MANY people think that visiting gardens is just for spring, summer and autumn. But they couldn’t be more wrong – especially when it comes to the University of Oxford Botanic Garden.

Even in the depths of winter, there’s plenty to see, with more than 5,500 different plant species growing at the garden, making it one of the most biodiverse areas of land in the world.

The garden, just off the High Street in Oxford, has something in flower whatever the time of year. Indeed, on New Year’s Day we logged that there were over 100 different species in bloom.

The glasshouses, such as the Palm House and the Lily House, are likely to transport you to warmer climes – even in the gloomy winter months.

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They are also like a festive pantry, bursting with the plants that provide us with the spices we associate with Christmas, such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Our festive centrepiece is the splendid Christmas tree in the conservatory, which is decorated by schoolchildren and families who have taken part in our many schools sessions and family-friendly activities in the last few weeks.

Our education team runs ‘Green Christmas’ sessions for primary school children (key stage 1 and 2), so they learn about the plants that are traditionally used in the celebrations.

These include exotic spices from the Tropics, as well as plants native to Britain.

They gather leaves, seeds and pine cones from the garden, turning them into beautiful natural decorations to hang on the tree. Some of the children put them on the Botanic Garden Christmas tree, while others take a little bit of festive cheer back to their schools, bedecking their own classrooms with ornaments from the garden.

The children also learn a bit about how they can be greener at Christmas, keeping waste to a minimum and helping wildlife in the cold months.

Oxford Mail:

  • Icicles at the Oxford Botanic Garden after a very heavy frost 

Some of the schools adopt the idea of a ‘green’ Christmas tree adorned with natural decorations.

We run a range of courses and activities for all ages throughout the year.

In early 2015, we will be offering adult writing courses for garden and literature enthusiasts led by Jackie Bennett, an award-winning former editor of garden magazines.

In the workshop, Jackie will explore what relationship some of our most famous poets, novelists and playwrights had with their own gardens.

From late January, there will also be a series of evening lectures organised by the Friends of the Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum.

At the Saïd Business School, leading garden designers, scientists and writers will examine the gardens of Japan and whether we really did dig for victory during the Second World War. They will even attempt, in an hour, to get us to look differently at trees.

Christmas is a time of over-indulgence, so anyone looking to shed a few pounds might want to consider tree-planting in January at our sister site, the Harcourt Arboretum.

Planting a tree is not just as simple as sticking it in the ground and forgetting about it.

There will be information on how to grow trees and, at the same time, you can do your bit for the plantation at the arboretum.

  • The University of Oxford Botanic Garden will be open every day over the Christmas period, except for tomorrow and Christmas Day.
  • See the website botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk for full details.
  • For details of courses at the Harcourt Arboretum, see harcourt-arboretum.ox.ac.uk


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