ABGF

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

The key ingredients of a Botanic Garden include: Recreation, Cultural Icon, Education, Conservation, Research/Science.

Managing a botanic garden is very different to a garden or a park. The Botanic Gardens of Adelaide are a living showcase of our botanical heritage and future.  Our Gardens combine the heritage of a museum, the collections of an art gallery, the knowledge of a library and the science and learning of a university.  Of course like any garden, water, microclimate, biodiversity, science, patience and even good luck all play their part.  We plan for all these elements, including luck as any gardener or primary producer can appreciate. 

We would probably spend about 80% of our annual budget maintaining the Gardens living collections – keeping the plants growing.  Of course the plant collection is the key element in the Gardens’ being South Australia’s most visited cultural icon.  However the remaining part of the budget achieves the use of these documented plant collections for scientific research and plant conservation, and for educational and cultural programs that see the Gardens deliver it’s mandate as a cultural institution for the South Australian, Australian and international communities.  The people behind the Gardens work very hard all year to get this mix right. 

The Gardens have always contributed to South Australia. Today the Gardens are a leader in environmental reconciliation through sustainable landscapes and restoration technologies, last century we focused on establishing knowledge of South Australia’s native flora and in the 19th Century the Gardens contributed to the agriculture, horticulture and pastoral industries of an emerging State. 

Our forthcoming projects like the Garden of Health, the Kitchen Garden and the Flora of South Australia reinforce the relevance of the Gardens. 

I extend my thanks to the Foundation supporters for your ongoing commitment to the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide; your support is an essential ingredient.

Sincerely,

Stephen Forbes