Upcoming Productive Collection Gardens

Each of the gardens in our Productive Collection address aspects of the relationship between people and plants.

From the herbs used by the early New Zealand colonists to a modern form of sustainable gardening, the Productive Collection showcases the edible beauty of cultivated food crops throughout history.

 

Under development for the Productive Collection

Medieval Garden

From the fall of the Roman empire through to the 16th century, a distinctive form of medieval garden was the monastic, cloistered courtyard. The structure of the courts in this example are based on the ruins of St John of the Hermits Monastery in Sicily.

One court is a simple Cloister Garth, which was a form of courtyard generally used by the monks for prayer and contemplation. The other is an Apothecary’s Garden, which supported the healing of the sick in a monastic hospital.

 

Pasifika Garden

A tall glasshouse will enclose the Pasifika Garden, a microclimate showcasing productive plants from the South Pacific: yam, talo, ta’amu, sweet potato, arrowroot, sugar cane, ti, paper mulberry, pandanus, taro, banana, breadfruit and possibly the kava and coconut.

It will also feature a Samoan fale afalau (shelter). Interpretation in the entrance foyer will explain the use and cultivation of these plants and their place in South Pacific cultures.