Garden Features

The Royal Botanic Gardens have become world-famous for their spectacular vistas across sweeping lawns and lakes. Every visitor will enjoy a walk around the Ornamental Lake with its teeming native bird-life, however there is much more to see at Melbourne’s most popular garden attraction.

The mild climate of this city, combined with a long history of plant collection from around the world, has allowed an immense range of plants from across Australia and the world to be brought together at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Plants are displayed in major groupings, or "collections". The Botanic Gardens’ major plant collections include the Australian Forest Walk, Cacti & Succulents, Californian Collection, Camellia Collection, Cycads, Eucalypts, Fern Gully, Grey Garden, Herb Garden, Long Island, Oaks, New Zealand Collection, Perennial Border, Species rose, Tropical Display Glasshouse, Viburnum Collection and the Water Conservation Garden.

Australian Forest Walk

Explore Rainforest plants from Tasmania to Queensland in the Gardens’ new Australian Forest Walk. This Walk features informative signage telling the story of our rainforest habitats, and highlighting the importance of conserving these precious areas.

California Garden

Did you know that California and Victoria share a similar landscape and climate? Like Victoria, the climate and geography of California varies enormously across the state. There are hot dry deserts, temperate coastal areas, shrubby heathlands and windswept mountain-tops. Due to these similarities many Californian plants can be successfully grown in Victorian gardens. The collection has something interesting to see year round, however, the best time is during spring and summer when it is alive with colour.

Cacti & Succulents

Nature has created some bizarre and extraordinary plants, and none more so than those which grow in the desert regions of the world. We have recreated this arid landscape, displaying an extraordinary assortment of cacti, aloes, agaves and bromeliads, in a setting which could be straight out of your favourite "Western".

Camellias

A special treat during the winter months, the Gardens display over 300 varieties of the delicate Camellia. A particular favourite for Japanese visitors, the Gardens’ wide collection is one of Australia’s finest.

Cycad Collection

The Endangered Living Fossils Cycads are ancient cone-bearing plants that existed even during the time of the dinosaurs 140-200 million years ago. Today there are only about 80 species of cycads that naturally occur in Australia. They are generally found in tropical and sub tropical forests, although some can be found in drier areas. Several cycads are now in danger of extinction. The Royal Botanic Gardens' has a commitment to conservation, and plant collections such as this may be an important source of new plants if naturally occurring populations become depleted.

Eucalypts

Australia’s most famous plant export is the gum tree, and the Gardens’ wide collection of eucalypts allows visitors to fully appreciate the beauty and variety of our native trees. A range of native wildflowers from across Australia can also be viewed in season around the Australian Eucalypt Lawn.

Fern Gully

Enter the mysterious world of the Fern Gully, visitors can follow the stream through the Gully’s magnificent displays of lush tree ferns, and experience the habitat of a deep, sub-tropical rainforest.

Grey Garden

Created in the 1980’s, this visually arresting Garden features plants chosen for their grey and white foliage. Most are hardy species which survive well in dry conditions. The Grey Garden surrounds the delightful Temple of the Winds, built in honour of Charles La Trobe, and provides a sweeping view across the Yarra River to the city.

Herb Garden

The fragrant delights of the Herb Garden, which displays a wide variety of these culinary plants in a traditional Elizabethan setting, are a favourite for many visitors

Long Island

This project has transformed an area comprising largely weedy plant species and low value exotic plants, into a space which represents a significant collection of indigenous plant communities that existed prior to European settlement more widely in the CBD and region of the Lower Yarra. Today, these plant communities are very fragmented or non-existent in this region. The planting of 29 wetland species (14,000), and 67 terrestrial species (10,000) of local ‘known provenance’ plant species from five plant communities has significantly increased the Royal Botanic Garden's indigenous plant biodiversity. These communities include: Swamp Paperbark Thicket, Riparian Scrub, Grassy Woodland, Cliff Escarpment Shrubland, Wetland Community.

New Caledonia Collection

A unique flora that also shares some of Australia's plants. New Caledonia is one of the most unusual places on Earth. Alone in the Pacific for perhaps 80 million years, a fragment of the ancient super-continent Gondwanaland, the harsh soils and its isolation have allowed the survival of plants found nowhere else in the world. This collection highlights the unique flora of New Caledonia as well as the plants it shares with Australia such as, Grevilleas, Araucarias, Meleleucas and Callistemons.

New Zealand Collection

From grasslands to glaciated mountains, New Zealand's flora is as varied as its terrain. Approximately 85% of New Zealand plants are endemic, meaning that they only occur in New Zealand and nowhere else in the world. This collection of New Zealand plants is one of the oldest in Australia and reflects the diversity of New Zealand's landscape. The collection is also a fine example of former Director, William Guilfoyle's design expertise. He completed the collection in 1906, using striking folliage such as flaxes and cordylines to provide focal points within the beds, at the same time enhancing the landscape views. Many of these plants have become a feature in Melbourne gardens because of their great landscape potential and their suitabilty to the Melbourne climate.

Oaks

The great trees of the Royal Botanic Gardens are spectacular throughout the year, but Autumn is a particularly special time when the elms, oaks, and many other deciduous trees explode into a mass of vibrant yellow, red and orange.

Perennial Border

A garden of contrasting colour, texture and form. In this garden, large drifts of perennials are interspersed with sculptural, ornamental plants. Notice how the variation in colour, texture and form of the flowers and foliage create contrast within the garden.

Perennial Border Collection Map  

Roses

Lovers of the world’s most popular flower - the Rose - are delighted by the Gardens’ collections of "Species" and "Hybrid Tea" Roses. A multitude of varieties allow visitors to fully experience the magnificent colours, shapes and fragrances of these perennial favourites.

Southern Chinese Collection

Planted in 1985, the intention was not to emulate the style and atmosphere of a traditional Chinese garden, but rather to display a range of both common and rare plants from China. It was intended to be more a botanical collection rather than an ornamental feature. The RBG Melbourne has grown plant species from China for more than 150 years. The plants chosen for this collection in 1985 were sourced through index seminums from Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai Botanic gardens.

Tropical Display-Glasshouse

Did you know that rainforest plants provide many of our basic foods? Rainforests once covered 14 percent of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere six percent and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. This collection highlights the need for biodiversity and conservation. Most of the plants displayed here would naturally occur in the damp, dark understorey of rainforests. At least 80% of the developed world's diet originated in the tropical rainforest. Its bountiful gifts to the world include fruits like avocados, coconuts and bananas; and spices like black pepper, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee and vanilla.

Viburnum Collection

Ornamental plants need conserving too! Viburnums are plants with four seasons of interest. In the spring, they have profuse white to pink flowers with large, attractive and often highly textured leaves. Showy midsummer berries are an important food source for birds, and in autumn their colourful foliage is often a feature. Viburnums are also highly adaptable, hardy plants. Many of the cultivars in this collection are of historic significance and some are now rare in cultivation. The collection has been registered with the Ornamental Plant Collection Association of Australia which is involved in conserving plants in danger of being lost from cultivation in Australia.

Water Conservation Garden

Become a water-wise Gardener! The Water Conservation Garden teaches ways to conserve this precious resource while creating a pleasing display of flowering and foliage plants which can thrive with minimum watering.

Click here for more information on the Water Conservation Gardens.

Click here to find out more about water conservation at the Gardens.

Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne

One of the features of the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is the diversity of ecosystems that occur on the one site.  This results in a large number of plant species indigenous to the area (over 350 species) providing a variety of habitats for animals.

The five main vegetation communities are: Sedge Wetland, Grassy Woodland, Heathy Woodland, Wet Heathland, and Swamp Scrub.

Click here for more detailed information about the vegetation communities at RBG Cranbourne.