Rhododendron walls

All 2,221 rhododendrons in the Dunedin Botanic Garden are in spectacular bloom at the moment. In places one can stand surrounding by a towering wall of white, pink, red and purple.
Dunedin marks ‘Rhododendron week’ each October to celebrate Botanic Garden’s collection of 128 different species, 223 named hybrids and 518 unnamed hybrids.
 
Green spaces are important for personal well-being, especially within urban environments. About 90% of New Zealanders live in towns and cities, so gardens, walkways, even cemeteries, are the most frequent way most of us experience nature and biodiversity in our daily routines.
  
I live just 500 meters from Dunedin Botanic Garden. It's been an amazing privilege over the last 28 years of my career to walk to and from work through this incredible collection of native and introduced plants from around the world. That 20 minutes of colour, texture, smell and bird song marked my transition from family and work life: some precious time for myself before giving over my energy to students for the day, and a way to wash away their needs before entering the family nest in the evenings.