Discover Britain's Oldest Botanical Garden.

Let's talk about the Oxford Botanic Gardens.

Oxford Botanics was founded in 1621 by the Earl of Danby. This makes it the oldest botanical garden in Britain, and much of the world. At the time of its founding it was named the Oxford Psychic (or Physick) Garden, and was used to grow medicinal plants. Although the garden’s collection has now grown to host more than 5000 plants, you can still see many of these original plants in the south-west corner. The gardens were renamed the Oxford Botanic Garden in 1840.

The gardens are full of historical wonders. In 1642 Bobart the Elder was made the first Superintendent of Oxford Psychic Garden. It was during this time that he planted what is now the oldest plant at the Botanics- a yew tree. This tree can still be found in the Walled Garden. In 2020, the yew was badly damaged by Storm Ciara however, due to the amazing regenerative properties of the yew, the tree is set to make a complete recovery. In fact, did you know that the yew can self propagate? This means that even a fallen branch can make another tree!

The origins of the glasshouses go back to 1733. William Townsend constructed two conservatories which were made to grow a variety of exotic potted plants such as: sugarcane, pineapples and coffee. Over 100 years later, in 1850, two glasshouses were constructed. One was custom made to fit a pond which could host the giant Amazonian Water Lily; you can still see these today. In 1971 the glass houses were rebuilt in their current location. Now, these glasshouses are full of the most lush and beautiful plants. You can find towering cacti, carnivorous plants, mature monsteras and such a wonderful variety of other botanical wonders. 

The gardens are truly beautiful and harbours a charming, rustic atmosphere. With towering walls of limestone, and the gentle flowing Cherwell River upon which punters glide in all seasons. Much of what we see today is owed to the work of Charles Baubent and Wiliam Baxtor who worked on redesigning the garden in the hopes to make the space more appealing to the public in the 1830s. But, it is the constant, diligent work of those at the Botanics which keep the garden in the breathtaking condition we find it in today. 

One of our personal favourites of the garden is the newcomer, the Oxford Psychic Rose. This rose was created by Ian Limmer to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Botanics. It is a beautiful light pink flush of a rose with a sweet and strong scent. You can spot it all across the garden and can even purchase them for your own garden at certain points of the year!  

Botanical gardens are a wonderful place to reconnect with nature. Located at the heart of many of our big cities, they are an excellent place to get your nature fix. So we hope that you will add the Oxford Botanics to your British travel bucket list and discover the wonders of Britain's oldest botanical garden for yourself!

A brief history of Oxford Botanic Garden - Google Arts & Culture (no date) Google. Available at: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/a-brief-history-of-oxford-botanic-garden-oxford-botanic-garden-and-arboretum/FgURJOs2MsEowQ?hl=en (Accessed: 18 November 2024).

The Oxford Physic rose (2021) Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum. Available at: https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/article/the-oxford-physic-rose (Accessed: 18 November 2024).