Friends of Sale Botanic Gardens members are proud to have been involved in the newest addition to the gardens -the Garden For Life – which was officially opened recently.
Plants are integral to people’s lives, providing food, shelter, fabric, medicine and building materials.
They clean the air and water and produce oxygen.
This garden aims to raise the profile of the plants around us and help the community understand our reliance on plants for our survival.
Designed by Andrew Laidlaw and his team at Laidlaw Design Landscape Architects, the garden has several significant aspects.
This includes the Woody Meadows, showcasing naturalistic plantings of Australian shrubs that can improve the appearance and function of low maintenance landscapes.
The copse of Ginkgo Biloba or Maiden Hair Tree, growing on a gentle undulating lawn, shows off its glorious golden autumnal foliage, which complements the colourful seating in the existing cluster of Ailanthus altissima – commonly known as the Tree of Heaven, a small tree from northern China.
This cluster was planted in the early 1900s.
There is also a thicket of bamboo – an evergreen perennial flowering plant of the family Poacea – which, when mature, will be a popular play space for local children.
In the meantime youngsters have been drawn to the water feature, especially in the warmer months before the COVID -19 shutdown.
Peacocks and peahens continue to roam the gardens alongside the Purple Swamphens, providing continual delight for visitors.
The Friends of Sale Botanic Gardens members have also been working on a project to have trees labelled in the gardens, which will give visitors a chance to identify them, and are looking forward to taking free guided tours after the coronavirus pandemic is over.
