Wittunga Botanic Garden

Location
History
Services and Facilities
Collections and Displays
Plant Collections Policy
Map

Location

Wittunga Botanic Garden
Shepherd's Hill Road
Blackwood SA 5051
Australia

Phone: (61 8) 8370 8370
Fax: (61 8) 8339 6851

History

South African Heathland

Wittunga at Blackwood in the Adelaide Hills was established by Mr Edwin Ashby in 1901, and was generously given to the State by his son Mr Keith Ashby and family in 1965. The garden is managed by the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and was first opened to the public in 1975.

Edwin Ashby originally created a formal English garden at Wittunga with herbaceous borders, roses, trellises and arbours. However, his fascination in the native plants of Australia and South Africa led to the development of a most interesting and different garden, part of which remains today.

Wittunga’s displays of Australian and South African plants are especially spectacular in spring and include rich collections of Erica, Leucadendron, and Protea, complemented by displays of exotic and unusual bulbs and colourful annuals. The majority of the South African plants in the garden come from the Cape Province district which has a climate similar to that of Adelaide.

The Australian collection features plants from the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, southern Western Australia and includes a fine collection of eucalypts. Meandering pathways through the Terrace and Sandplain Gardens give visitors the opportunity to see these distinctive and colourful collections. Many different birds can be seen attracted by the good supplies of nectar produced by the flowers of plants in the collection.

Wittunga Botanic Garden is a popular place for family gatherings and the shady lawns next to the lakeside make it a perfect place for picnics.

To get to know this interesting garden better, join the Garden Guides for a guided walk on Tuesdays in spring leaving from the carpark at 10:30am.

Services and Facilities

Opening hours

Photo: D. Jeisman

Weekdays 8:30am — 4:00pm
Weekends and public holidays 10:00am — 5:00pm

During daylight savings the Garden will close on weekends at 6:00pm.

Admission is free.

Car parking is available in the car park off Shepherd’s Hill Road.

Guided Tours

Guided walks leave from the carpark.

10:30am every Tuesday in Spring (September, October and November).

The walks last about one and a half hours.

Wittunga Naming Walk

A new interpretive trail was opened on 7th March 2001 (International Volunteers Day) by the then Minister for the Environment at Wittunga Botanic Garden. The Friends of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, the peak volunteer organisation for the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, provided funds for the development and installation of the trail. Since the then Minister was also responsible for the Volunteers portfolio, the opening of the Naming Walk provided an ideal opportunity to mention and recognise the valuable contributions of all volunteers.

The concept of the Naming Walk is to demonstrate how plants are named scientifically and the origins of the names whether from a person or characteristic of the plant. There are twenty four independent interpretative signs installed throughout the garden, stationed alongside the appropriate plant.

South African Fynbos

Collections and Displays

Wittunga is a botanic garden which grows plants from the south west of Australia and South Africa which enable comparisons to be made between these two ancient floras of Gondwana.

Collections include Australian Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Leptospermum, Callistemon and Kunzea) and Proteaceae (Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea, Leucadendron, Leucospermum and Protea), and South African Ericaceae (Erica), southern Western Australian wildflowers and the South African fynbos (heathland).

Plant Collections Policy

Introduction

When the Board of the Botanic Gardens assumed responsibility for Wittunga Botanic Garden in 1965, the overall collection policy of growing South African and Australian taxa was retained. This was largely in keeping with the planting themes of the Ashby family, who donated Wittunga to the State Government in 1965.

Several themes are identified as necessary for the future development of Wittunga. While following those developed by the Ashby family they incorporate a more modern approach to botanic garden displays. These themes are listed below under the categories of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide Living Collections Policy.