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Horsham
Botanic Gardens |
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Horsham Botanic Gardens date back to 1878, when a block of 16 ha (40 acres) was reserved on the north side of the Wimmera River. At the time, the land was open woodland dominated by Sheoak and Black Box, with River Red Gums along the river and Grey Box further inland. The original layout of the gardens was by William Guilfoyle, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, who visited the site and drew up plans in 1880. |
However, what you see today is nothing like the wide open parkland intended by Guilfoyle. There are several distinct areas: the formal gardens, which most people know as “The Botanical Gardens”; a wetlands area; the riverside; the "urban woodland"; the tennis and croquet clubs; and the caravan park. The formal gardens contain a number of specimen trees, some being among the first planted soon after 1880. There are shaded lawns, flower beds (a dahlia bed has become a tradition), a rose garden, barbecue and play area, and even a pond in the shape of Australia. The site is a significant aboriginal site, with some of the trees around the wetland showing signs of bark removal well before European settlement. This is recognised by a memorial in the north-west corner of the reserve. The formal gardens have recently been divided into zones with different themes. Some of these show how you can have an eye-catching garden without filling it with thirsty annuals: new displays use succulents, gravels and rocks. There are new labels to tell you what the plants are and where they come from. Thick mulches are being used below trees to conserve water around their roots, while recycled water is now being used from a nearby housing development. And there are still the bright colours of the roses. Why not come and have a look! This web site is designed to encourage you to visit the gardens, to give you a taste prior to a visit, to provide you with a guide to accompany your visit, and to feed your curiosity when you return home! The formal gardens are open from sunrise to sunset daily, while the outer areas are never closed. Text
on this site was
written by Roger
Cousens, who is
responsible for
any errors. Information
was taken from
the 2003 MasterPlan
of Horsham Botanic
Gardens by Jill
Orr-Young, from
a number of Horsham
residents and
from collections
of The Horsham
Historical Society.
Additional pictures
are reproduced
courtesy of The
State Library
of Victoria. Particular
thanks go to Lindsay
and Sue Smith.
Anyone who would
like to contribute
further information
or images should
email the author
(rcousens@unimelb.edu.au).
Changes last
made 7 October 2008. |