News archive
Day of Celebration with Professor David Bellamy, Saturday 5th July 2008
The ‘Day of Celebration’ was attended by 550 people who saw guest of honour Professor David Bellamy officially open the garden’s unique Evolution Collection, the primary collection for teaching and research at the new Botanic Garden. Professor Bellamy arrived at 2pm having arrived in Bristol from Hobart, Tasmania the day before. He took a detailed tour of the Garden, meeting and chatting to people along the way. He was shown the Evolutionary Dell with its new displays of plants illustrating plant evolution over the past 500 million years. Recent additions to the collection include a display of Sphagnum moss in a wet bog. One of Professor Bellamy’s favourite plants, he was particularly excited to see this and many of the other primitive plants on display. He was also fascinated by the Angiosperm Phylogeny display which depicts the new classification of flowering plants according to their gene sequences. He spent some time exploring the network of paths that make up this ‘family tree’ of angiosperms display and learned that Bristol is the first Botanic garden in the UK to display the new phylogeny of flowering plants in this way. The display occupies a large area at the back of the main house and includes a beautiful raised pool, home to a selection of waterlily species, (some of the earliest angiosperms) surrounded by a collection of magnolias and laurels, also ancient angiosperm families.
Whilst touring the Garden, Professor Bellamy met children from Writhlington School Orchid Project who were showcasing their award winning work along with a beautiful display of tropical orchids. The children presented him with one of their orchid packs and a book that they have written titled ‘Do’s and Don’ts of Orchid Growing’. He spent some time chatting to the children and viewing their display.
Professor Bellamy also had the opportunity to meet Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Eric Thomas, who in his introductory address praised the Botanic Garden as for its commitment to education, research, and public understanding of science. He then commented on how much had been achieved at the new garden in its first three years and thanked all the staff, Friends and volunteers who have worked so hard to make the new garden a success.
Professor Bellamy’s address commenced with an enthusiastic: ‘Wow a new University Botanic Garden here in Bristol’. He went onto talk about many of the issues facing plant and wildlife conservation commenting, ‘We’ve got to give and this place is going to give hope to people, because if we get bad news all the time how can we ever know we can solve problems and this Botanic Garden, wandering through these paths of righteousness about the evolution of plants is going to give a lots people a lot of hope’. He talked about the need for people of all ages to get out and experience nature and if possible to take up gardening. ‘I am very glad that you are running courses on gardening and people are queuing up to attend these courses. The people of Bristol should have a botanic garden and the Botanic Garden should be in the University’. Commenting on some of the global environmental problems he added ‘We are part of the problem, but also part of the solution’. Throughout his address he linked references to the formation of the earth and the evolution of plants picking up the core theme of the new Garden. Evident throughout was his trademark enthusiasm and raw passion which impressed everyone. He gave examples of some of the global problems facing us all and some of the tens of thousands of projects, many like the Botanic Garden that offer hope. He congratulated Writhlington School Orchid Project and said ‘The combination of the Orchid Project working with the new Botanic Garden will be a powerful force in spreading the message of conservation’. ‘Unless we have a botanic garden like this which brings all that knowledge together and passes it onto other people and the next generation, in many ways we would be lost’. On global warming he said that ‘If we really want to stop global warming we must stop the felling of tropical forests which releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere’ and ‘many of the answers to our problems are in good social sciences’. He rounded up his address with, ‘Ladies and gentleman it is an honour to be with you today and before I open the evolution collections I want you all to join me in saying WoW!!!’.
After his address Professor Bellamy officially opened the Evolution Collection by cutting a ribbon at the entrance to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Display. He was helped by a group of local children who also helped him plant a tree, Michelia doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’ in the Magnoliaceae family. Professor Bellamy has lots of experience in planting trees, but to add something special and to get the tree off to a good start he held hands with the children and sang happy birthday to the tree. The children were surprised and amused by this. Professor Bellamy stayed on into the early evening to meet and talk to students from the School of Biological Sciences. He enjoyed hearing about their research work and meeting this next generation of botanists. Finally, he had a group picture taken with staff and volunteers before departing at around 7pm.
The whole event was the culmination of eighteen months planning and twelve months hard work to bring the Evolution Collections to a point that they could be official opened. A big thank you must go to all those who helped with the months of preparation and the long hours leading up to the event. The day was a huge success and local press coverage of the event will help publicise the Garden.
University of Bristol Botanic Garden 30th Anniversary Year of Opening for the National Garden Scheme, Sunday 14th September.
To commemorate the 30th Anniversary with the National Garden Scheme, Chief Executive Mrs Julia Grant made a presentation to the Botanic Garden on Tuesday 9th September. Julia Grant was joined by Mrs Eileen Mantell, current County Organiser for Bristol & South Gloucestershire and Mrs Su Mills, County Organiser Designate.
Curator Nick Wray, together with other members of the Botanic Garden team accepted the presentation on behalf of the University Botanic Garden and said, ‘we are delighted to open the Botanic Garden for the National Garden Scheme and are proud of our long association. Over the past thirty years thousands of people have come to the Botanic Garden, many making their first visit on a National Garden Scheme Open Day. Our opening allows people to experience and learn about the beautiful Botanic Garden, enjoy refreshments, buy some unusual plants, whilst helping raise funds for the National Garden Scheme charities. I could not think of a more enjoyable way to spend an afternoon’.
At the Garden opening visitors were able to see new plantings illustrating the European Mediterranean flora and unique native plants, many rare to the Bristol area. On show were the Gardens extensive evolution collections, which were formally opened by Professor David Bellamy in July 2008. These include a sunken Evolutionary Dell where visitors walk through the past 500 million years of plant evolution and an ‘Angiosperm Phylogeny Display’. This forms a family tree, illustrating the latest understanding of flowering plant relationships based on the DNA sequencing of plant genes. This is the first of its kind in the UK and is part of the Gardens unique collections illustrating plant evolution.
Many of the plants are grown in the extensive glasshouse home to the Giant Amazon Water Lily, the exquisite Sacred Lotus collection, many tropical fruit and medicinal plants and "Wolly", our famous Wollemi Pine.
The Garden has been featured on BBC1 Points West and ITV West Tonight.
Since 1927 members of the National Garden Scheme have been opening their gardens to the public. Today hundreds of garden owners throughout the country open their gardens each year. This gives the public a chance to see gardens at their best and enables the NGS to raise much-needed funds for good causes including Marie Curie Cancer Care and Macmillan Cancer Support. Over the past 10 years the National Garden Scheme has donated more than £22 million to charity.
The Botanic Gardens played host to three open-air events in 2009. The Chapterhouse Theatre's production of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, the concert by the Bristol Millennium Orchestra and the Blue Note Jazz event were very successful and were enjoyed by all. Details of future events will be confirmed shortly.
Annals of Botany Inaugural Lecture - Wednesday 7th May 2008
In collaboration with the scientific journal Annals of Botany, the Botanic Gardens hosted an Inaugural Lecture by Professor Mark Chase of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Professor Chase described how the development of genetic (DNA) analysis has changed the classification of flowering plants, enabling scientists to better understand the relationships between the different groups according to their evolutionary relatedness. He illustrated the changes in flowering plant classification with examples from recent work on the orchids, which are now understood to be one of the oldest flowering plant families in spite of their relative lack of a fossil history.
The lecture was attended by approximately 70 people, including Friends of the Botanic Gardens and staff and students from the University of Bristol.
Tropical Zone is Opened by Young Gardeners - Saturday 28 July 2007
On 28 July 2007, over one hundred people squeezed into the glasshouses at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden to take part in the official opening of the Tropical Zone. The Tropical Zone is the latest part of the extensive 604 metre square glasshouse to be developed. Tropical food like Cinnamon, Sugar Cane and Custard Apple together with medicinal plants like the Rosy Periwinkle, Cardamom and Ginger are grown in a series of deep planting beds. In the centre of the glasshouse, a large raised stone pool has been built and is home to the Giant Amazon Water Lily, Victoria amazonica. This huge plant with leaves up to 3m in diameter, the largest of any member of the water lily family, has been grown from seed at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Our plant was transplanted in the Tropical Zone in mid May. After settling in the plant has grown quickly producing up to two new leaves a week as well as a succession of sweetly-scented night-blooming flowers, which are pollinated by beetles. This amazing plant is the only one of its kind on public display in the west of England. To celebrate the completion of the Tropical Zone and the flowering of the Giant Amazon Water Lily, a group of children carried out the 'offical' ribbon cutting at the Friends of the Garden Jazz Evening in July. The ribbon cutting was immediately followed by a fanfare by the Blue Note Jazz Band and rapturous applause from the guests who filled the glasshouse. The young gardeners were amazed at the size of the leaves and to learn that when mature they would be strong enough for them to sit on.
New University Botanic Garden is Officially Opened - Thursday 16th March 2006
Professor Sir Peter Crane, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Special Botanical Advisor to the new Botanic Garden was guest of honour at the official opening of the new University Botanic Garden on Thursday 16th March 2006. Some 260 guests were present to hear presentations from Dr Simon Hiscock, Director of the Garden, Dr Steven Hill, Director of Flexible Learning and Community Engagement and Professor Sir Peter Crane, before Professor Crane cut the opening ribbon at the entrance to the warm temperate zone of the glasshouse. In his presentation Professor Crane said "It has been wonderful to follow the progress of developing the new Botanic Garden. This is an important investment by the University that will not only enhance teaching and research, but will also further enrich the City of Bristol for all its citizens".
Guests included all those who had worked on the project from both outside and within the University. All volunteers who are involved in the new Garden and the Friends were invited and most attended. The large crowd necessitated the presentations to be made outside the main house. The dry crisp air of a cold March day did not dampen the enthusiasm of the guests for what was an historic and magical day for all connected with the University Botanic Garden in Bristol.
In the afternoon the new Welcome Lodge was officially opened at a small ceremony conducted by the Director, Dr Simon Hiscock; the President of the Friends, Lady Christine Skelmersdale; Chairman of the Friends, Mrs Pat Davie and the Curator, Mr Nicholas Wray.
Gallery of photos from the Opening of the garden, March 2006
For opening times please see the Contacts and Opening times page.
Saturday May 7th 2005 - A sponsored walk with a difference.
Over one hundred people of all ages pushed wheelbarrows of exotic plants across Bristol to help with the relocation of the University's Botanic Garden.