Kate Pritchard and Louisa Hall from the Botanic Garden have been contributing to a programme to manage an invasive non-native carnivorous plant. The most effective management method is removing plants by hand to reduce the overall population and to minimise seeding opportunity.

Exciting news! In celebration of our 400th Anniversary, Oxford Botanic Garden ran a campaign to plant 400 trees around Oxfordshire to create positive, long lasting change. Since the start of the 400 Trees campaign in October 2020, we have partnered up with local and UK-wide initiatives to reach our goal…

A case study from the Canary Islands — The Canary Islands are a ‘text book’ region of plant species richness and endemism. Over the last year, botanists at Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum (OBGA) have been working in collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum, the Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotav, and Matías Hernandez Gonzalez — founder of…

Why do leaves change colour in autumn? — Autumn is the time of year when the lush greens of spring and summer start to fade and a kaleidoscope of copper and bronze leaves replace the green. You may already know that the green colour we commonly associate with plants is actually caused by a pigment called chlorophyll. This…

Get the behind the scenes story from our Curator about an exciting new development at the Botanic Garden — As with many things in the Botanic Garden during the crisis, the focus of the team has been core activities which can be done with a limited team, particularly essential watering and sustaining the plant collection. However, quiet progress has been made concerning the Rock Garden in the Lower Garden…

Preparations for our 400th anniversary — On the 25th July 2021 the Botanic Garden will celebrate its 400th anniversary and 400 years of plant sciences at Oxford University. Before lockdown, we were particularly busy in the Glasshouses, preparing for the 2021 celebrations. …

Restoring our heritage landscape — If you’ve visited the Arboretum before lockdown (or have read our apprentice Arborist William’s recent article) you may have noticed the work that has taken place along the Serpentine Ride. We have been focusing on removing the next sections of the invasive Rhododendron ponticum, ahead of replanting. The Ride forms…

Learn how to care for your Paphiopedilum (slipper orchids) from one of our experts. — Where is your plant from? As with other plants, it is helpful to understand where a plant grows naturally for success in cultivation. They are found growing in south China through to tropical Asia, a few grow as epiphytes, living in trees, whilst the remainder are either terrestrial or lithophytes (growing on rocks). …

Citrus plants have been grown at Oxford Botanic Garden since the 1600s. From late spring, the fragrant scent of the flowers fills the Conservatory. Learn how to care for your citrus plants from one of our experts. — Inside/outside? In April and May, days can be bright and sunny, therefore if your citrus trees are kept inside a conservatory or glasshouse you need to ensure there is adequate shading and venting.