Christchurch – a garden’s story

Jeremy Hawker is the garden manager for Christchurch’s Hagley Park. When the September 2010 earthquake happened, the conservatories housing some of the park’s most precious plants were closed for fear the glass panes would fall in on those visiting. He took us inside the conservatory where plants within have grown out of control, even cross-breeding in a way which has the experts baffled. For Hawker, it goes back to the reason he loved plants in the beginning – they are a way to travel to distant lands without ever leaving. In the conservatories, the plants are creating new lands.