Timaru The Gardens (1)

$200 pounds was set aside in 1872 for a ranger’s cottage and advertisements soon appeared in the Timaru Herald inviting the public to make donations of trees, shrubs, flower roots, bulbs and seeds.  The majority of early planting was carried out with convict labour from the local Timaru Gaol and floral fetes were organized to raise money for development of The Gardens.The first glasshouse/conservatory was constructed in 1905 around the time when the south side of The Gardens were still being leased for the farming of crops and the grazing of sheep.  The Band Rotunda was added in 1912 to commemorate the Coronation of King George V.  The following year the marble statue of renowned Scottish poet Robert Burns was donated to the people of Timaru by former mayor James Craigie.  By 1916 tennis courts and a bowling green had been laid down.In 1938 land for the Timaru Hospital was subdivided from the Botanic Gardens providing patients and visitors with a lovely environment for rest, recuperation and reflection. In 1988 the Shakespeare Trail was laid out and the Graeme Paterson Conservatory was built in honour of the former Director of Parks and Recreation.