for the garden, its staff and for the Friends. It has been a great opportunity to celebrate the importance of the garden in the community, its heritage and the social and ecological contributions it makes to our environment and our community. The 150th birthday cakes have now been dismantled and replaced with plinths for sculptures by Campbell Maud and Jonathan Campbell. The bedding replacements are now underway. We were very pleased with the way the tulips held up this year. Modifications to the soils with sand and pumice and the use of liquid manures combined with less rain seemed to make a great difference. The gradual revealing of the display made repeat visits essential to get the full beauty of it. I attended the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Annual Awards recently where Isthmus Group Ltd, the designers of the Discovery Garden Te Kaapuia o Te Waoku, won an Award for Excellence for the garden. This comes hard on the heels of multiple visits to the garden by delegates to the Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand Congress who, without exception, gave glowing feedback about the garden. My thanks to the Friends for your support for the Congress. The Australians especially thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday welcome and the kapa haka from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna who are based in Seatoun. The Congress was great success with many of the delegates having never been to Wellington before, or if they had, a very long time ago. They enjoyed Wellington and our Gardens. The field trips to our Gardens, Kapiti Coast, Kaitoke and Wairarapa, and a walking trip through the central city were enjoyed as well. We were fortunate in being able to obtain the Australian Society of Friends and Guides Congress registration for Reg and Jenny. The Congress was closely followed by the RNZIH Cook 250 Symposium and the Australian Garden History Society conference. In appreciation for Clare Shearman’s assistance with the conference and their field trips, the AGHS made a generous donation to the Friends’ Endowment Fund. Congratulations on the launch of the Katherine Mansfield publication. The documentation of her association with the Botanic Garden is made all the more poignant and it dovetails nicely with the reopening of Katherine Mansfield House and the opening of the famous Katherine Mansfield short story ‘Garden Party’ garden at Hamilton Gardens. This week we host Mick Gentleman of the ACT Legislative Assembly as part of Canberra Week and in line with our MoU with the National Arboretum of Australia. Mick Gentleman’s portfolios include Environment and Heritage so he will be right at home in the Botanic Garden. Otari team manager Rewi Elliot will be visiting the Arboretum next year under the auspices of the MoU. The MoU also encourages the transfer of knowledge and experiences in the administration of gardens and the development of visitor experiences. On a completely different tack - as a trial, the Begonia House Shop has been transferred to the Treehouse over the summer months. This provides better working conditions for our team, less stock damage and we are hoping better integration between the Treehouse and the retail visitor experience. Though it has moved, it is still the place to do your Christmas shopping! This will be my last report for 12 months. I have accepted an offer of secondment as Project Manager for Motu Kairangi (Watt’s Peninsula) for which control and management is being transferred from the Crown to Wellington City Council. This is a rare and very exciting opportunity to be part of a ‘from scratch’ development of former defence land into what will effectively be a regional park of around 78 hectares. Backfilling the Wellington Gardens Manager position is underway and the Friends will be advised as soon as an appointment has been made. The weather is looking good for Sunday’s picnic where we will also be celebrating achieving of Green Flag Status for Wellington Botanic Garden and the Bolton Street Cemetery. Otari Wilton’s Bush recently had their Green Flag reconfirmed. Ngā mihi nui.

David Sole, Botanic Gardens Manager, on behalf of the Wellington Gardens Team

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The Tulips came to the Party Members may recall that last year, the annual tulip display we have come to hail as the harbinger of Spring was threatened by an infestation of Phytophthora, which can cause root rot, shoot rot and shanking. They achieved a somewhat more muted performance than usual in 2018. The mould is still present in the soil, but this year, the blooms came to the party as we have come to expect, and adorned not only the flower beds, but also stood in for candles on the 150th birthday cake structures that marked this special year. Plant Collections Team Manager Clare Shearman is working on sculptures to create an Outdoor Gallery that will replace the two ‘150’ cakes that have just been dismantled. There will be two sculptors exhibiting. Their pieces will be on sale with the proviso that they remain on site for the year. Watch this space!

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Paekākā On 13 September, as part of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, a ceremony was held in the Garden to mark the gifting of a te reo name for use in the precinct which includes the Wellington Botanic Garden. The name, Paekākā, means “realm or perch of the kākā”. “In the past, this area has long been associated with the trapping and snaring of kākā,” said iwi representative Honiana Love. “Hīnau trees were abundant in the area which attracted the kākā then, and the birds are still drawn here”.

Just like people, the comical birds have since acquired a fondness for foreign food, exercised to the detriment of some of the Garden’s significant exogenous tree specimens. The gifting of Paekākā by Taranaki Whanui ki Upoko O Te Ika recognises that the history of the area of the Botanic Garden and Bolton Street precedes European settlement and that the kākā precede all human settlement in the area. Below: Then Mayor Justin Lester and Deputy Mayor Jill Day do the honours with Garden

Manager David Sole

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Garden of Secrets Social and Film evening To mark the end of a momentous 150th year, to thank the Garden staff and Guides and to celebrate the end of the year with Friends, we were lucky to be given permission by Tealeaves, a luxury tea-blender, and the UBC Botanical Garden to screen their collaborative documentary Garden of Secrets at a social function on 20 November.

For those who were unable to attend, the documentary celebrates plants beyond their edible, aromatic and medicinal properties, and explores botanical gardens as the keeper of ‘secrets’ that inspire plant-based biomimicry and biophilic solutions to the issues faced by humanity today. The film brought together designers, engineers, architects and botanists to demonstrate the insights from millions of years of evolutionary trial and error that they have derived from botanic gardens, and applied to modern world problems.

Patrick Lewis, the Director of the UBC Botanical Garden sees such resources as ‘ideas libraries’ for scientists and designers. Tealeaves’ CEO Lana Sutherland says “Biomimicry offers a means to solve problems baked into the solution, instead of serving as a band-aid.” Guests at the evening, and some of the stunning stills from the film are shown below. Special thanks was made to Garden Manager David Sole for steering the Garden through its big birthday. Starting in December David is moving to a 12 month secondment as Project Manager for the Watts Peninsula/Motu Kairangi project – a change if not a rest! We warmly wish him well.

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2019 BGANZ Congress Programme Report “Plants from the past: plants for the future”

Editor’s note: As indicated in Rob’s President’s report in this edition, experienced guides Reg Harris and Jenny Hickman attended this congress held at Te Papa in October. Thanks to you both for your informative report!

“There are several other presentations I could have mentioned, if time had allowed, but I would like to thank David for giving Reg and me the privilege and opportunity to attend the congress. I was grateful for this opportunity, which gave me food for thought, and the chance to meet staff from other gardens in Australia and N.Z., many of which I have visited over the years, and to renew acquaintances not seen for many years, from other N.Z. Gardens”.

Jenny Hickman

MONDAY 21 OCTOBER Robbie Blackhall-Miles [World-Wide Plant Conservation] Focus in botanic gardens and in the forest is on the big visible plant species. Showed a picture of a large northern

rata and that people would say just that it’s a tree. But in fact it represents a huge biological community of plants, mainly epiphytic bryophytes, but also ferns and other vascular plants and fungi. The tree is just the framework. We at WBG know this, but maybe we could emphasise it a bit more viz go a bit beyond and a bit smaller than the usual [and very visible] ferns and the like.

Robbie reckons that ‘plant blindness’ is not hard-wired into people; education to ‘open your eyes’ is the key. Emphasis on the big and unusual [read: in-your-face] to attract visitors. The titan arum lily [corpse plant] was

highlighted, and of course WBG has experience with this beautiful disgustingly smelly apparition. What other specimens [as well as the titan] - could we use?

The need to make botanic garden plants ‘relevant, cultural and personal’ is important. This resonates, by and large, in respect of native plants in WBG. There might be challenges, though, with a spindle tree and prickly pear!

‘Use the animals to promote the plants’. So often the fauna overshadows the flora in gardens visitors’ experience, so use a ‘pull strategy’. Does this mean we’d promote the kākā? ‘A great place to experience this parrot is in our wonderful Garden…..and we guarantee you’ll see some wonderful plants while you’re there!’

Rob Tipa [Ngāi Tahu] Highlighted the ‘treasured plants’ of Southern Māori. We in the Wellington region will be familiar with most of

these in either a botanical sense or a cultural sense. It was a surprise [to RH, at least] to see Aciphylla [speargrass], Freycinetia banksii [kiekie], Juncus [rushes], Coriaria [tutu] and Ripogonum scandens [supplejack] in the list.

Clare Fraser [Dunedin Botanic Garden] All of the ‘treasured plants’ are included in a small, themed palm-size brochure entitled Treasured Plants Trail. The

brochure is one of a set of eight, the others being Dunedin Volcano Trail, Lower Garden Art and Features, Lower Garden Plant Collections, Off the Beaten Track, Solander Trail, Tree Trail, Upper Garden Collections and Wild Bird Guide.

The size and compactness of these brochures makes them very user-friendly, much more so than the longer floppy ones we are used to seeing in visitor/tourism centres in many locations. WBG should consider developing such a resource.

Julie Watson [Department of Conservation] Stressed the importance of partnerships, highlighting that between DOC, Auckland Botanic Garden and Fullers

Ferries, which is part of the strategy to get people to enjoy plant life on Waiheke Island and other islands in the gulf.

Michael Connor [Wollongong Botanic Garden] WollBG carried out survey of children [up to about 10 yo by the look of it on the presentation] who visited the

Garden to get impressions about what they liked and didn’t like. It was done using one-on-one interviews and tick-box forms. Evidently the exercise was very helpful [kids are pretty straight-forward, to-the-point] in designing WollBG’s displays, activities, education/learning programmes, etc.

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Stressed the value of a light-hearted approach. Youngsters engage more enthusiastically with a chap in a daffodil outfit [who may well look like a proper dork] than they would with someone who looks like their school teacher. Nothing new in this, of course, but it never hurts to be reminded.

Are there messages here for our own The Discovery Garden?

Julia Watson [Auckland Botanic Garden] Talked about the value of using compelling themes for engaging visitors. She gave an energy-charged presentation

on ‘Gardeners of the Galaxy’, highlighting the fact that, with an eye to the future, plant cultivation trials are being carried out ‘in space’ i.e. on board orbiting space stations. ABG has put an extensive programme in place to ‘discover why astronauts need plants in space’!

Visitors [read: children particularly] can visit a crash-landed ‘rocket’ and take an ‘astronaut’ selfie, see plant experiments in ABG’s Science Lab, try NASA augmented reality apps, and get creative with humans’ Future. Kids can use a plants colouring wall and take a ‘Solar System’ Walk in the Gardens.

Visitors can be in to win a ‘great family prize’ – they are told to ask for a ‘Mission Sheet’ when they arrive at the Visitor Centre.

The initiative taking place under the auspices of ABG/Auckland City Council in association with Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, MOTAT, Hyalite and the Auckland Astronomical Society.

There is potential for WBG to do something similar…..possibly not as grand as the Auckland initiative but worth considering. We have access to much creative grunt in Wellington, sources of knowledge in The Carter Observatory, Victoria University of Wellington [botany, physics/astronomy studies, etc.], Wellington Astronomical

Society, WBG staff and volunteers, random space geeks, and others.

TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER

Alexandra Cook [University of Hong Kong] “Bringing Plant Stories to Life” - Dr Cook’s talk began with a quote from J.J. Rousseau [1712-1778] “I know

something of the work of nature, but nothing of that of the gardener.” Rousseau collected plants a lot in the countryside, and made herbariums as gifts for other people. He declared that plant studies should be of wild plants, not garden plants. [An ecologist before the name existed?] Famous gardens from around the world were discussed.

Ancient Gardens e.g. the Garden of Eden [well-endowed with plants, many paintings of it exist [Tree of Life, Tree of Good and Evil]]. It provided food and water for animals, both human and non-human, who lived in peace with each other, which suggests that the humans were vegetarian [A field with trees in it provides more food for humans and animals than a field of wheat]. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, so it must have had a boundary, suggesting that boundaries have power. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were also ancient gardens. They were lush with plants too, especially palms.

Medicinal, Research and Teaching Gardens e.g. University of Padua, Italy [pharmaceutical plants, research, teaching, taxonomic revisions] was a template for the gardens of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The gardens had four quadrants, representing the four then-known continents [clear boundaries], imitated in Thabor Garden, Rennes today. This round shape, divided into four quadrants is still copied today (e.g. the Lady Norwood Rose Garden]. Jardin du Roi, Paris [now Jardin royal des plantes medicinales de Paris], planted in 1635 as a medicinal herb garden.

Power Gardens e.g. Kew Gardens, London and Versailles. Versailles – “Expresses a madness having something petty and vain that makes the puerile ridiculously costly.” (Rousseau] The chateau and the garden were developed by Louis XII, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI between 1632 and 1793. It had a collection of every plant species known in France, waterways, fountains, statues, heated glasshouses [to grow pineapples]. Marie Antoinette wanted an English-style garden, not a scientific one, and had the scientific garden moved to Jardin du Roi in Paris.

Power Gardens with Anglo-Chinese variants Croone Court and Jichang Garden were inspirations for these. Capability Brown moved lots of earth to create what he wanted. Pagodas and towers were popular, like those at Kew Gardens. Joseph Bank’s vision for Kew was a power house of plants from around the world. An imperial driver for gardens was commodities for human use, e.g. rubber, cinchona, hemp, tea, breadfruit.

A quote from Rousseau: “Nature manipulated is not nature.” He did not like towers, topiary etc., over-bred plants [fake and mutilated plants]. His utopian Elysium was no sign of human intervention (nothing foreign or fake], and all human interests excluded, such as medical plants or plant commodities. “Those who want to embellish nature

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are without souls.” “Plants in our woods and our mountains are still as they originally came from [the hands of their creator] and that’s where I like to study nature.”

One alternative Elysium – a refuge rather than a garden. We should instead preserve the native plants of the area.

Nick Waipara [Plant and Food Research] Biosecurity roles and challenges for Botanic Gardens - Plants tell stories of our history, culture and knowledge.

Plants are us. The introduction of exotic species has led to the decline of our indigenous and native species e.g. Lepidium oleraceum [Cook’s scurvy grass] due to the white rust that affects members of the Brassicaceae family. There is an increase in the challenges facing biosecurity to protect our native flora from pests and diseases.

Tourism has unintended consequences e.g. the introduction of ‘stink bug,’ and soil on visitors’ shoes. Fifteen percent of empty containers contain soil, seeds, insects, animals. Another route for the introduction of diseases [Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria] are palm kernel extracts as supplements for dairy cows’ food. Other pathogens [wheat rust, myrtle rust] blow in. Lyphomyrtus bullata is our most susceptible species to myrtle rust. Australia has had myrtle rust for a decade. We are very poor at assessing economy versus risk. Pastoral weeds cost $1.2 billion per year. 25,000 – 30,000 plants brought here [c.f. 2,500 native species] have naturalised from gardens. Nick’s most hated plant is the phoenix palm [Phoenix canariensis]. It has no heritage status, it attracts rats, it has horrible spines that deeply penetrate human flesh and cause blood poisoning, birds and rats disperse the seeds into native forest. The Bangalow palm also creates the same problems. [As a guide I try not to stand visitors under our palms when talking to them, being aware that a member of staff has suffered injury from one of the spines in the past. Although it does not seem to be a frequent accident, should we have them in the Garden?] Climbing asparagus [Asparagus scandens] is a very bad weed as it smothers native plants. “Welcome to Auckland, the weediest city in N.Z. and the world.” [N.Z. botanist Alan Esler].

Hedgehogs eat native species. Do policy makers understand our pest and weed problem? Answer: No. Glyphosate is on the verge of being removed.

The role of Botanic Gardens:

education and advice

plant me instead alternatives

weed control and management

risk and eco-safety of plants – early warnings of naturalisation

surveillance

research hot spots

remove all pest plants.

Botanic Gardens should be the early warning system for threats to biosecurity. Garden clubs could be involved in looking out for weeds and disease. Communities need to be involved. We have lots of new immigrants who do not know about our biosecurity programme or understand it. Chinese knot weed is a very invasive weed, but is important for Chinese medicine. The Biosecurity Act recognises Maori values and priorities for biosecurity protection – economic, social, cultural and environmental values and multiple economic values [fishing, horticulture, agriculture]. Indigenous flora and fauna are important to Maori. The Maori Biosecurity Network is watchful and vigilant, science-led and solution focussed. Its members include academics [plant pathologists, soil scientists, soil chemists], policy makers, politicians, officials, environment technicians and traditional Maori knowledge holders. Their network empowers local people to be involved in the programme, as they know their local area and know when something changes. This is the easiest way to ensure quick action when necessary and the easiest way to enhance biosecurity. Maori communicators have identified seed banking as an insurance policy against extinction of taonga plants, central to protecting against myrtle rust. Kew works with Pacifica around the Pacific.

Liz Ware [Writer and Editor, Silent Space, Peaceful Time in Green Spaces] Silent Space - In the summer of 2016, Liz Ware set up a not-for-profit project called Silent Space, because it is

emotionally important to have time to contemplate quietly. A trial, involving four large gardens, two National Trusts and two independent gardens was run, to create a silent space in each garden. Each garden reserved an

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area where people could be silent. For two hours each week, visitors to these quiet areas were invited to switch off their phones and cameras and stop talking. Areas that were already visited were used. Signs were put up to say no phones were allowed to be on, and no conversations in this area during this time. Staff spoke to visitors about this on silent space days. It was a bit difficult for visitors coming in with other people as they wanted to talk to each other. Notebooks and pens were attached to benches, where poems, pictures, quotes, thanks to the garden or appreciation of the quietness were recorded. The feedback was very positive, as one visitor pointed out “It is wonderful to have permission to be silent.” Even five minutes of silence is beneficial to human health.

As the understanding of the benefits of spending quiet time in green spaces grows, so does the number of gardens taking part. [Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the Universities of East Anglia and Manchester, Cliveden National Trust Garden, Dorothy Clive Garden, Winterbourne House and Garden].

“Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything.” [Gordon Hempton]

The full congress schedule can be found at: https://www.confer.nz/bganz2019/

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The Botanic Garden’s five native forest areas Editor’s note: Thanks to Chris Horne for this informative article about the Botanic Garden. These areas are of great cultural, botanical, ecological and scenic value. They face continuing threats from infestation by non-Wellington area native shrub and tree species, and from introduced weed species, so need continuing investment in monitoring and pest-plant control. The native forest areas have been studied by several authors – see below. The areas are:

Salamanca Slope* – slopes above the Begonia House and café.

Druid Hill/Stable Gully Combined*. Between the Met Office, Druid Hill and the Treehouse.

Australian Garden/Play Area Combined*. Between the Children’s Play Area and the garden’s depot.

Cable Car* - both sides of gully from the Cable Car down to Kew Way.

Glen Slope* - above Mamaku Way. Accessed from The Glen and Mariri Rd. * Names used in A Botanical Survey of the Indigenous Forest Remnants in Wellington Botanic Garden, Glenmore Street, Wellington. Mitcalfe, B J and Horne, J C. May 2003. (Revised 2005). The names are also used in articles on the topic in the Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden newsletter: March, June, September, December 2014 and June 2015.

Weedy native tree species in the five native forest areas There are several weedy native species which we must be concerned about. They are weedy because they do not occur naturally in Wellington Ecological District 39.01, are often planted in private gardens and public areas, and are invasive. They may spread into native forest when their seeds are blown there from private or municipal plantings of the species, or when their seeds are carried into the native forest areas by birds. The weedy native species are:

Common name Maori Name Botanical name Southern natural limit

Coastal five-finger¹

houpara Pseudopanax lessonii Kawhia-Tolaga Bay

Karaka

karaka Corynocarpus laevigatus

Northern North Island

Karo

karo Pittosporum crassifolium

Poverty Bay - north Taranaki

“Karo”

“karo” Pittosporum ralphii -

North Wairarapa-south Taranaki

Kōwhai

kōwhai Sophora tetraptera Taihape-Wairarapa

Lacebark

houhere

Hoheria populnea

Waikato

Pōhutukawa

pōhutukawa

Metrosideros excelsa Poverty Bay - north Taranaki

Puka

puka Meryta sinclarii Three Kings Islands

Pūriri pūriri Vitex lucens

Waikato

Whau

whau Entelea arborescens West Waikato-Mahia & isolated sites around Wellington, Wairarapa & western Nelson

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¹ This species hybridises with Wellington’s naturally occurring Pseudopanax crassifolius / horoeka / lancewood. The result is hybrids with a wide variety of leaf forms. These occur in the Botanic Garden’s native forest areas. See Wellington Botanical Society Bulletin No. 52, April 2010, pp. 14–27.

Control of weedy native tree species There are two possible methods, neither involving felling:

Drilling holes around the trunk at frequent intervals, then injecting a herbicide into the holes;

Ring-barking the trunk, then applying a herbicide to the exposed surface. Arborists could provide advice on the best method and safest herbicide. Either method would lead to the eventual falling of branches and the trunks. Lying rotting on the forest floor, they would provide habitat for invertebrates, while the timber slowly rots and returns the nutrients in it to the soil. Seedlings and saplings of all the above species should be pulled out. Further reading:

1. Ecological Assessment of the Wellington Botanic Garden Forest Remnants. Forsyth, F, Blaschke, P. June 2008.

2. Study of the Vegetation in the Seven Native Forest Remnants in the Wellington Botanic Garden. Cranshaw, H. 1992.

3. The Botanic Garden, Wellington, A New Zealand History 1840-1987. Shepherd, W, Cook, W. 1988. 4. Native Forest Remnants of Wellington City, A Survey of Five Sites. Myers, S. June 1985. 5. Notes on the Colonial Botanic Garden, Wellington and its Flora. Buchanan, J. 1875.

Chris Horne

Member, FOWBG

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Hakea splendour

Editor’s note: This report was prepared by Phil Tomlinson who was supported by FOWBG to attend the 16th Australasian Botanic Guides Conference in Perth which was held from the 16th -20th September. Thanks Phil for your fulsome report. Recently I had the pleasure in attending the 16th Australasian Botanic Guides Conference in Perth. After that conference we travelled to the south west area, looking at the local flora. One of the plants that caught my eye was this hakea, one of many natives of this area. With a nondescript flower, it is the foliage that is spectacular, and the following images attest to the range of colours shown.

What is especially spectacular about this plant is the fact that ALL the colours illustrated on the previous page ALL appeared on the same plant ALL at the same time.

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Not only grown for its foliage, the thick prickly leaves also serve as a deterrent against unwanted visitors where security is a concern!! The plant pictured was under 2 metres tall, but can reach 3 metres. It is native over a relatively restricted area, as shown on the Florabase map. This particular plant was found in the Fitzgerald River National Park between Hopetown and Albany. The group seen comprised some dozen plants, but is more widespread on the Marine Plain. It is a feature of the Fitzgerald biosphere, a rich botanic area with some 2500 species, most of which can be found in this fascinating park, an area well worth visiting.

First described in 1847 by explorer James Drummond, it was named Royal Hakea in honour of Queen Victoria. It is known locally as the Chinese Lantern Bush. The Botanic Parks Authority notes that the “Royal Hakea presents with elliptical shaped leaves which are rigid and almost leathery in feel. The leaves have prickly margins and display colours akin to a blazing summer sunset. It’s no wonder that the outlandish appearance of the Royal Hakea could almost make it the Western Australian equivalent of the ‘The Day of the Triffids”. They also note that “The Royal Hakea is endemic to the south coastal regions of Western Australia, with the strongest population nestled in the Fitzgerald River National Park, where it happily grows among sandy soil, quartz and rocky slopes. The vibrant and varied foliage colour attracts admirers from near and far”. The plants grow in quartzitic or lateritic sand mostly in rocky locations in the coastal region between Albany and Esperance. The area receives low summer humidity, and in humid areas the foliage rarely develops the intense colouration which is the main reason to grow this plant. Soils are naturally impoverished, and it is generally considered that the poorer the soils the better the colours. Kings Park garden in Perth has, for example, a fully grown plant, but in the more fertile soils it shows little or no colour, just a drab grey, despite the efforts of the gardeners.

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The grainy, sandpaper-like surface becomes glassy in appearance. Quartzite is very resistant to chemical weathering and often forms ridges and resistant hilltops. The nearly pure silica content of the rock provides little material for

Royal Hakea Flower

Above: Orientation Right: Royal Hakea on the Marine Plain, where it is common (Image from Native Plants of the Ravensthorpe Region, Gillian Craig. (Not visited).

Laterite is a soil and rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red colouration because of a high iron oxide content. They develop by intensive and prolonged weathering of the underlying parent rock, and are therefore of low fertility. Laterites are a source of aluminium ore. Quartzite is a hard, non- metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone, converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression. When sandstone is cemented to quartzite, most or all of the original texture and sedimentary structures of the sandstone are erased by the metamorphism.

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soil, therefore, the quartzite ridges are often bare or covered only with a very thin layer of soil and little (if any) vegetation. The hakea has obviously adapted to this impoverished habitat in a spectacular fashion. It makes visiting this area well worthwhile.

East Mount Barren in Fitzgerald National Park, home of the Royal

Hakea, plant in right foreground

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Walks and Activities GARDENS MAGIC 2020 Tuesday 7 January to Sunday 26 January 2020.

Sound shell, Wellington Botanic Garden

Free concerts: 8pm–9.30pm

Light display: 9pm–10.30pm

Please see https://wellington.govt.nz/events/annual-events/summer-city/gardens-magic for further information.

Guided Walks Guided walks traverse all paths [main and other] and areas in the Garden. Walk duration ranges from one hour to 90

minutes depending on subject matter, length of route, extent of visitor/guide interaction, and weather. Walks either

already completed in 2019 or scheduled up to August are listed below, with brief comment on subject matter. All

Friends of Wellington Botanic Gardens may attend the guided walks free of charge. Members will not be required to

show proof of membership.

HERB GARDEN WALK

Monday 27 January 2020 11:00am – 12:30pm

Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington.

Discover the fragrant, culinary and domestic uses of herbs on this easy 90-minute walk. Meet in the Lookout at the

north end of the Herb Garden, above the Rose Garden.

The Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden volunteer to guide walks and host events in the Garden; arrange

lectures, social functions and displays of historic and heritage interest; maintain a register of the Memorials in the

Garden; raise funds, and; assist with a variety of Garden projects. Cost: $5.00. Door Sales Only.

CUTTING OUR COAT ACCORDING TO THE PLANT

Sunday 16 February 2020 11:00am – 12:30pm

Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington. On this walk we look at some of the ingenious ways that people from around the world have used their local plants to create their clothing. Meet at the Founders’ Entrance, Glenmore Street for this moderate 90-minute walk with some uphill sections. Cost: $5.00 Door Sales Only.

OUR HERITAGE GARDEN

Monday 24 February 2020 11:00am – 12:00pm Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington. Wellington Botanic Garden is classified as A Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and as a Heritage Area by Heritage New Zealand. Enjoy a guided walk through native forest and plant collections, learn about our plants, some of our early history and about our historic buildings. Meet at the Founders’ Entrance, Glenmore Street. Moderate 60-minute walk with an uphill section. Cost: $5.00.

Door Sales Only.

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FOOD PLANTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Sunday 15 March 2020 11:00am – 12:30pm. Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington.

On this walk, we look at a range of plants from around the world that are used for food, some of which are well-known, but others might surprise you. This is a moderate to energetic 90-minute walk, with some uphill sections. Meet on the uphill side of the Playground. Cost: $5.00. Door Sales Only.

THE LADY NORWOOD ROSE GARDEN

Monday 23 March 2020 11:00am – 12:00pm.

Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington Join this walk to learn more about the roses and their care. Meet at the Fountain in the Rose Garden for this easy one-hour walk. Cost: $5.00. Door Sales Only.

AUTUMNAL BOTANICS

Sunday 19 April 2020 11:00am – 12:30pm Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington. In this 90-minute whirl we will consider trees as factories for foods and beverages, sources of critical medicinal products, suppliers of ‘frankincense and myrrh’, enemies of free radicals, and ‘sinks’ for all the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) we are hearing about. Cost: $5.00. Door Sales Only.

THE LADY NORWOOD ROSE GARDEN AND ITS AMAZING STORY

Monday 27 April 2020 11:00am – 12:00pm

Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Wellington. The Rose Garden was not always the beautiful garden that it is today – learn why on this easy 60-minute walk. Meet

in the Begonia House foyer. If it is wet there will be a talk in the Begonia House. Cost: $5 (cash only).

Otari-Wilton’s Bush, 160 Wilton Road, Wilton, Wellington No events or walks are currently listed.

See the Wellington City Council website for further information on walks and events.

https://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/enjoy-the-outdoors/gardens/botanic-garden/events-calendar

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Friends’ Exchange Editor’s note: This suggestion was received recently from one of our members. The committee is looking at this, along with related signage issues. Rob Hole President Friends of Wellington Botanic Garden Inc.

19 October 2019

Dear Rob

NAMING, NUMBERING AND MARKING OF WALKING ROUTES

As you know, many of these routes used to have their names, followed by a number in brackets, on upward-facing signs fixed on concrete plinths c. 5 cm tall x 28 cm long x 15 cm wide. Some existing signs are Fern Hill Path (37), Rangiora Path (19) - at two nearby locations, Quarry Path (35), Kew Way (illegible), and William Bramley Drive at bridge near Duck Pond (illegible). In each case, there is no plinth and sign at the other end of the route.

Of these examples, only Kew Way (7) and William Bramley Drive (1) feature in the brochure Wellington Botanic Garden Map. What was Rangiora Path (19) is according to the map now part of Rock Path (10).

The map in the brochure shows the extensive network of walking routes in the garden. Many of those routes are neither named nor numbered on the map.

To facilitate exploring the five native forest areas in the garden, the committee might wish to consider recommending to Wellington City Council that each path be given a name and number, and that at each end of the path there be a sign on a plinth showing the name and number of the path. This system of naming and numbering the paths would require revising the map on the brochure.

Yours sincerely Chris Horne

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Friends of Wellington’s Botanic Gardens, 101 Glenmore St, Kelburn, Wellington 6012 President: Rob Hole; phone (04) 475 7752; e-mail: robert.n.hole@gmail.com Membership Secretary: Judy Elliott; phone (04) 476 2705; e-mail: judy.elliott@waterfront.org.nz Newsletter Editor: Nic Vipond; phone 0211431203; e-mail: nmg.vipond@gmail.com Website: www.friendswbg.org.nz