You may have read about the ruction in the Herald's letters pages where it was suggested that Newcastle needed its own botanic gardens, with National Park named as a possible site.

It was also suggested that most people don't know where the Hunter botanic gardens are.

Founding members of the gardens, Kevin McDonald and Kevin Stokes, didn't quite get their pitchforks out, but they did defend the gardens.

And, for the record, the gardens are at the Pacific Highway in Heatherbrae.

"The annual visitation is between 25,000 and 30,000," the founders wrote, adding that the gardens had been open since 1985.

They said it would be better to support the botanic gardens already in existence and "perhaps lobby for more parkland in the Newcastle area than make off-handed negative comments that are most unhelpful to a group of volunteers who are already struggling to keep this most important regional facility open".

Up to 200 volunteers were stood down when the gardens were closed on June 28 for safety reasons due to COVID-19.

Rudyard Kipling, in his poem The Glory of the Garden, wrote that "gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful,' and then sitting in the shade".

We get his point and it'd be a fair assumption that the volunteer workers in this photo at the Hunter botanic gardens have been getting their hands dirty.

But we hope they spend a bit of time, at least, sitting in the shade and admiring their handiwork. They haven't had much chance to do that lately, though.

Since the gardens were closed due to COVID, planned events such as weddings, functions, tours and a school holiday program were postponed or cancelled.

For now, a small crew of volunteers are attending to essential services, including irrigation of the 25 themed gardens.

To exist, the gardens rely on entry fees [as well as water and sunshine!].

They usually have a calendar of events and they also have the Kookaburra Cafe.

The gardens also have a nursery with plants for sale, selected and propagated by volunteers. The nursery team is trying to keep the plants alive and healthy with limited care.

Online plant sales have been proposed to avoid the need for face-to-face contact.

The gardens are also a centre for research, education and sharing knowledge on botanical matters in the Hunter.

When the lockdown lifts, hopefully folks make time to visit the gardens to help them grow stronger.

Also, you can make a donation at huntergardens.org.au.

Do it for the glory of the garden.

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