TOM Price is making sure the plants are well watered at the Botanic Garden in Oxford as summer rolls on.

The garden curator is working hard to keep the herbaceous border and Merton border in the Lower Garden colourful as the warm weather continues.

Mr Price, who lives with wife Kathryn in North Oxford, trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew before arriving at the Oxford garden about eight years ago.

He said: “We are definitely into summer now and the borders are looking fantastic.

“We need to irrigate the borders in the hot weather, although the Merton border doesn’t need extra water, apart from the rain, because the plants there are drought-resistant.

“Parts of the garden are quite exposed so if it’s hot you need to wear sunscreen and take a break in the shade every now and then.”

The Merton border is a collection of herbaceous perennials from America, Europe and South Africa.

For information, visit botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk