The Christchurch Botanic Gardens sit on Rolleston Avenue in the central city, as part of Hagley Park. The first plantings were made in the early 1860s, and the garden is known for its well-tended, century-old trees. The site has an information centre, a tea kiosk and a café, with wheelchair access and toilets. The garden is flat and easy to walk. Its features include rhododendron and shrub borders, a long herbaceous border, and a formal rose garden where the hybrid tea roses are at their best in December. The tropical plant conservatory, fern and cactus houses sit next to the rose garden, and the native plant collection centres on the Cockayne Memorial Garden. Across the Avon is the Heritage Rose Garden, where old roses flower in early December, and the Primula Garden, which shows primulas and other plants from Asia.
The garden is free to visit, according to its listing, and is suited to families, with a child-friendly area and education programmes. Weddings and events are held there. The Peacock Fountain stands along Rolleston Avenue, and the potager garden behind the former curators' house is now a café. Parking is available at the Armagh Street and Rolleston Avenue entrances, with a 180-minute limit on weekdays from 8am to 6pm. The garden can be entered from the West Bridge and Woodland Bridge off Riccarton Avenue, among other entrances. The garden has no customer comments or nearby comparison in this listing.