University of Oxford Botanic Garden

The University of Oxford Botanic Garden stands beside the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire. Founded in 1621 as a physic garden for medicinal research, it now holds over 5,000 plant species on less than two hectares. The garden includes representatives from more than ninety per cent of higher plant families. A yew tree planted in the seventeenth century still grows in the Walled Garden. The Danby Gate at the entrance was designed by Nicholas Stone between 1632 and 1633.

The garden’s collections support scientific work and conservation. The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens chose it in 1983 to cultivate the national collection of euphorbia. One rare species, Euphorbia stygiana, has only ten wild plants remaining. Modern beds group plants by their medical uses, covering cardiology, oncology and other fields. Bearded irises bloom each May in a dedicated corner.

Paths lead through the Walled Garden’s family beds and along the wall borders. Mediterranean, South American and South African plants grow in microclimates along the foot of the walls. Three glasshouses shelter seasonal flowers, alpines, ferns and tropical waterlilies. The Harcourt Arboretum, six kilometres south, extends the living collection.