Hamilton Gardens

A botanic garden like no other, Hamilton Gardens is a 58 hectare world of horticultural skill and imagination.

Hamilton Gardens hasn't been developed in the manner of conventional botanic gardens. Instead, it explores the relationships between people and plants in five garden collections that are spread over 58 hectares.

The Paradise Garden Collection includes gardens that represent China, England, Japan, America and Italy. Each garden is highly individual with a totally different design philosophy.

The Landscape Garden Collection encompasses Bussaco Woodland, Hamilton East Cemetery, Echo Bank Bush and Valley Walk. These gardens make the most of natural features and display different historic interpretations of an idealised landscape.

The Productive Garden Collection is all about gardens that are functionally useful. There's a herb garden, a kitchen garden and a sustainable backyard garden and includes the newely opened Te Parapara Garden, displaying traditional knowledge, materials and ceremonies frucused on the heritage of local Maori.

The Cultivar Garden Colleciton tells the stories of plants that have been selectively bred for the garden. It includes areas devoted to roses, camellias, rhododendrons and Victorian garden flowers.


Finally, but possibly most memorable of all, is the Fantasy Garden. Here imaginations have been allowed to run riot, with a special focus on the themes of 'perfume' and 'time'.