Auckland Botanic Gardens

17/06/2026

The spectacular candelabra lily (Brunsvigia josephiniae) knows how to make an entrance. Native to South Africa, this remarkable bulb bursts into flower in late summer with huge heads of dark red-orange blooms — sometimes carrying up to 50 flowers on a single stem.

Unlike many plants, the leaves appear after flowering, while the bulb itself sits proudly exposed above the ground. Then comes one of its most fascinating tricks: once the seeds are ready, the entire seed head detaches and tumbles across the ground in the wind like a beach ball, scattering seeds as it rolls.

You can see this plant in the African Garden.

16/06/2026

Meet the wonderfully weird anchor plant (Colletia paradoxa). Native to South America, this slow-growing plant has almost no leaves at all — instead, its flattened green stems do the photosynthesising. Tiny leaves briefly appear on new growth before quickly dropping off, making it technically deciduous!

Its unusual zig-zag, spiky shape makes it a striking choice for gardens or containers, but is pretty slow growing. Discover this plant in the Rock Garden.

15/06/2026

Want to start a vege garden. Try growing silverbeet. It's easy to grow so good for beginners. It's incredibly productive so you'll have a great food source throughout the season, and it can be grown in pots, raised beds or in the ground - so no problem if space is limited.

14/06/2026

Here's your opportunity to access the incredible knowledge our staff have through our Meet the Gardener programme.

Come along on 17 June at 2pm at ask us your edible garden questions, from what to plant and how to get a productive harvest.

Visit our website for more details:
https://www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz/whats-on/events/meet-the-gardener-your-winter-edible-garden/

14/06/2026

Happy Volunteer Week!

This week, we celebrate the amazing people who make the Botanic Gardens thrive. From the library and Growing Friends to our horticultural teams, our volunteers give their time, energy, and passion to help our gardens flourish.

We are truly grateful for your dedication and the difference you make every day — thank you for being such an important part of our community!

13/06/2026

Getting up close with some flowers of the Edible Garden

12/06/2026

Delights of the Edible Garden with pops of red from the pineapple sage and deep purples from the brassicas.

11/06/2026

Just a couple of spots still available for the Botanical Papermaking workshop on Saturday 20th June. Visit our website for details.

https://www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz/whats-on/events/botanical-papermaking

Botanical papermaking

11/06/2026

Camellias add interest to your garden in winter with the diversity of flower colours and types. If you are looking to add a camellia to your garden, come visit the Camellia Garden for ideas.

Our tips for growing camellias at home:
• Choose an early-flowering (autumn) sasanqua camellia to avoid the worst effects of petal blight.
• Small-leaved Camellia species and hybrids grow well in Auckland and some are sweetly scented.
• Camellias are woodland plants so grow best in shelter and light shade.
• Apply an organic mulch or leaf mould annually to benefit soil health, moisture retention and w**d suppression.

While people love wandering through this garden, our native birds think it’s the perfect winter hideaway.

Photo: Camellia 'Koto-No-Kaori'

10/06/2026

Have you ever bough a plant, added it to your garden, then watched it die?

There can be lots of reasons why a plant doesn't survive and with a bit of extra knowledge, you can unlock your "green thumbs".

Plants fail when:
- they are root bound so check your plants when purchasing them
- planting at the wrong time so research this first before putting it in the ground
- too dry during establishment so check soil moisture regularly an water as required
- too wet so research what plants grow well in a wet area before hitting the garden centre
- poorly grown plants so check you are buying a healthy, vigorous plant

Visit our website for more garden advice. Happy gardening!