Most of the people who come to the Botanic Gardens just lie around on the grass when the sun is kind enough to show its face. The small but charming Kelvin River defines its northern edge. But for those with a horticultural bent will be happy to explore the two greenhouses and the other gardens spread throughout. Of the two greenhouses, the Kibble Palace and Main Range, the latter is more interesting. Kibble Palace is home to many ferns, but the building is in a rather poor state, although a major refurbishment is due in a few years. The Main Range has also seen better days, and the far western end of the reasonably large building has been closed. But the rest of the greenhouse is dedicated to thematic flower and plant displays, and you can see some very interesting flora indeed.
The first room in the Main Range, starting from the far eastern end, closest to the main entrances, has a few basic pretty flowers, but adjacent is the Orchid Room. I don’t know much about flowers or botany in general, but orchids are incredibly diverse—they come in every imaginable color, size and shape, and many have imaginative names like ‘Happy Girl’ and ‘Hilo Lip Select’. The next two rooms are the Arid Room and the Succulent House, which of course have the kind of plants you expect to find in dry environments, especially cacti. The next room was called the Palm House, and was home to many palms but my personal favorite was the tropical pitcher plant. Next along was devoted to Economic Plants. These were plants that have been cultivated for economic reasons, from sugar to cereal crops to ebony. It was pretty interesting to see where many of these day-to-day products from. The last room is called Tropical Ferns, and houses just that.
There are other sights to be found. Past the Main Range is a fairly large herb garden and another plot devoted to economic crops. If you walk further back along the river, you will find firs and birch trees. The Visitors Centre, next to the Main Range, has information about the gardens and other exhibits. There is a small café just inside the Kibble Palace entrance. Most of the time, an ice-cream vendor sells ice cream, candy and sodas outside the main entrance, if you want to stock up before going in. And of course you can always feed the pigeons.
The gates are open daily from 7am to 9pm in the summer or dusk in the winter. The Visitors Centre is open from 11am-4pm daily, and the greenhouses are open from 10am to 4:45pm/4:15pm in summer/winter. There is no admission charge. Maps are posted near the entrances, and map leaflets can be obtained from inside Kibble Palace. Also, there are public toilets near the Queen Margaret Drive gate, just behind Kibble Palace.
From mid-March to late-September there are free historical guided walks every Sunday, departing from Kibble Palace at 2pm.