Breathing life into the Schomburgk Pavilion

Date posted: 27 July 2016

If you’ve visited Adelaide Botanic Garden in recent weeks you might have spied a few new green additions to the once bare Schomburgk Pavilion.

Named after the Garden’s second director, Dr Richard Schomburgk (1811-1891), the Schomburgk Pavilion is fringed by the Santos Museum of Economic Botany, the Visitor Information Centre/The Diggers Garden Shop and Café Fibonacci.

While the space between these buildings is sometimes used for events, it has been somewhat underutilised in the past.

A new collaboration between the Gardens, Blanco (who run the Café and Botanic Gardens Restaurant) and Diggers Garden Shop, however, has helped change that.

Together we’ve added new outdoor tables and chairs, planter boxes and beds, and some impressive wicking tables, which have helped create a more welcoming and visitor-friendly area to enjoy the Garden and have a break between walking around (coffee recommended). It's also the perfect meeting place in the Garden, where you can rendezvous with friends or family for lunch before you set out to explore.

Gardens and Diggers staff have planted the boxes and wicking tables with edible herbs and seasonal vegetables (mmm, cumquats), and some with a Mediterranean theme to complement the SA Water Mediterranean Garden below. Enjoy the sight of olive trees and the fragrance of rosemary as you sit or pass by!

The new additions also provide inspiration for DIY garden projects at home. The wicking tables and beds include water inlet pipes that run from the top of the soil down to a water reservoir beneath, which provides a constant water supply directly to the edible plants’ roots and minimises the amount of watering needed.

What's next for the Schomburgk Pavilion? Fans are hoped to be installed on the Pavilion before summer, providing some much needed respite from the heat, while you'll have to keep an eye out for more changes further down the line.

Make sure you stop by during your next Garden visit, while having a cuppa, perusing the Diggers shop and/or strolling through the Museum. We hope you like it!