Cambridge University Botanic Garden

The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located in Cambridge, England. It covers an area of 16 hectares (40 acres) between the city centre and Cambridge railway station. The site is almost entirely on level ground, but the planting is very attractive, and in additional to its scientific value, the garden is highly rated by gardening enthusiasts. It holds 10 National Collections. The botanic garden also forms an oasis of tranquility in Cambridge and is frequently used as a place to escape to for lunch by workers in the surrounding area.

The garden was created for the University of Cambridge in 1831 by Professor John Stevens Henslow, probably best remembered today for teaching the naturalist Charles Darwin. It was opened to the public in 1846.

Garden features

* Autumn colour garden
* Bed of British native plants
* Dry garden — demonstrates planting requiring reduced watering
* Fen display
* Genetics garden
* Glasshouses, containing about 3,000 species, and comprising:
**Alpine house
**Belize house
**Cactus house
**Conservatory, with variable displays
**Evolution house
**Filmy fern house (closed for renovation)
**Succulent and carnivorous plant house
**Temperate house (currently closed for renovation)
**Wet tropical house
* Herbaceous borders
* Lake
* National collections of:
**"Alchemilla"
**"Bergenia"
**"Fritillaria"
**"Lavender"
**"Lonicera"
**"Ribes"
**"Ruscus"
**"Saxifraga"
**Tulips
**Hardy "Geranium"s
* Rock gardens — for alpine plants
**Limestone rock garden
**Sandstone rock garden
* Scented garden
* Systematic beds — 144 island beds representing 80 families of flowering plants
* Tree collection
* Water garden
* Winter garden (December to April)
* Woodland garden — containing spring bulbs

Public events

Regular public events and courses are organised in the botanic garden including the hugely popular Apple day. Other events in 2005 included:

* Tree Selection and Care
* Making Rush Baskets and Hats
* Illustrating Plants using Pen and Ink
* Painting the Autumn Harvest
* Wood: the Inside Story
* Gardening Seasons: Winter
* Winter Tree Identification

Many of these events are run or supported by the Friends of Cambridge Botanic Garden who support the garden by volunteering and helping raise funds.

External links

* [http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/ Official website]