WINTER GARDEN READY TO BLOOM
THE final touches are being made to the refurbishment of Dunedin’s 110yearold Edwardian winter glasshouse.
For the past seven months, the Dunedin Botanic Garden’s winter glasshouse has been undergoing a full refurbishment, improving both its appearance and the environmental conditions inside.
Work included replacing glass, repairing window frames, doors and the outer metal structure, painting, drainage and mechanical upgrades of the louvre control to maintain desired heat and humidity inside.
Garden information services officer Clare Fraser said bad weather had delayed some painting and window resealing work but the refurbishment should be finished within the next two weeks.
There had been no increase to the $591,000 budget, Ms Fraser said.
Paving, some painting and a final cleanup of the site still needed to completed, she said.
Staff would soon start moving more than 900 plants which had been kept in the propagation house in the upper garden back to the glasshouse.
‘‘Preparation has started for the replanting which is a pretty important part of the whole job and we’re also preparing some more interpretation signs for the new plants being added.’’
It would be reopened to the public on March 15.
The last time the building was totally refurbished was in the early 1990s. The work was needed to ensure the garden retained its sixstar status as one of New Zealand’s top gardens.