The restored and replanted Temperate House at the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, is to re-open to the public as a work in progress. From 2 December 2006, visitors will be able to view the ’‘Continents Apart’ exhibition showcasing the spectacular plants of South Africa and Australia.
The restored and replanted Temperate House at the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, is to re-open to the public as a work in progress. From 2 December 2006, visitors will be able to view the ’‘Continents Apart’ exhibition showcasing the spectacular plants of South Africa and Australia.
From today, visitors to the Botanic Garden’s website will also be able to witness the re-landscaping transformation via its webcam as the stone walls are installed and nearly 50 tonnes of special recipe compost are brought in.
The transformation of the Temperate House into ‘Continents Apart’ is the first in an overarching plan to reinvigorate the landscapes of the Glasshouse Range to tell the story of how plants have evolved to survive all over the globe in conditions ranging from tropical to desert. It also aims to engage visitors with some of the most urgent concerns of our time: habitat loss, species extinction, and the need to find sustainable solutions for co-existing with the natural world.
The magnificently restored teak structure of the Temperate House, the last of its kind still in existence in the UK, will provide an inspirational setting for ‘Continents Apart’, a display which will show how plant families common to both Australia and South Africa evolved once these land masses drifted apart. It will also explore how the dynamic interactions of climate change, geology and living things, over the course of millions of years, have resulted in some of the most diverse and exciting plant communities on earth.
Rob Brett, Glasshouse Supervisor at the Botanic Garden said, “In designing ‘Continents Apart’, we have really tried to evoke the sun-baked landscapes of South Africa and Australia. We will even be burning part of it to show how bushfire is actually essential to the survival of some plants: for example, the seedcases of South Africa’s national flower, the King Protea, can only be cracked open by the heat of fire, allowing the seeds to be dispersed into a perfectly nutritious seedbed of ash containing all the chemical triggers needed for germination”.
Other spectacular plants showcased will include the extraordinary Kangaroo Paws, Grass Trees and Pincushion flowers.
New seating at the Temperate House will encourage visitors to linger and soak up the experience, and in December there will be a seasonal twist in the form of a huge, beautifully illuminated Christmas tree occupying the elegant central space.
Continents Apart has been generously supported by Donarbon Ltd through Evolve EB, and by a grant from the Sustainable City programme of Cambridge City Council.
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