Adelaide Botanic Garden

Every seed is a second chance.

Not all conservation happens in big, visible ways. Sometimes, it’s as small as a seed. Carefully collected. Carefully stored. Protected for the future.

There are many ways you can help:
🌱Learn more
🌱Share the story
🌱Support the work

It all starts with a single step.
https://bit.ly/4wmzT9U

South Australian Seed Conservation Centre

Every seed is a second chance - EOFY Appeal South Australia is home to incredible plant life – much of it found...

🦜 Happy World Parrot Day! 🦜

Today we’re celebrating the incredible beauty, diversity and intelligence of parrots!

We’re lucky to be surrounded by some truly gorgeous parrots in Adelaide, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and Wittunga Botanic Garden.

From the shy but beautiful Eastern Rosella and Adelaide Rosella to the very cheeky Rainbow Lorikeets, these birds bring our gardens to life every day.

With their vibrant feathers, intricate behaviours and playful curiosity, they reflect the remarkable diversity of Australia’s native species. 🦜

It's a moody, misty morning in the Garden 🙂

Seed by seed, species by species – we’re working to safeguard South Australia’s unique plant life.

But 1/3 of our native plant species are at risk due to the impacts of climate change, pests and more.

That’s why seed conservation matters.

Every seed is a second chance.

To learn more and support our work visit https://bit.ly/4wmzT9U

National Reconciliation Week, 27 May - 3 June, is a time for all Australians to learn, reflect and walk together toward a connected future.

This year’s theme, All In, is a reminder that isn’t a once a year moment. It’s a daily commitment we all share, and every action, big or small, matters.

At Adelaide Botanic Garden, you can deepen your understanding through a First Nations cultural tour.

Our tour providers share powerful stories about native plants in the Garden’s living collection, including how they’ve been used for generations for food, tools, medicine and ongoing cultural practices.

As you walk through the Garden, you’ll also learn about the rich social history of local Aboriginal people and their deep connections to community, culture and Country.

It’s a chance to slow down, listen and connect with knowledge that has shaped this land for tens of thousands of years.

Head to https://bit.ly/4nSSAyb for more info on booking a cultural tour this reconciliation week.

📷 Photos thanks to Bookabee Australia taken during their Aboriginal Native Plants and Social History Tour.

❗Don't miss your chance to experience the 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: 𝘠𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 at Adelaide Botanic Garden, on now until 8 June.

𝘠𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 reveals how materials, selfhood and society are tested - and transformed - under pressure. The exhibition features 24 artists who push and reshape their mediums to create rich, layered experiences across Art Gallery of South Australia, Samstag Museum of Art and the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

Installations in Adelaide Botanic Garden feature works by Archie Moore - 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘖𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, inside the Museum of Economic Botany.

In 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘖𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, Archie Moore creates a portrait of his father, Stanley Moore (1908–1994). Rather than standing face to face with his father’s likeness, audiences understand Stanley through the objects and papers he left behind.

You'll also find inspiring works inside the Bicentennial Conservatory by Robert Andrew - 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺, 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 and Erika Scott - 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘴.

https://bit.ly/4urW3pL

10am - 4pm
Open Daily
Entry is free.

🎤 Yield Strength Curator Tour with Ellie Buttrose

Hear more about key works in the 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: 𝘠𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 across all three venues through these exclusive in-conversation style talks with Exhibition Curator, Ellie Buttrose, Manager Interpretation and Cultural Collections, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Lindl Lawton and Senior Curator of Samstag Museum of Art, Gillian Brown.

Fri 5 Jun 2026
3.30pm - 7pm
Ticketed 👉 https://bit.ly/4nSRC51

Installation view: 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Yield Strength, featuring Remnants Of My Father
by Archie Moore,
Museum of Economic Botany, Adelaide,
photo: Saul Steed

Every seed is a second chance. 🌱

🔬Important research has uncovered a surprising finding: several 𝘗𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 species (commonly known as Pussy-tails or Fox-tails), once grouped together as the widespread 𝘗𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘴, are actually distinct species found only in South Australia, each surviving in small, isolated pockets.

While this discovery is exciting for science, it raises serious concerns for conservation. Seed collections are critically low, there is only a single collection of true 𝘗𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘴 (just 100 seeds from one site), 𝘗𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 is represented by only 350 seeds, and 𝘗𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴 is not held in the seed bank at all.

These species are under increasing pressure from grazing animals, reduced flowering, and a rapidly warming, drying climate. Without seeds, there can be no next generation, and without a seed bank, there is no safety net if wild populations are lost.

Collecting these seeds isn’t left to chance, it takes careful planning, expert knowledge, and boots-on-the-ground fieldwork, often in some of the toughest and most remote parts of the state. Every collection is an investment in the future.
You can be part of that journey. With your support, we can reach more locations, collect more seeds, and give these unique plants a real chance to thrive.

Donate today and help safeguard South Australia’s unique flora.

https://www.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/get-involved/foundation/every-seed-is-a-second-chance

Slow down at Mount Lofty Botanic Garden this Saturday, with a cosy Nature Journaling workshop.