Winterbourne Botanic Gardens
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By Emma Cooper
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Winterbourne Botanic Gardens is owned by the University of Birmingham, and located on their Edgbaston campus in England. It’s just a stones throw away from the academic hub, but many people remain unaware of this botanical treasure – even though week day entry is free to university staff and students.
The garden was laid out in the Arts and Crafts style, following the writings of Gertrude Jekyll. Subsequent owners have made changes, but the original features that remain include themed herbaceous borders, terraced lawns, a rock garden and a woodland walk.
There’s a small arboretum containing a lovely specimen of a monkey puzzle tree (planted in 1950), but my favourite is a stunning medlar that flowers and fruits abundantly. The medlar is a very old fruit, that needs ‘bletting’ once it has been harvested to make it edible – a slow process that means this fruit is no longer an economically viable crop. There are now few places to see one outside of botanical gardens.
Several geographical beds contain plants from all over the world, surrounding a display ‘ship’ which emphasizes the contribution that plant hunters have made to daily life. This is especially interesting for children, as they can clamber over the boat itself and find out where their favourite food plants originally came from.
The remaining borders have color themes – the red/orange/yellow border is particularly stunning during the summer months.
The rock garden, with its Japanese Tea House (a feature from the 1930s) is planted with Acers and Hamamelis to give autumn and winter color. The spring fed pools and stepping stones provide an ideal environment for moisture-loving plans such as ferns and primulas.
The garden is also home to 3 national plant collections, including ‘The History of the European Rose’. The rose garden, next to the house, includes examples of Rosa canina and Rosa damascena ‘versicolor’, along with the bushier Rosa rugosa varieties. The other national plant collections housed here are of Anthemis and Iris unguicularis.
Visitors to Winterbourne Botanic garden are also allowed limited access to Edgbaston Pools, a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). A huge lake is home to herons and other wildlife, and as the whole site is enclosed with mature trees you would never guess that the city of Birmingham lies just beyond.
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Author Bio Box: Emma Cooper
Emma Cooper is the author of Growing Vegetables is Fun. She also has a weekly gardening podcast, The Alternative Kitchen Garden, all about growing your own food in an environmentally friendly way. Check out her website for her gardening blog and more articles.
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