Oxford Botanic Garden

The Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest Botanic Garden in Britain and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. It was founded in 1621 with a mission ‘To promote the furtherance of learning and to glorify nature’.

Today Oxford Botanic Garden continues to educate as many people as possible about the importance of plants, to help conserve plants around the world and to support teaching and research at the University and beyond. It is a classic seventeenth century walled garden. When founded in 1621, so much money was spent on the walls that little was left for plants. However today, that has been remedied – it now contains over 8,000 different plant species on 1.8 hectares (4½ acres). It is one of the most diverse yet compact collections of plants in the world and includes representatives from over 90% of the higher plant families.

The Garden consists of three sections: The Glasshouses contain plants that need protection from the extremes of the British weather; the Walled Garden housing plants which are grouped in a number of different ways such as by country of origin, botanic family or economic use; and the area outside the Walled Garden which contains classic garden features such as the Water Garden and Rock Garden as well as the innovative Black Border and Autumn Borders.

Oxford Botanic Gardens