Cambridge University Botanic Garden

The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a beautiful botanical garden in Cambridge, England, linked to the university's Department of Plant Sciences. It is between Trumpington Road, Bateman Street, and Hills Road.

The garden covers 16 hectares (40 acres) of flat, lovely land.

Inside the garden grow more than 8,000 kinds of plants from all around the world. This helps teachers and researchers learn more about plants. The garden was started in 1831 by Professor John Stevens Henslow, who taught Charles Darwin. It opened for everyone to visit in 1846.

One very hot day, the garden recorded a very high temperature of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) on 25 July 2019. It held this record until a hotter day came later.

History

Cambridge made a Botanic Garden between 1760 and 1763. It was not where the garden is today, but in the middle of town. Dr. Richard Walker, a teacher at Trinity College, bought the land and gave it to the university. It was called the Walkerian Botanic Garden.

Later, in 1831, the university bought more land south of town. In 1846, the first tree was planted there. The garden grew to include many special trees, a lake, and glasshouses. By the 1870s, the garden was used for teaching and research in botany. In 2019, the garden had a very hot day and set a new temperature record.

Research

The University of Cambridge has had a special chair for studying plants since 1724. Many important scientists have held this job.

In 1921, the university began having a special director for the garden. The garden has had many directors, each helping to grow and care for it.

A new research building called the Sainsbury Laboratory was built on the garden grounds. It opened in 2011 and helps scientists learn more about how plants grow. This laboratory works with many areas of science to understand plants better.

Curators and directors of the botanic garden

The botanic garden has had many leaders. Here are some of the people who have helped take care of the garden:

• Charles Miller (1763-1770)
• James Donn (1794-1813)
• Arthur Biggs (1813-1845)
• Andrew Murray (1845-1850)
• James Stratton (1851-1864)
• William Mudd (1864-1879)
• Richard Irwin Lynch (1879-1919)
• Humphrey Gilbert-Carter (1921-1950) - title changed to Director
• John Scott Lennox Gilmour (1951-1973)
• Stuart Max Walters (1973-1984)
• Christopher Donald Pigott (1984-95)
• Beverley Glover (2013-present)

Garden features

The Cambridge University Botanic Garden has many special areas to explore. It has a dry garden that shows how plants can grow with less water, a fen display, and beautiful glasshouses with thousands of plant species from around the world. The glasshouses have plants from places like South Africa, Australia, tropical rainforests, and arid lands, as well as carnivorous plants and ferns.

The garden also has areas with different kinds of plants, a lake, and many collections such as alpine plants in rock gardens, scented plants, and trees. There is a woodland garden with spring bulbs and a winter garden open from December to April.

• Autumn colour garden
• Bed of British native plants
• Dry garden — shows planting with less watering
• Fen display
• Genetics garden
• Glasshouses, with about 3,000 species, show plants from all over the world, including:
  • Plants from South Africa and SW Australia
  • Plants from island archipelagos
  • Plants that survive in cold climates
  • Plants from tropical rainforests
  • Carnivorous plants with different traps
  • Drought tolerant plants from Africa and the Americas, including many succulent and cactus species
  • Ferns and filmy ferns.
• Herbaceous borders
• Garden Research Plots
• Lake

National plant collections of:

• • Alchemilla
  • Bergenia
  • European Fritillaria
  • Lonicera
  • Ribes
  • Ruscus
  • Saxifraga
  • Species Tulips
  • Hardy Geraniums
• Important scientific and research collections of:
  • Lavender
• Rock gardens — for alpine plants
  • Limestone rock garden
  • Sandstone rock garden
• Scented garden
• Systematic beds — 144 island beds representing 80 families of flowering plants
• Tree collection
• Water garden
• Winter garden (December to April)
• Woodland garden — with spring bulbs

Cory Lodge and Lawn

Cory Lodge was built between 1924 and 1925 using money donated by Reginald Cory, a former student of Trinity College, Cambridge. It was first used as a home for the garden’s director. Next to Cory Lodge grows a special tree called Catalpa speciosa with white flowers, and on the house’s north wall is a trained Ginkgo biloba tree.