Overview
In September 2021, Te Papa botanists collected specimens from 136 exotic plants in the Whanganui garden of the late Jocelyn and Ian Bell. This collecting was assisted by local botanist Colin Ogle and the Bells' niece Karen Wrigglesworth.
The Bell garden was well-known for its collection of exotic species, particularly from Australia and South Africa. Jocelyn's parents lived at the same site, and her mother, Jean Stevens, was internationally regarded for her work on breeding irises. Similarly, Jocelyn's father, Wallace Stevens, was an expert nurseryman.
Some of the plants in the Bell garden are rarely cultivated in New Zealand. With the future of the garden uncertain, the collection of samples for Te Papa's herbarium from the garden's range of exotic species documents their presence in the country.