Blooming marvellous!

Wednesday, 04 May 2011

Alliums blooming in the Harris Garden

The Harris Garden is blooming early this spring. Following the landscaping work in November, the exceptionally warm and dry spring weather has accelerated the flowering of many of the garden's 50,000 bulbs that are now in full bloom.

If you work on the Whiteknights campus, the garden is a quiet oasis tucked between the Philip Lyle Building and the Wilderness, well worth a visit during your lunch hour to see the wonderful displays of Alliums, Camassias and Pheasants eye Narcissus. The current display is just the beginning of the long season of flowering interest the new landscaping work has installed.

If you are unable to visit during your working day, everyone is welcome to a special event to mark the re-launch of the Garden on Sunday 22 May from 2.00pm - 5.30pm. There will be a chance to enjoy a celebration event for all the family - a unique opportunity to explore the garden at your leisure or take a guided tour. You can also relax and enjoy refreshments on the lawn, pose your gardening questions to one of our expert horticulturalists and uncover some of the secrets of the garden's wildlife.

The Harris Garden was once the home paddock of ‘The Wilderness', a ‘Victorian house' built in the remains of a famous landscape garden created at Whiteknights by George, Marquis of Blandford between 1798 and 1819.

It is a botanic garden covering approximately five hectares, established in the 1970s and extended over the coming years as a teaching and research resource for the University.

Since 2010 the Garden has undergone significant development work and the garden is now open to all with recreation and conservation being its primary function.

To see photos of the Harris Garden in bloom go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/universityofreading/sets/72157626512393417/