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Experience stunning gardens in Southland

GLORIOUS gardens abound throughout Southland, both those on public display and those hidden away.

Southland's climate, soils and light combine to create growing conditions like no other for a huge variety of plants. A rainbow of colours covers the paddocks during tulip time while the rich plushness of the grass creates a palette of brilliance.

Several varieties of flowers and bulbs, including tulips and peony roses, are exported from the province around the world.

In late October and in February the beauty of Southland's public and private gardens is celebrated in the province's Festival of Gardens. From October 26 to November 3, 2002, and from February 1 to 9, 2003, more than 35 gardens are open to the public to peruse, admire and fall in love with.

Hours of loving labour have gone into creating oases of peace, beauty and tranquillity.

The festival celebrates spring and summer by giving the public a chance to see these magnificent properties, often only open by arrangement.

A wide variety of types of gardens, from the formal to the cottage to the native, are included in the festival and there is something for everyone, even those not particularly interested in gardening themselves.

Southland also has many public parks and gardens and one of the jewels is Queens Park, found in Invercargill and covering 80 hectares.

Even in midwinter, people can be found strolling through the well laid-out park, wandering through the Winter Garden, with its tropical and flowering plants, or even swinging in the playground, dreaming of their childhood.

Queens Park is a child's heaven, with a playground with all kinds of swings and roundabouts, an aviary where one can stand among the birds and animal enclosures with deer, rabbits, llama and more. There are also the statues to climb on or even hidden away in a corner, a magical castle to play knights and ladies.

And in the spring and summer the park is alive with colour and perfume in the rose gardens, the rhododendron dell, the azalea garden or the Japanese garden to celebrate Invercargill's sister city, Kumagaya.

Invercargill also is home to Anderson Park where a Georgian-style mansion, now an art gallery, sits among sculptured lawns and rose gardens.

The park covers 24 hectares and features flower gardens bursting with colour, tall trees and native bush, along with a traditional carved Maori house, duck pond and children's playground. The park was gifted to the city in 1951.

A smaller yet very central green area in the centre of Invercargill is the Otepuni Gardens, spilling either side of the Otepuni Stream. Walkways lead through gardens of annuals, shrubs, mature trees and lush grass.

Further north, the town of Gore also has its public gardens, part of the Gore Green Belt, set aside in 1874. Large mature trees line the garden, which has been carefully planted to provide interest year-round. It includes many unusual trees and shrubs.

The gardens are awash with colour from the rhododendron in spring through to the roses in summer and the maples in autumn.