Dunedin in bloom for 26th Rhododendron Festival
13 Oct 2009
Dunedin Rhododendron Festival
18 to 26 October 2009
The cooler climes of Otago in New Zealand’s South Island are perfectly suited to growing rhododendrons and every year, when the blooms are at their best, the city of Dunedin celebrates with a special festival.
This year the Dunedin Rhododendron Festival will be celebrating its 26th anniversary and for the first time the event will run for an extended season to include the national holiday of Labour weekend.
Festival Highlights
More than 50 events make up the festival programme and bookings are heavy.
Highlights include workshops with author and photographer Dennis Greville who has written 15 gardening books and is a columnist for national and international publications. Greville will cover the topic of his latest book, ‘Colourful Gardens', and share ways to use colour to transform an environment. He’ll also present two workshops on ‘Easy on the Pocket Vegetable Gardening’.
Doug Thomson, curator of Dunedin Botanic Garden's Rhododendron Dell, will demonstrate aspects of rhododendron care and Dunedin’s tourist attractions - Larnach Castle and Glenfalloch Woodland Garden - will also stage events. ‘Tastings in the Garden’ will feature local foods, fine wines and beers at Larnach Castle and ‘Art in the Garden’ will see local artists and sculptors working in the Glenfalloch Garden with rhododendrons as their backdrop.
The Dunedin Horticultural Society 38th Annual Rhododendron Day will also coincide with the Festival. As well as plant stalls selling rare and unusual plants, more than 20 local gardens will be open to the public and a number of special garden tours will operate during the Festival.
Festival background
The Dunedin Rhododendron Festival has a well established history as a favourite community event. In 1984 the celebration focused on the Botanic Gardens' Rhododendron Dell, which is acknowledged as one of the world's most significant plantings of rhododendrons. Today the Dell covers 15 acres of land where there are more than 3500 rhododendrons with 178 species and over 200 named hybrids.
The Dunedin Rhododendron Festival is now a week long celebration that encourages residents and visitors to the city for a well-balanced programme of events relating to rhododendrons, gardening and associated leisure activities.
|
