Bloom Programme · 1–26 October 2026
Visitors enjoying the Dunedin gardens in spring

Bloom Spring

October 2026

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Bloom Programme

Thu 1October

Bloom Hub Art Exhibition

Dunedin Botanic Garden Info centre

The festival opens with an official ceremony and the Botanic Art Exhibition. The Hub is our home base for the season.

More info
Sat 17October

Grand Casino Dunedin Bloom Garden Party

Fashion · Food · Fun

A glamour garden social event with catered drinks and nibbles to launch the open-gardens weekend in style.

More info · Buy tickets
Sun 18October

Dunedin's Famous Rhododendron Day Plant Sale

A Friends of the Botanic Garden event

The Friends' spring plant sale at the propagation facility. Rhododendrons, perennials, bulbs and shrubs, with a coffee cart on site. Everything raised goes back into the Botanic Garden.

More info
Mon 19
– Sun 25October

Walks, Talks & Workshops week

Talks, workshops & guided garden tours

A week of guided botanic and private-garden tours, talks and hands-in-the-soil workshops. Full programme below.What's this week about? →

Bloom Programme

Mon 19 October

  • Lesser known edibles Walk hosted by Zane Gray · 10.30am–12pm · Geographic Collection More info · Buy tickets
  • Healing Gardens for Wellbeing Talk hosted by Dr Ivan Lin · 10.30am–11.30am · Information Centre More info · Buy tickets
  • Holistic Wellbeing with First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® Talk hosted by Patricia M Stowell · 1pm–2.30pm · Information Centre More info · Buy tickets

Tue 20 October

  • Houseplant Propagation Workshop Workshop hosted by Bin Xie & Alice Lloyd-Fitt · 1pm–3pm · Propagation Facility More info · Buy tickets

Wed 21 October

Thu 22 October

  • Naturing at the Botanic Garden Workshop hosted by Denise McMahon · 1pm–5.30pm · Information Centre More info · Buy tickets
  • The Avocational Arrangers Flower arrangement workshop hosted by Linda Hellyer & Robyn Abernethy · 1pm–3pm · Propagation Facility More info · Buy tickets

Fri 23 October

Sat 24 October

  • Home Fermentation Workshop hosted by Geraldine Pene · 10am–11.30am · Propagation Facility More info · Buy tickets
  • Bonsai a Loving Art Form Talk hosted by the Otago Bonsai Society · 1pm–2.30pm · Information Centre More info · Buy tickets

Sun 25 October

  • Botanical Art & Illustration Workshop Workshop hosted by Wayne Everson · 10am–5pm · Propagation Facility More info · Buy tickets
Sat 24
– Sun 25October

Otago Open Gardens

Private & public gardens across Otago and Ōtepoti Dunedin

Garden tours are the heart of the festival, running across Labour Weekend.

More info · Buy tickets
Mon 26Labour Day

Smith & Sons Family Picnic Day

Dunedin Botanic Garden Band Rotunda · 10am–2pm

A free day of children's entertainment, stalls and garden activities.

More info · Reserve a spot

The week

Walks, Talks & Workshops

Between the opening weekend and Otago Open Gardens, the festival slows down and goes deeper. Sessions run through the week, most of them at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, with private garden tours alongside them. Each one is booked separately, so you can build the week you want.

Talks

Sit in and listen

60 to 90 minutes, morning or afternoon

A presentation at the Dunedin Botanic Garden Information Centre or the propagation sheds. Talks are a good way to learn from local experts about plants, growing techniques, and the stories behind Ōtepoti Dunedin's green spaces.

Workshops

Get your hands in it

Half day or full day

Practical sessions covering everything from grafting and propagation to herbarium work and botanic art. Held at the Information Centre or the propagation sheds, and made for anyone who would rather learn a new skill by doing it than by watching.

Walks

Follow someone who knows

Guided tours, morning or afternoon

Guided walks through the Botanic Garden collections, plus tours of private gardens not usually open to the public. A rare chance to see a garden through the eyes of the person who looks after it.

Running a talk, tour or workshop?

We are still building the programme. Tell us what you would like to run, roughly when, and how many people you can take, and we will come back to you.

Email us about your session

Before you book

Good to know

  • Every session is ticketed and booked in advance. Nothing in this week is drop-in.
  • Places are limited. Some workshops take as few as eight or ten people, so book early rather than close to the day.
  • Most sessions are at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, in the Information Centre, the propagation facility, or out in the collections. The exact meeting place comes with your ticket.
  • Private garden tours meet at the garden. As with the open gardens, the address reaches you on your ticket.
  • Walks go ahead outdoors. Wear shoes you can walk a garden in and bring a jacket. This is Dunedin in October.
  • Materials are included where a session needs them. If you need to bring something, it is listed on that session's page.
  • These sessions are separate from your open gardens ticket. Booking a garden visit does not include a walk, talk or workshop.
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