Alice in her Wonderland: Roses in WA - a potted history

Discover the intriguing and fascinating history behind why gardens like Alice's were full of English roses and how they came to be in Western Australia.

Starting with a walk through the garden at Roselyn Estate, John will describe the evidence he found there of Alice's rose garden and the clues of what might have been. Unravelling the story of Alice's garden throws light on the history of garden development in Western Australia and the migration of plants from state to state and continent to continent.   

Tickets are $10 per person. Refreshments are available to purchase from Botanicalia cafe within the gallery to bring them to the event. After the talk, guests are invited to linger in Alice's parlour to continue the discussion about Alice and her roses.

John Viska - Biography

In addition to his book, A Guide to Conserving and Interpreting Gardens in Western Australia, John has contributed entries to The Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens, the Historical Encylopaedia of WA, researched and curated two exhibitions for the Garden History Society and is currently co-editing Historic Gardens of Perth, European settlement to Modernism. He lectured in Horticulture in the TAFE system for 25 years and prepared conservation plans for the National Trust of Australia (WA), Heritage Council and the City of Vincent.  In 2008 he was the recipient of an Heritage Council of Western Australia  award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Heritage in Western Australia by an Individual. He actively promotes garden history by delivering public lectures as well as published articles.