Stepping into a "Jurassic Garden": The Upper Botanic Garden of Dunedin

Walking through the Upper Botanic Garden in Dunedin is like stepping into a lush, prehistoric realm. Everywhere you look, plant forms loom large — the flora here seems to stretch and soar well above human scale.

Flowers tower over visitors — take the Himalayan giant lilies ( Cardiocrinum giganteum ), for example. These dramatic lilies begin life as modest bulbs, spending 5 to 7 years gathering strength before they burst into bloom with a towering spike reaching 2-3 m (or more) high.

Wikipedia+3Dunedin Botanic Garden Official Website+3ortelgarden+3 Their trumpet-shaped, creamy white blooms (often streaked with purple) not only fill the air with fragrance but also dominate the woodland border visually. Gardenia+1 After flowering, the main bulb dies, but offsets remain to carry on the legacy in years to come. Gardenia+2ortelgarden+2

Rhododendrons here are not the low shrubs many expect — in Dunedin, they grow into majestic, tree-sized specimens. In the Rhododendron Dell, the garden gives them room to express their maximum height and spread. dunedin.govt.nz+2Dunedin Botanic Garden Official Website+2 Some specimens, like Rhododendron ‘Halopeanum’, exceed 8 metres in height and 11 metres across, producing a massive floral display in spring that can take your breath away. dunedin.govt.nz Planted from as early as 1914, the Dell now spans about 4 hectares and features more than 3,500 rhododendrons from 180 species and over 200 hybrids. Te Ara+1

These giants of the garden share space with towering Pinus radiata (radiata pine). Their scale is impressive, but what’s perhaps most astonishing is how quickly radiata grows here — reaching large dimensions within just decades, turning this garden into a forest of possibilities. Dunedin Botanic Garden Official Website+1

Combined, these plant giants — the lilies, rhodos, and pines — help create that “Jurassic” ambiance: plant layers and forms that feel ancient, bold, and immersive.