Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium
FacebookInstagramTwitterYouTube

Five ways to beat the summer heat at Adelaide Botanic Garden

It's the middle of summer, you've planned an amazing trip to Adelaide Botanic Garden, you check the weather and it's going to a be a scorcher!

Don't let the heat get you down - here are the five best ways to beat the heat and enjoy the Garden on a hot day.

1. Visit the Bottle Tree within the Australian Forest.

Five ways to beat the summer heat at Adelaide Botanic Garden
The Bottle Tree (Brachychiton rupestris) in the Australian Forest at Adelaide Botanic Garden

Take a walk along sawdust pathways among the trees and enjoy the natural air-conditioning of the Australian Forest.

This immaculate forest area full of Australian natives will cool you down in a flash, while the Bottle Tree (Brachychiton rupestris) provides a centrepiece location to stop for a beautiful shady picnic.

2. Sit on a bench under the Wisteria arbour

Five ways to beat the summer heat at Adelaide Botanic Garden
It's hard not to imagine yourself sitting on this bench and relaxing under the Wisteria arbour.

Whether you've never visited us before or you're an all-seasons veteran, everyone loves the Wisteria arbours.

While summertime isn't the peak of the plant's aromatic bloom, both arbours still offer wonderful protection from the sun.

Grab a spot on one of the benches, sit back and relax - how good!

3. Explore the collection at the Simpson Shadehouse

Five ways to beat the summer heat at Adelaide Botanic Garden
Originally opened in 1919, the Simpson Shadehouse is an example of an inter-war bush-house structure, with a shady tropical forest inside which provides refuge from South Australia's harsh climate.

The clue is in the name for this one!

The Simpson Shadehouse is a shady, early-1900s bush-house structure full of stunning ferns, rhapis palms, camellias, begonias, hydrangeas, fuschias and platyceriums.

This area will provide incredible inspiration for a verandah-garden or any other shady garden area you may have at your home.

4. Pay a visit to some of the Garden's oldest residents at the Ficus Walk

Five ways to beat the summer heat at Adelaide Botanic Garden
The Moreton Bay Figs which call Ficus Avenue home were planted in 1866.

You may not find a more stunning photo backdrop in Adelaide than among the enormous, and old, Moreton Bay Figs (Ficus macrophylia) at Ficus Avenue.

You'll feel the temperature drop when you walk below the huge canopies of these 150-year-old natural wonders.

The massive buttress root systems of these trees will blow your mind and make you briefly forget about the hot weather.

5. Be inspired by the botanical marvels held inside the Museum of Economic Botany

Five ways to beat the summer heat at Adelaide Botanic Garden
The Museum of Economic Botany showcases countless plants and their various uses with a focus on minimising waste.

Step back in time to a place in the early 1880s and discover the importance of plants in our lives throughout generations.

The Santos Museum of Economic Botany is home to an incredible permanent collection which celebrates plant life and its various uses in human history.

The building has been restored featuring many original details of its display over 140 years ago.

Don't forget to be sun smart!

While all of these spaces are excellent for a little bit of a respite on a hot day it is extremely important to remain sun smart and to look after yourself.

If you know it is going to be a hot day, please ensure you are sun smart, wear a hat, bring plenty of water and consider visiting the garden earlier in the day to avoid peak afternoon sun if possible.

SA Water refill stations are located throughout Adelaide Botanic Garden if you need to fill up a water bottle, while drink fountains are also scattered throughout the garden.

Recent posts