City's gardens set to bloom

Published on 25 November 2022

The city will soon be in full bloom thanks to Horsham Rural City Council’s hard-working parks and gardens team.

Team leader Ryan Johnstone said his crew had been working as hard as ever this year to keep public gardens looking their best.

This season’s annual beds will feature salvias, zinnias, cosmos and various marigolds, along with many petunia varieties.

“We’ve completed six different annual beds in the Botanic Gardens, with another five beds throughout the city centre.  The roundabout at the Stawell Rd bridge has also been planted out,” he said.

“Our team is very committed to ensuring the gardens always look their best, and try to mix things up by planting a diversity of plants and flowers for the gardens.”

Mr Johnstone said the annual beds would be at their peak in the coming months.

“They are generally at their peak mid to late summer, although some beds are already showing a little bit of colour,” he said.

Earlier varieties, such as the cosmos, are already flowering and will be at their best around Christmas. 

“Due to the unseasonal weather patterns this year flowering periods may well vary,” Mr Johnstone said.

Mayor Robyn Gulline said well-maintained gardens provided a warm and colourful atmosphere for residents and visitors to the city. 

The flower beds, particularly inside the city’s roundabouts, are a credit to our dedicated parks and gardens team,” she said. 

“Our vibrant gardens bring people joy and make many people smile each and every day.

“I look forward to seeing our city gardens bloom over the summer months,” Cr Gulline said. 

The team’s work aligns with the Council Plan 2021-2025 goal - ‘Create engaging spaces and places for social connection and wellbeing to build community resilience’.