A workshop on Australian Alpine and Subalpine Plants and the threat of the Sambar deer will offer a helping hand to gardening enthusiasts this month.
The Cranbourne Friends Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is inviting resident along to the workshop on Sunday 25 November, where they will get tips about flora in Victoria’s High Country from 9.30am-1pm.
Volunteer Rodger Elliot said it was a fantastic opportunity, particularly people are contemplating joining the Cranbourne Friends’ Six-day Hotham Wildflowers Discovery Tour in January 2019.
The day will start at 9.30am with refreshments including tea coffee, tea and bikkies.
Guest speaker Neville Walsh will kick-off the workshop. He is a Senior Conservation Botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Neville who has spent much time in the ‘High Country’ will provide an overview of ‘High Country’ Flora.
The second session will feature Megan Hurst, who is the vibrant and effervescent Seed Bank Officer for the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Conservation Seedbank. Meg will be speaking on the beautiful Alpine daisies which she has studied in detail.
Broni Swartz and Matt Henderson, both horticulturalists at Cranbourne Gardens will also reveal plans for displaying subalpine plants in the Australian Garden at Cranbourne under the title ‘Subalpine Plants in the Australian Gardens – Current and Future’.
The final guest, Zac Walker, a Research Officer at the Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, Latrobe University, will look at the impacts of sambar deer on some of the threatened alpine plant communities on the Bogong High Plains.
Bookings must be made by August 26 via email at at www.rbgfriendscranbourne.org.au.
Details: Australian Garden Auditorium, Cranbourne Royal Botanic Garden, corner of Ballarto Road and Botanic Drive, Cranbourne. Cost: Members $30, non-members $40, students $15.
