Bernadette Carroll spoke of the eight heritage gardens in Boroondara and explained that these gardens reflect social history, provide a sense of place for the community, display seasonal change, provide a respite from the build environment, are a source of civic pride and display and preserve significant plants and trees.
There are a number of features that make the gardens ‘heritage’, being aesthetic, architectural, historical, scientific and social.
She showed lovely slides and explained the history of the gardens.
The Alexandra Garden in Cotham Road Kew was established in 1908 and named after the popular Queen Alexandra. The Canterbury Garden was established in 1896. Read Garden at the corner of Broadway and Stanhope Grove in Canterbury was laid out in 1903 and originally called the Broadway Garden.
Lower Reserve dates from 1885 and is located in Camberwell Road, near the junction. The Central Gardens, located between William and Henry Streets in Hawthorn are very popular with students from Swinburne and were laid out in 1890. The oldest park – established in 1861 - is St James Park, in Burwood Road Hawthorn. Surrey Garden in Union Road, close to the corner of Canterbury Road, dates from the early 1900s, while Maranoa Garden in Balwyn was established in 1901.
Bernadette explained that the gardens are sustainable with careful management following modern techniques and incorporating response to climate change.
