A celebration of local flora and wildlife

Press release issued: 14 August 2007

A celebration of local flora and wildlife will take place later this week [Friday 17 to Sunday, August 19] when Bristol University's Botanic Garden hold an open weekend.

Bristol University's Botanic Garden will be holding an open weekend [Friday 17 to Sunday, August 19] to celebrate local flora and wildlife.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to see the garden with its new Giant Amazon Water Lily and meet local conservation groups.

There will also be the chance to learn more about the garden's development by taking one of two special guided tours.

On Friday's tour [August 17] the Curator of the Botanic Garden, Nick Wray, will explain how the garden has been developed and what plant collections have been planted and the work of the garden.

On Saturday [August 18] Professor Simon Hiscock, Director of the Botanic Garden, will explain during his tour the scientific rationale behind the new garden and its collections, particularly the Evolution Collection and its unique Angiosperm Phylogeny display, the first of its type in the UK.

The Avon Wildlife Trust, Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project and the Bristol Naturalists' Society will have poster displays of their work, together with a large poster exhibition by the Botanic Garden on its development at The Holmes.

Nick Wray, Botanic Garden Curator, said: "We look forward to welcoming everyone to our open weekend. Members of the public visiting the garden will see it looking at its best with floral highlights in the Floral Diversity border and the magnificent Giant Amazon Water Lily, which is now flowering."

The University of Bristol Botanic Garden Open Weekend at the Holmes is open to the public on Friday 17, Saturday 18 and Sunday, August 19. The garden will be open from 10 am to 4.30 pm, with the special guided tour of the garden taking place at 2.15 pm on Friday 17 and Saturday August 18. Admission is adults £3, school-aged children £1, which includes the special guided tour. The tour will last approximately one hour.

Further information

Directions to The Holmes

From the city centre go to the top of Whiteladies Road, at the junction and traffic lights go straight ahead across Durdham Down towards Stoke Bishop. At the traffic lights go straight ahead and take the first turning on the right into Stoke Park Road, The Holmes is 150 m on the right. Free parking is available opposite the garden at Churchill Hall.

The Botanic Garden has the largest water lily species, the Victoria amazonica. The Victoria amazonica has circular leaves that can reach 3 m in diameter with a 15 cm rim. It is naturally found growing in the slow backwaters and seasonal lagoons of the Amazon region.

The new Botanic Garden, unique in the Bristol area with its huge diversity of plants opened to the public in March 2006. The garden has been designed with a strong evolutionary theme with four core collections: Evolution, Rare and Threatened Natives, Mediterranean Plants and Useful Plants.

Laid out in exciting displays the garden includes an evolutionary dell, a phylogeny display, Chinese and European Herb Gardens, a rock garden, a pool surrounded by native plants, together with a large glasshouse divided into four climatic zones; Sub Tropical, Warm Temperate, Cool and the Tropical zone.

Please contact Joanne Fryer for further information.