Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (1828 - )

Summary

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) was established in 1828 when Lieutenant-Governor Arthur put aside land in Hobart and appointed William Davidson as the first superintendent. Since then the gardens have passed through multiple hands and names. From 1843 - 1856 the RTBG were the responsibility of the Botanical and Horticultural Society of Van Diemen's Land (1843 - 1844), then the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land for Horticulture, Botany and the Advancement of Science (1844 - 1911) Royal Society of Tasmania (1911 - ). In 1885 control of the RTBG was returned to the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian Museum and Botanical Gardens Trust (1886 - 1953) was formed to manage it. In 1967 the RTBG was given the right to use the term "royal" in its name. The RTBG plays a significant role in conservation of native Tasmanian plants and houses a seed bank and conducts extensive research and conservation work with Tasmanian orchids.

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Hurburgh, M., The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, 1818-1986: a History in Stone, Soil and Superintendents (Sandy Bay, Tas: Shearwater Press, 1986), 88 pp. Details
• Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, The Gardens: celebrating Tasmanian's botanical treasure 1818 - 2018 (Hobart: Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, 2017), 60 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Mickleborough, Leinie, 'The Eardley-Wilmot wall at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens: to ''keep out grasshoppers"?', Papers and proceedings: Tasmanian Historical Research Association, 71 (1) (2024), 64-70. Details
• Sheridan, G., 'Mystery and Malovelence: the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens Celebrated 190 Years', Australian Garden History, 20 (2) (2008), 19-24. Details

Resource Sections

• 'TA1568 Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens', in Agency Details, Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Government. https://stors.tas.gov.au/AI/TA1568. Details