Duration: 09:08
Garden
From city parks to open spaces and gardens, join us as we explore the green spaces around us – now more important than ever!
Garden ambassador
Georgina Reid, Founder of The Planthunter
We’re excited to have Georgina Reid as our Garden ambassador. Discover a new perspective on the natural world with Georgina's experience as writer, designer and founding editor of The Planthunter, as we explore the importance of green spaces this Sydney Open.
The Planthunter has grown an international reputation for its fierce commitment to documenting, exploring, and questioning the endlessly curious and varied ways humans relate to the natural world. In addition to editing The Planthunter, Georgina contributes to a range of design and culture publications and speaks regularly about her work. Georgina’s first book, The Planthunter: Truth, Beauty, Chaos, and Plants was released by Thames and Hudson in 2018. She is currently editing a new print journal titled Wonderground, launching in early 2021.
Enjoy a special photo essay from Georgina providing insights into her own gardening world.
Self-guided audio tour
Parks and Gardens
with Colleen Morris
Self-guided audio tour, 2 hours
Hear from landscape heritage consultant, author and curator, Colleen Morris as she guides you through the parks and gardens of the CBD and discusses their relevance for today.
Wander through public gardens and enjoy fascinating insights into the importance of green space in conversation with Colin Bisset, writer, traveller and contributor to ABC Radio National's Blueprint for living. Participants will require their own headphones and device.
Use our handy web app or download here:
Exhibition
Paradise on Earth
Museum of Sydney
Paradise on Earth is a celebration of the career and legacy of Marion Mahony Griffin that will enchant visitors of all ages. Imagine a place where the natural and built world exist in perfect balance; where the sounds, colours and smells of Sydney’s bush and harbour meld into a sensual fusion of vitality and mystery. In 1920s Sydney, architect Marion Mahony Griffin, in collaboration with her husband and creative partner, Walter Burley Griffin, created this ideal at Castlecrag, a ‘model residential suburb’ built on the picturesque shores of Middle Harbour.
Today, 100 years after the establishment of Castlecrag, and 150 years since Marion Mahony Griffin’s birth, Paradise on Earth explores Mahony’s extraordinary vision and her ongoing inspiration to artists, architects, historians and urban planners. Dramatic installations, immersive digital experiences and stunning objects illustrate her unique approach to art, architecture and design.
Watch
Secrets of Vaucluse House gardens
Join Sydney Living Museums garden and horticultural experts as they take you on a tour of the gardens of Vaucluse House in Spring.
Vaucluse House is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am–4pm.
The Gardens are open daily, 24 hours.
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Plant your history
In the Plant your history blog, Sydney Living Museums’ gardening staff and curators share their knowledge and observations about the gardens at SLM.
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Florilegium: plant stories from our gardens
From the lost inner-city garden of NSW Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay at Elizabeth Bay and the extensive grounds of William Charles Wentworth’s Vaucluse harbourside villa, to the mid-century plantings surrounding Rose Seidler’s modernist home and the Bunya-dotted rural setting of Rouse Hill House & Farm, SLM’s gardens reveal captivating stories spanning more than 200 years.
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Garden ornaments and decoration
In the collection at Vaucluse House a handful of decorative green glazed perforated tiles, or blocks, survive as orphaned relics of 19th century garden ornament on the estate. These Chinese tiles are just one example of many garden ornaments and decorations found in our collections.
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From the collection: the garden year with Mr Bear
This charming children’s book was published in Sydney in late 1937 or early 1938 by the Australian seed company Arthur Yates & Co. It’s Just one item from a large collection of books about Australian gardens, gardening, gardeners gifted to us by the late Professor Richard Clough AM through the Commonwealth Cultural Gifts Program.
