The Gardens: Celebrating Tasmania’s Botanical Treasure 1818 – 2018

The Gardens – Celebrating Tasmania’s Botancial Treasure 1818-2018

The people, plants and passion that have been the story of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens over its first 200 years are brought to life in this stunning bicentennial book.

As a photo-dominated publication, the reader can open this book to any page and be gifted with a reason to smile. If you choose to read from the start, you’ll be taken on a journey through:

• the site’s ongoing and continuing Aboriginal heritage;
• the adventures of the first superintendent as he collected native seeds on kunanyi/Mount Wellington;
• the scandal of a 120-metre-long convict built wall, reportedly constructed to keep out grasshoppers;
• the ancient wonder of 10,000-year-old Huon pines;
• gardens such as the Friends’ Mixed Border (which creates a riot in spring);
• generations of cultural and community events that have shaped our collective memories; and
• the ongoing work of the Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre which, to date, has collected and banked more than 43.4 million viable seeds.

Tasmanians responded enthusiastically to the call to submit their images and memories to this book, making it a deeply personal reflection worthy of this milestone.

“The Gardens: Celebrating Tasmania’s Botanical Treasure 1818-2018” reminds us that we all need a sheltering tree. This publication celebrates the many ways that the Gardens allows us to connect with nature, the arts, community, tranquillity, heritage, conservation, each other and ourselves.

“The Gardens: Celebrating Tasmania’s Botanical Treasure 1818-2018” can be purchased for $24.95 from the Gardens shop and ONLINE.

All profits from the sale of this book will support the conservation work of the Tasmanian Seedbank.

The Premier of Tasmania, The Hon Will Hodgman MP, launched “The Gardens: Celebrating Tasmania’s Botanical Treasure 1818-2018” as part of the site’s 2018 bicentenary. He was joined by (L-R) writer/researcher Natalie Tapson, designer Gina Donnelly and writer/editor Net Brennan.