Nick Wray, curator of the University of Bristol Botanic Garden, guides us through the growth and blossoming of the city’s ‘evolutionary garden’ through the lens of two very important milestones being celebrated there this year
Anniversaries are always a great reason to celebrate, and this year, the University of Bristol Botanic Garden has two big milestones to mark. First up, it’s been 20 years since the garden moved in 2005 from its old location in Leigh Woods to its current home on the Stoke Bishop campus. This move has meant the garden is now right in the middle of a busy campus with 4,000 students, offering a peaceful place to relax, study for exams and enjoy the plants as they change through the seasons.
Plus, the relocation gave the team the chance to build a new and improved garden, complete with bigger glasshouses, modern facilities, and combined resources with the University’s Gardens and Grounds team. The result? A much more efficient use of resources and logistics and a beautiful space to enjoy.
Making good Friends
This year is also the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the supporting charity the Friends of the Botanic Garden (known as ‘the Friends’). The Friends charity is the second-oldest Friends group supporting a botanic garden or arboreta in the UK. Founded in 1975, the Friends was created to provide a body of support and help for the Botanic Garden. It has some 2,600 members who gain free access to the site as part of their annual subscription, together with talks, tours, access to newsletters and seed are all available to the Friends, making an engaging experience for members.
The Friends is a registered charity and benefits from obtaining gift aid from donations. Fundraising activities have provided support for a trainee horticulturist since its foundation 1975; previous trainees have had successful careers, with many in positions of responsibility including; Deputy Head of Gardens for English Heritage, Head Gardener at Osborne House, (Queen Victoria’s former royal residence on the Isle of Wight), to Curator of Sion House Gardens in London. Friends provides funding for projects and developments and recently for helping to interpret the garden and re-label plants collections.
Clever design
When the new Botanic Garden was designed, the aim was to have an informal, accessible layout with paths that make it easy to explore every corner. The plant collections were arranged into four main groups focused on teaching and research at the University.
These include the largest collection telling the fascinating story of how plants evolved; useful plants where you’ll find everything from Chinese medicinal herbs to familiar Western herbs; the Mediterranean climactic zone showcasing plants from the world’s seasonally-dry climates; and finally the rare and threatened native plant collection, which is home to some of the UK’s rarest plants, focusing on the flora of the Avon Gorge, Downs, and Leigh Woods. The Avon Gorge is one of the UK’s top five ecological sites, with 30 nationally-scarce species of plants. This includes species of whitebeam trees, seven of which aren’t found anywhere else in the world, thanks to the unique conditions in the Gorge that allow these trees to hybridise.
A helping hand
Volunteers play a huge role in the Botanic Garden’s success. It all started in 1970 with the first volunteer, but now there are around 40 people as volunteer gardeners and other volunteers guiding groups around the Garden, greeting and administration of the welcome lodge and many more roles donating their time every week. They help keep everything in great shape, and a small but dedicated team of horticultural staff, led by Nicola Rathbone (the Outside Coordinator), works alongside them.
“We have a big team of volunteers spread throughout the working week,” says Nicola. “They are involved in the maintenance and development of the Garden. Some have gardening experience, while others have none, but we work together to encourage the development of their knowledge and horticultural skills. They often bring skills we don’t have and can learn from. Together, we’re a team working towards the same goals, becoming good friends along the way and having fun while we weed, prune, sow, gather, mulch, and all the other tasks that keep the Botanic Garden looking its best.”
Expert knowledge
Penny Harms is Glasshouse Coordinator and has been working at the Botanic Garden for 25 years. She is responsible for the glasshouse plant collections and some of the most unusual and extraordinary plants that we grow. She reveals how we care for the Jade vine and giant South American water lily:
“Named in honour of Queen Victoria and President Andres de Santa Cruz in 1801, Victoria cruziana belongs to the Pantanal and Ibera wetlands of Argentina and Paraguay. This is the cooler growing of the three species of the giant Amazon tropical water lily, and best suited to the unheated pool in our tropical glasshouse. This wonderful plant starts its life in the tropical nursery of Kew Gardens under the care of Carlos Magdalena, a world expert on water lilies. By April/May we collect the young plant and transplant it to our raised pool, where it is grown in a submerged planter of rich loam with a minimum water temperature of 20°C in full sun. Throughout the summer, average temperatures of 28°C and additional weekly feeding are needed to produce the huge lily pads and spectacular beetle-pollinated flowers for which it is famed.”
The Jade Vine Strongylodon (round toothed) macrobotrys (long cluster of grapes) is a striking tropical vine native to only one place on earth, the rainforests of the Philippines. In the tropical glasshouse we grow it in a rich organic loam and provide a constant regime of feeding, watering and pruning to ensure flower in early spring. These stunning aquamarine racemes are made up of individual tooth-like flowers, at the base of which sit small pools of sweet nectar which the plant has evolved to attract bats. These night-time visits ensure pollination in the wild, however under glass, paintbrush wielding horticulturalists fulfil this role.
Planting ideas
The Botanic Garden isn’t just stunning to look at; it’s also used for teaching and research at the University. Professor Jane Memmott, the Scientific Director, runs projects that help us understand the crucial role of native insects in pollinating crops, wildflowers, and even urban gardens. These insects are responsible for pollinating 75% of crop species worldwide, but sadly, their numbers are in decline due to habitat loss and pesticide use. However, there’s hope – the government is encouraging sustainable farming initiatives that can capture carbon in soils and create more habitats for wildflowers and insects.
Another researcher, Dr. Heather Whitney, is doing ground-breaking work at the garden to see how flowers use ‘bioimaging’ to attract pollinators. Every year, second-year Biology students measure how successful different plants are at luring in their insect visitors. This work recently featured on BBC Gardeners’ World in late 2024 and again in February 2025. In October 2024, artist Luke Jerram brought attention to the garden with his thought-provoking artwork, Tipping Point, about how forest fires are turning into megafires, as we’ve seen recently in places like California and eastern Australia.
With around half a million people living in the Bristol area, the Botanic Garden is a great spot to visit. It’s open seven days a week until the end of October, and there are refreshments available. From 18-21 April, the garden will host a four-day Easter Sculpture Festival featuring willow weaving, stone carving, pottery, and traditional wood turning.
Then, in late August, the popular two-day Bee and Pollination Festival promises to once again be a hit with families. As part of the 50th/20th anniversary celebrations, there will be plenty of talks and activities to get involved with.
A trip to the Botanic Garden is always a fun and interesting experience for all ages, with something new to see and enjoy every time you visit.
More information can be found at botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk
