Botanic Gardens of Sydney

#WeWatchedTheFlower Putricia has now been moved from the Palm House and taken to our nursery. The matured pollen has been safely stored at our PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. Stay tuned for behind the scenes updates on her progress. What was your favourite part of visiting Putricia?

Take a trip to the Blue Mountains. Today is National Eucalypt Day, a day to celebrate the quintessentially Australian sight of tall, tangled gum trees blanketing the mountaintops. Take a deep breath in - you can almost smell the cool earthy scent in the air. Can you see the blue in the distance? That sapphire haze that gives these mountains their name is thanks to the eucalypt: their leaves excrete a mist of oils that dance in the light and refract the blue tones across the sky. These views over the mountains are from two different spots at our Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah - looking west from the visitor centre, and looking east to the city from the forest boardwalk 💙

In 1901 Margaret Flockton became the first scientific illustrator at Botanic Gardens of Sydney. During her time at the Gardens, she created over two thousand scientifically-accurate drawings of Australian flora. Her work is both beautiful and exacting, providing a meticulous record of every botanical specimen she turned her signature magnifying glass to. On International Women’s Day in 2003, our current botanical illustrators (Catherine Wardrop and Lesley Elkan) launched the Margaret Flockton Award to celebrate world-wide excellence in scientific botanical illustration. Every year, illustrators from around the world submit scientifically accurate drawings that accompany the published taxonomic description of a plant, clearly highlighting all of the distinctive features of the species. The awards also commemorate the incredible contribution that Margaret Flockton made to Australian scientific botanical illustration. Images: Opuntia illustrations by Margaret Flockton. #IWD #InternationalWomensDay

It's the last weekend of the summer and Sydney is awash with colour for Mardi Gras. From using biodegradable pots to ensuring the flowers can be rehomed across the garden, horticulturalist Madeline Ward explains how our inaugural rainbow display went green. Happy #MardiGras!

Happy #MardiGras Sydney! 🌈

The sun might be out in Sydney, but rainbows are beginning to appear across the city... Stay tuned to see how our horticulturalists planted this gorgeous display of petunias in The Domain. #MardiGras

As the weather cools these gorgeous Japanese anemones (Eriocapitella japonica) have begun to bloom at the Blue Mountain Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. Anemones are often known as windflowers: the name translates to "daughter of the wind" in Greek, and these delicate, pale flowers that nod on wiry stems often appear to be dancing in the mountain breeze.

Another Titan means another time lapse! Watch our second Amorphophallus titanum (Stink) bloom in our nursery behind the scenes. Keeping Stink in one place allowed our horticulturists to get hands on and document the entire bloom cycle, removing the spathe and the spadix to give our scientists a closer look at the pollen stages. Curious about the cameras in this video? Check out our updates from the 24hr period: https://lnkd.in/gYh35N-p #BBTB #WWTF

Last week our second corpse flower bloom was accompanied by an even stronger smell in the nursery - sending our fly friends into a frenzy. John Siemon, Director of Horticulture and Living Collections, shows us why the odour is crucial to ensure the survival of the plant.

We're seeking expressions of interest from hospitality innovators for The Domain Gateway. Dating back to 1835 and situated at the unique entrance to The Domain Sydney, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Art Gallery NSW, this is a rare chance to create a whole new dining and event destination in the heart of Sydney’s cultural and historical landmarks. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gEu43wWB Submissions close Friday 14 March 2025.