Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) are botanic gardens across two sites—in the City of Melbourne and the Cranbourne gardens.

The Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. The gardens slope down to the river with trees, garden beds, lakes and lawns and displays almost 50,000 individual plants representing 8,500 different species, displayed in thirty living plant collections. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne site was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 20 August 1982 due to its historical, architectural, scientific, aesthetic, and social significance.

The Cranbourne Gardens was established in 1970 when land was acquired by the Gardens in the suburb of , on Melbourne's south-eastern urban fringe for the purpose of establishing a garden dedicated to Australian plants. A generally wild site that is significant for biodiversity conservation, it opened to the public in 1989, where visitors can explore native bushland, heathlands, wetlands and woodlands. It also includes Australia's most comprehensive botanical library.

The gardens are governed under the Royal Botanic Gardens Act 1991 by the Royal Botanic Gardens Board, adjacent to Government House, Melbourne Observatory and the Kings Domain. Initially granted just , the area was significantly enlarged in 1857, upon the appointment of Ferdinand von Mueller as the first permanent director, having previously served as the government botanist, where he created the National Herbarium of Victoria and brought in many plants.

In June 2015 the Gardens brought together the elements of the organisation under the name Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, incorporating Melbourne Gardens, Cranbourne Gardens, the National Herbarium of Victoria and the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology.

Horticulture

thumb|Ornamental lake

thumb|right|Southern lawn

thumb|right|Autumn at the gardens

Living collections, or individual gardens, at the Melbourne site include: Aotearoa New Zealand, Araucariaceae, Australian Forest Walk, Australian Rare and Threatened Species, Cacti and Succulent, Camellia, Climate Ready Rose Collection, Cycad, Eucalypt, Fern Gully, Gardens House, Grey Garden, Guilfoyle's Volcano, Herb and Medicinal, The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden, Lower Yarra Rivver Habitat, North American Drylands, Palm, Perennial Border, Quercus, Southern Africa, Southern China, and Terrestrial Orchid Collection.

Ecology

The gardens include a mixture of native and non-native vegetation which invariably hosts a diverse range of both native and non-native fauna. The gardens host over 10,000 floral species, the majority being non-native species. The gardens were the origin from which many introduced species spread throughout south-eastern Australia as seeds were traded between early European botanists in the mid-19th century, studying the Australian flora.

Native vegetation

From the establishment of the gardens in 1846, much of the native vegetation was removed as botanists such as Baron Von Mueller planted a range of species from around the world. While initially much of the native wetlands and swamplands in the gardens were left, around the turn of the 20th century these were re-landscaped to create the Ornamental Lake. Despite this, however, there are some large eucalypts remaining including the prominent Separation Tree, a 300-year-old river red gum, under which Victoria was declared a separate colony. In August 2010 the Separation Tree was attacked by vandals and then attacked again in 2013, by 2015 it was dead and removal of the canopy and branches commenced. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne focus solely on Australian native plants.

Non-native traditional gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne were initially intended to be a horticultural exhibition for the public to enjoy, many seeds were traded between early European botanists such as Arthur and Von Mueller, who planted non-native species. The Queen and her grandfather, Dame Nellie Melba and Paderewski contributed plantings on occasions throughout the history of the gardens.

Plant science

Since its earliest days, the Royal Botanic Gardens is involved in plant research and identification. This is done primarily through the National Herbarium of Victoria, which is based at the Gardens. The Herbarium is also home to the State Botanical Collection, which includes over 1.5 million dried plant specimens, and an extensive collection of books, journals and artworks. Research findings are published in the journal Muelleria, which is a scientific representation of the work done in the Gardens in any one year. More recently, the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology has been established to look at plants that grow in urban environments specifically.

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Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden

The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden is designed as a discovery area for children of all ages and abilities. The Ian Potter Children's Garden, named for the Ian Potter Foundation, is based in South Yarra, off the main site. This area is closed for two months of the year from the end of the Victorian July school holidays for rest and maintenance.

In 2004 or 2005 The Magic Pudding sculpture, by Louis Laumen, was unveiled in the garden. The concept for the garden was developed by Simon H. Warrender (son of Simon George Warrender and Pamela Warrender), who also commissioned the sculpture, through Committee for Melbourne's Future Focus Group, which was founded by Pamela. Simon Warrender announced the establishment of the annual prizes to be awarded by his Melbourne Prize Trust at the unveiling.

Gallery

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Eastern Lawn 2018.jpg|Eastern lawn

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Fern Gully 2017.jpg|Fern gully

Melb botanical gardens.jpg|A section of the gardens in winter

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Oak Lawn 2017.jpg|Oak lawn

BGM Herb Garden.jpg|Herb garden

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne The Terrace 2017.jpg|Terrace Restaurant

Royal Botanic Gardens (Entrance Gate).jpg|The main entrance gate

Plan_of_the_Government_House_reserve_Botanic_Garden_and_its_Domain_indicating_the_principal_plantations%2C_Ernst_Bernhard_Heyne%2C_1825_-_1881.jpg |1869 plan of the Government House reserve, including the Melbourne gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Visitor Centre 2017.jpg|Visitor centre, Melbourne gardens, 2017

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