Gardens get big day out

HOW often to do visit your local botanic garden, and how much do you know about its significant plants and history?

This National Botanic Gardens Day, Sunday, 29 May, falls during Ballarat Heritage Week, and Friends of Buninyong Botanic Gardens are set to educate visitors, and celebrate, with some creative assistance from Buninyong Primary School’s grade one and two pupils.

FBBG president Roger Permezel said the children have visited the Gardens and taken fallen autumn leaves in various colours and shapes back to school which will be used in an artistic installation this weekend.

“Under the guidance of the Friends and art teacher Michelle Noyce, the kids have been crafting the leaves into transparent drapes to be displayed around the Gardens on National Botanic Gardens Day,” he said.

“Each of the 40-plus drapes will be hanging to create a forest room between four trees. They will hang on ropes strung at a height of two-and-a-half metres.

“Free guided tours of the Buninyong Botanic Gardens will feature the forest room and highlight the heritage and other significant trees in the Gardens.”

Ms Noyce said the next-door neighbourly relationship the School has with the Friends is a valuable and important one.

“It’s such a fantastic community connection to have. We love utilising our Gardens. They are an amazing resource which enrich the students’ learning,” she said.

“The children have loved collecting the leaves, feeling their textures, and doing crayon rubbings to look at their shapes and patterns.”

Buninyong Botanic Gardens dates back to 1861, is one of the first gazetted botanical garden spaces in the state, and is on the Victorian Heritage Register.

National Botanic Gardens Day tours will run from 11am and 3pm at the lower Buninyong Botanic Gardens. Musical entertainment will also be presented throughout the day.