Click photo to enlarge Victoria Bunton in the Botanic Garden Rhododendron Dell.

Metaphorically speaking, Victoria Bunton has spread plenty of compost around this year.

The chief co-ordinator of the 2007 Dunedin Rhododendron Festival, Miss Bunton has taken over the role from Anne-Marie Mains and, in conjunction with the festival trust and advisers, has overseen some interesting and significant growth.

In its 24th year, the festival includes culinary demonstrations ranging from the seaside garden of Dunedin ‘‘foodie’’ Judith Cullen to a seminar on how best to savour seaweed, a photographic competition for all ages, and an ‘‘Art in the Garden’’ day. Other Dunedin events, such as the popular Larnach Castle Annual Masquerade Ball and the Portobello Plant Fair, now reside under the umbrella of the festival.

Miss Bunton confirms that the inclusion of such items illustrates a concerted effort to expand the festival.

‘‘Yeah, we still want to keep rhododendrons or gardening as the main theme, but we’re always looking for new events that relate to it in some way or form. I think the committee is always really open to new concepts.

‘‘It’s important to keep it fresh each year. We don’t want to repeat the same thing. There are some events that work really well every year at the festival. There are some that, from the outset, we know are only going to be a one-off and won’t be carried on. As long as we keep all the really popular ones each year and introduce new ones to keep it interesting . . .’’

Thus Miss Bunton got on the phone to Cullen with an idea to use her popular culinary skills as the basis for the festival opening at Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens on Thursday, October 25.

‘‘We hadn’t done an opening for a couple of years and we thought she’d be a good person to have to attract a few people along and to have it at Glenfalloch fits in really well with the festival.’’

Dunedin artist Janet de Wagt also received a call, the result of which is the Painting in the Garden workshop at the Dunedin Botanic Garden Rhododendron Dell on Saturday, October 27.

‘‘She had done that a few years ago. I just gave her a call to see if she was going to be around this year,’’ Miss Bunton explains, adding the festival’s photographic exhibition, with its primary and secondary school sections, was an attempt to lure a younger crowd.

As well as the new items on the programme, many favourites have been retained, including the festival golf tournament, the Rhododendron Dell tours, the Port Chalmers Fete, the Tea, Talk and Tour events at Larnach Castle and the Cargills Garden Tours.

Miss Bunton says the garden tours remain popular.

‘‘Lots of people like to get on a bus and not have to worry about finding where they have to go. It also suits people from out of town. They don’t have to worry about working out how to get where.

‘‘We’ve also got the Nichol’s Garden Safari where people can just pick up a map: there are five gardens on that this year. They can do their own tour; they don’t have to go to all the gardens.’’

Asked to put herself in the shoes of a first-time festival-goer and select a few highlights, Miss Bunton puts a tour of the Rhododendron Dell near the top of her list.

‘‘That’s pretty amazing and that’s what the festival is all about. I guess at least do one tour as well, whether it’s the Garden Safari or the Cargills Garden Tours. There are a couple of art exhibitions as well. I guess it depends on what people are interested in. But there seems to something for everyone.’’