Lae, Morobe Province, PNG, 23rd October, 2015 – that will help to restore the gardens to their former glory and transform the Northern precinct into an incredible botanical experience for visitors; with the beauty and diversity of PNG culture and plant life at its heart.
These designs were made possible by a generous donation from Swire Shipping who have long supported the Program. PNG’s Forest Research Institute in partnership with Friends of the Lae Botanic Gardens are now calling out to all major sponsors to help enable each garden design become a reality.
Working together as a community to bring these designs to life will put the Lae Botanic Gardens back on the map as one of PNG’s top tourist destinations and may well reinstate Lae as the beautiful ‘Garden City’ of PNG.
Engaged by Swire Shipping, award winning Cairns-based Garden City Design Co. were responsible for these garden creations. Already familiar with Lae having worked on the beautiful Lae War Cemetery that neighbours the Gardens, the design concepts incorporated feedback from key stakeholders and showcased much of PNG’s spectacular and diverse flora, adding significant educational, recreational and tourist appeal to the gardens.
The designs include a Heliconia Garden, Ginger Garden, Food, Fibre and Health Garden and Foliage Garden spread throughout the Northern section and connected via pathways with archways and creeping plants that meander around existing picnic areas, mumu pits, the creek, staircase and islands. There is even a fun design for a children’s maze to complement the existing BSP playground area. The designs offer a glimpse of a natural wonderland full of colour, texture and structure that would take the visitor on a journey through PNG’s unique and complex environment.
Key supporters and stakeholders of the Lae Botanic Gardens met today to see the designs revealed, Graeme Davis from Swire Shipping remarked ‘it is a proud moment to see these designs presented today. Swire Shipping is committed to a better future for the gardens so that they again become an important part of the Lae community, and a significant achievement for PNG. These designs give us all an enticing preview of the potential that Swire has always seen in the gardens and we hope other businesses will show their support by helping the Forest Research Institute build them.’
The National Botanic Gardens Advancement Program is inviting businesses to come on board to help create these gardens with naming rights for each garden forming part of each sponsorship package. Dr. Martin Golman, Acting Director of the PNG Forest Research Institute stated ‘we will need help to make these gardens a reality, these designs offer a new level of sophistication for the National Botanic Gardens and we are so excited to get to this stage with the help of Swire Shipping. I urge businesses and organisations to view the plans so you can see for yourself how transformative they could be; it would be a wonderful gift to future generations, our city and visitors to have them built.’
The Lae community will have an opportunity to see the garden design concepts and all the progress that has been made in the gardens when we open the gardens to the public for our upcoming Open Day on Friday 6th November. All are welcome with free entry between 1pm and 4pm.
