Taronga Zoo
Episode:#11 11/11/06
Presenter: Fiona Bruyn
Zoo’s these days aim to please both people and animals and at Taronga Zoo in Sydney at the Wild Asia Exhibit that is no exception. In fact, there is a third party that is also enjoying its new surroundings; the plants!
Sometimes gardening can be quite a challenge so spare a thought for the people at Taronga Zoo as an enormous amount of thought, planning and effort has gone into creating the tropical wonderland.
Peter Donoghue is the head horticulturist at Taronga Zoo and has been working on the project for four years. Over 17 and a half thousand plants and over 100 big trees went in over the whole area. There is over 100 different species of plants also so it is a lot to organize with a budget of just under 2 million dollars.
When designing the gardens there were certain aspects to take into account such as the different types of animals and the things like toxic plants. Protecting the plants was looked at as well.
There are some unique plants at Taronga Zoo such as the Candle nut tree (Aleurites moluccana), the foam bark tree (Jagera pseudorhus) and five different types of ginger plants too. There are different textures and colours with different feels as the rainforest has tried to be simulated.
The Thai tropical feel is achieved by taking the cultural elements of the Thai people like the Thai Pavilion, the elephants and the golden shower plant (Cassia fistula) that have been planted throughout the gardens that have a wonderful large, yellow flower display around summer.
As part of the 90th birthday celebrations you can go to Taronga Zoo on your birthday and get in for 90 cents!
Taronga Zoo
Bradley's Head Road
Mosman, Sydney
http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/
Presenter: Fiona Bruyn
Zoo’s these days aim to please both people and animals and at Taronga Zoo in Sydney at the Wild Asia Exhibit that is no exception. In fact, there is a third party that is also enjoying its new surroundings; the plants!
Sometimes gardening can be quite a challenge so spare a thought for the people at Taronga Zoo as an enormous amount of thought, planning and effort has gone into creating the tropical wonderland.
Peter Donoghue is the head horticulturist at Taronga Zoo and has been working on the project for four years. Over 17 and a half thousand plants and over 100 big trees went in over the whole area. There is over 100 different species of plants also so it is a lot to organize with a budget of just under 2 million dollars.
When designing the gardens there were certain aspects to take into account such as the different types of animals and the things like toxic plants. Protecting the plants was looked at as well.
There are some unique plants at Taronga Zoo such as the Candle nut tree (Aleurites moluccana), the foam bark tree (Jagera pseudorhus) and five different types of ginger plants too. There are different textures and colours with different feels as the rainforest has tried to be simulated.
The Thai tropical feel is achieved by taking the cultural elements of the Thai people like the Thai Pavilion, the elephants and the golden shower plant (Cassia fistula) that have been planted throughout the gardens that have a wonderful large, yellow flower display around summer.
As part of the 90th birthday celebrations you can go to Taronga Zoo on your birthday and get in for 90 cents!
Taronga Zoo
Bradley's Head Road
Mosman, Sydney
http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/
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