Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens

The 19th Annual Art Exhibition of the Friends’ Botanic Art Group will be held in the Visitor Centre Gallery at the ANBG from 10 April to 3 May 2026. It features artworks of native flora, with a special focus on wetland plants and habitats. 

This talk will cover some of the projects at the National Seed Bank, including testing the viability of seed in storage, the exchange of plant knowledge with the Mala women rangers at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and the germination of Leionema and Phebalium species.

The next Cameras and Café Walk will be held on Saturday 18 April 2026. To be part of it you need to be at the bus stop at 8.40 am. Participants can choose to move around the Gardens as a group or head off with their camera individually. We reconvene for a chat at Pollen Cafe at around 10.30 am.

Jane Cottee will be facilitating a plant recognition workshop on the Myrtaceae family, focussing on practical identification tips and useful botanical features and terminology.

Join horticulturist Alistair Kirkpatrick for a practical, inspiring session on creating a garden that can handle Australia’s changing climate. Learn how to use plant layering, diversity and smart design to build shade, improve soil, and reduce watering.

Leo, recently retired from CSIRO, appreciates how pivotal it was for him to see certain species of bird in the wild in Australia and South America and the happy pursuit of a career studying evolution of birds, especially in these countries.

Stephen Hunter, the Photographic Group’s publicity officer, will talk about planning for overseas travel from a photographer’s perspective. He will illustrate his talk with stories and images from visits to Uzbekistan, Italy, India, Peru, Ecuador (Galapagos Islands and Amazon Basin), and the wilds of Patagonia. Stephen will also bring along examples of the photo books he has compiled on his travels as well as the gear he uses to transport photographic equipment.