Visit to Oxford

[David Nicholson]

Having visited Cambridge earlier in the year we thought we would spend a couple of days in and around Oxford soaking up some of the history as well as visiting some gardens. We fitted in University of Oxford Botanical Garden as well as Waterperry Garden. A few pics to start with in and around the Botanical Garden some taken in the tropical house and others dotted around the garden. Waterperry Garden will follow as soon as I get them re-sized.

The UOBG is well worth a visit at anytime of the year and I would like to see it earlier in the year when the Irises, of which there are many, were out. The lengthy borders were a picture with perennials of all sizes but not easy to get a picture to truly reflect their beauty. Plant names where possible as part of the file name.


Allamanda schottii
 Allium cernum
 Catharanthus roseus
 Clivia miniata
 Glottiphyllum propinquum
 Helenium Moerheim Beauty
 Inula salicina
 Nymphaea capensis
 OUBG 1

[David Nicholson]

..... a few more UOBG pics,


 Nymphaea x Marliaaceae Carnea
 Onopordum acanthium
 Papaver somniferum Opium Poppy
 Solanum wendlandii
 Thunbergia vogeliana
 Viola corsica

[Giles]

Hey!!
It's my 'local' you're talking about here!!! Fantastic to bring it to everybody's attention.
Good old-fashioned 'order beds', just how it's meant to be.
It's infinitely superior to the garden at the 'other place', aka 'The Fen Polytechnic'.
Founded in 1621 it's the oldest Botanic Garden in the UK.
Holds the National Collection of Euphorbia.
Fantastic variants of Polypodium, and a Tropical Lily Pond to die for.
http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/
http://www.fobg.org.uk/
Use it, or lose it.

[Giles]

P.S. If you want to visit, use the Park and Ride. Trying to drive into Oxford, and then park, especially in the Summer with all of the tourists, is a total nightmare.

[Giles]

P.P.S.  David, I hope you saw the National Collection of Kabschia and Engleria Saxifrage when you went to Waterperry, alot of people miss it/don't realise it's there.
http://waterperrygardens.co.uk/

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great pictures David - too bad you missed Inspector Morse 

[David Nicholson]

Luc, I had a pint in a pub that claims to have been Morse's 'local' in the series. I also must admit to having had another pint in the Eagle and Child (Bird and the Baby!) where C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien are alleged to have done some drinking (the most expensive pint of bitter I have ever had!) see  http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm and http://www.mythsoc.org/inklings/


I used the park and ride Giles, with the distinctly added advantage that they accepted our bus passes, so it was free. It was a nice garden but I think the University of Cambridge BG was better but that may have been because we were lucky enough to be shown round by the Director of the garden-sorry!

More on Waterperry later.

[David Nicholson]

Here are a few pictures from Waterperry Garden which I hope show the beauty of the place. The scale of planting is tremendous with long borders and island beds absolutely bursting with plants and every pathway leading to a new vista. If anyone is in the Oxford vicinity then this garden is a 'must see' at anytime of the year.

The garden holds the National Collection of Kabaschia and Engleria Saxifrage grown on raised beds with masses of tufa which really must have been a sight to see a few weeks back-and is another reason why we shall return next Spring. Another reason for a return visit is a cracking tea room with some wonderful cakes etc. All in all a very good garden to visit.

[David Nicholson]

........ final few pictures from Waterperry Garden- see http://www.waterperrygardens.co.uk/index.php

[Anthony Darby]

Luc, I had a pint in a pub that claims to have been Morse's 'local' in the series. I also must admit to having had another pint in the Eagle and Child (Bird and the Baby!) where C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien are alleged to have done some drinking (the most expensive pint of bitter I have ever had!) see  http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm and http://www.mythsoc.org/inklings/

We'll have to compare expensive pints David.

[Casalima]

Oxford is my old stomping ground too!! (seven years of school there - though I never saw Insp. Morse either - actually my real, real old stomping ground is Midsomer, but luckily I was never affected by any of those strange events ). Haven't been to Oxford or the BG for eons though.

David, Waterperry looks wonderful!! Never been there - I really must try one day.

I'll be in the UK again in August. No car this time unfortunately, unless I hire one, but my sister's brand new garden to play with 

[Lesley Cox]

A great series of links there, thanks everyone. I'll have to go into name dropping mode for a moment, though. Many years ago I had an on-going correspondence with Valerie Finnis in the days when she was at Waterperry. It was through her that my first UK horticultural penfriends came about, as she referred me to various people, E B Anderson and Roy Elliott among others.

Oxford always makes me hear Vivaldi in my head, and long before I ever saw the Morse programmes.

[Giles]

OOOps!
Did I show my 'colours' there David.
Try:  http://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/the_college_pages/buildings_and_gardens.htm.
Designed (building, garden, and everything else) by Arne Jacobsen.
Took garden design into the 21st Century (back in the '60's !)

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for inspiring us David - I definitely have to walk in Morse's steps some day !

[Lvandelft]

Thank you David for these beautiful pictures.
You showed some very interesting plants!
I enjoyed seeing these beautiful borders at Waterperry's.
One question: do you remember the height of the Inula salicina?
It looks very much like I. ensifolia which is mostly just 25 cm.