page_title: Auckland Botanic Gardens
section_title: Collection
hierarchical_section_title: Auckland Botanic Gardens / Collection
caption_attribution_description: Auckland Botanic Gardens, New Zealand. Photo taken 15 April 2006
context_page_description: Auckland Botanic Gardens is a 64-hectare botanical garden in Manurewa, South Auckland, New Zealand, owned by Auckland Council. The first purchase of land by the Auckland Regional Authority – predecessor of Auckland Regional Council – dates back to 1968. Developments started in 1973. The garden was officially opened to the public in 1982. In that same year the first Visitors Guide was published. It now holds more than 10,000 plants.
context_section_description: Important collections of the Auckland Botanic Gardens include:
  New Zealand Native Plant Collection, in several areas:
  - The New Zealand Native Plant Identification Trail: a short walk highlighting characteristics of a selection of NZ native plants
  - The Native Forest Trail: a marked walk that leads through a broadleaf/podocarp forest remnant with a total of about 30 hectares. 10 hectares are part of and managed by the Botanic Gardens. 20 hectares are part of 'Totara Park', managed by the Manukau City Council. The area was cut in earlier times to harvest timber. The forest is now regenerating. There are a number of tracks in the area. One of the tracks is described in a leaflet with information on plants and trees. The flora of the combined area consists of 158 species in total.
  - The Harakeke (Phormium) Collection, with a large number of cultivars traditionally used by Maori for weaving.
  - The Threatened Native Plant Collection, opened 2001 by Helen Clark, ex-Prime Minister of New Zealand.  Here we find for instance fine specimen of Three Kings (Trumpet) Vine Tecomanthe speciosa and of Shore Spurge.
  - Native Plant Ideas: ornamental native plants combined in creatively designed gardens.
  Rose Garden: consisting of the Historic Rose Garden (species and heritage roses), Reflective Rose Garden (formal display of floribunda, hybrid tea, shrub and climbing roses), New Zealand Rose Garden (a mix of garden roses with native plants) and Pergola Garden (modern and heritage roses with colourful perennials and annuals).
  The Potter Children's Garden: arranged in 3 parts, the first stage focuses on the relationship between a native bird (kereru) and a native tree (puriri) with additional native planting themes of coastal, forest, wetland and a maze. The second part has 4 distinct habitats (bog, meadow, jungle and desert) showing plant adaptations. A separate third area contains a classroom and sustainable edible garden.
  Trial Garden: groups of plants are selected for evaluation and research purposes.
  Gondwana Arboretum: groupings of trees planted from the early 2000s onwards which showcase predominantly coniferous trees from Southern Hemisphere countries which once were part of Gondwana.
  Edible and Herb Garden: a series of themed gardens which include the Walled Garden (portage-style garden with brick walls showing different micro-climates), Culinary Courtyard (formal display of attractive and useful culinary plants), Kiwi Backyard (informal garden with a food forest, raised planters, and composting ideas) and Orchard. The Herb Garden is one of the oldest plantings, established in 1979, with an array of herbs conveying their uses, value and historical significance.
  Perennial Garden: bold, creative, colourful combinations of colour, texture and form of perennial plants that are known to do well in Auckland.
  Camellia Garden: a collection of species and cultivars with well known Camellia species of japonica, sansanquas and reticulatas, supported with woody and herbaceous plantings of East Asian origin.
  Magnolia Garden: a diverse array of species and cultivars, including a collection of NZ-bred varieties.
  South African Garden: a wide range of southern Africa plants, particularly Cape flora. Significant plantings include Proteaceae, Asteraceae, restios and aloes.
  Rock Garden: two sections with one an eclectic mix of uncommon plants with an emphasis on small perennials, shrubs, bulbs and succulents and another featuring cacti and succulents from the Americas.
  Palm Garden: one of NZ's largest outdoor collection of different palms supported by sub-tropical plantings.
  Urban Trees: shows a selection of small trees that can be successfully planted in private gardens.
  There are a number of other smaller collections, for instance a collection of conifers, with a specimen of Keteleeria davidiana and Bishop Pine Pinus muricata.
  The database, that lists all the plants in the collections, is available for consultation in the Visitor Centre.
caption: Visitor centre
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot G3", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2006:05:28 12:57:22", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "184", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "180", "Thumbnail YResolution": "180", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1651", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6817", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/640", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:04:15 15:49:16", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:04:15 15:49:16", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "5", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "149/16", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "2", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "115/16", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1717", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1284", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "2272", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "1704", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1486", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "56800/7", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "56800/7", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}