Botanic Gardens Notes for Guides

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Walled Garden – the oldest part of the Oxford Botanic Garden. These high stone walls were built nearly 400 years ago to protect the plants from cold wind and bad weather.

Inside this garden, you’ll see lots of square beds. Each one shows a group of plants from the same 'family' – not like your family at home, but a plant family. Some plants are used for cooking, like mint and thyme. Others are used in medicine.

Let’s take a deep breath – can you smell any herbs? Try to find a plant that smells nice or has a strong scent. You can read the signs to learn where each plant is from and what it’s used for.

🟢 Fun fact: This garden used to grow vegetables and herbs for Oxford students studying medicine in the 1600s!

🟢 Another fun fact: Long ago, students sometimes sneaked into the garden at night to pick herbs for cooking or strange experiments!

Now let’s explore! Try to find:

• A plant from your country

• A plant with a strange or funny name

• Three different colours of flowers or leaves

"Welcome to the Rock Garden! This area shows plants that live in hard places – like high mountains or rocky deserts. These plants are small but strong. They can survive wind, cold, and very little water.

Look closely – do you see any plants growing between rocks? Many of them are from places like the Alps, Himalayas, or New Zealand. They grow low to the ground and have small flowers or thick leaves.

Some of these plants are older than they look – it can take them 30 years to grow just a few centimetres!

🟢 Fun fact: These plants are like little survivors – some even grow hair to protect themselves from the cold!

🟢 Another fun fact: In the wild, goats sometimes eat these plants… but only the tastiest ones!

Now take a few minutes to look around. See if you can:

• Find the smallest flower

• Guess which plants are from cold places

• Spot one that looks like it came from another planet!"

"This is one of the most useful parts of the Botanic Garden – the medicinal plants section. These plants are not just pretty. People have used them to treat illnesses for hundreds of years.

Some help with sleep, others stop pain, and some are used in tea or modern medicine. You might know aloe vera, mint, or chamomile – all of them grow here!

Let’s take a moment – has anyone ever used a plant to feel better? Maybe ginger for a cold? Mint tea for your stomach?

🟢 Fun fact: The garden worked with Oxford doctors to study these plants – their work helped make real medicine!

🟢 Another fun fact: There’s a plant here that can be used to help your heart – but too much of it is very dangerous. So always ask a doctor, not a gardener!

Let’s look around together. Try to:

• Find 3 plants with signs showing what they treat

• Smell a plant that is used in tea

• Draw one leaf or flower that you find interesting"

"Time to get warm and steamy – welcome to the Glasshouses! These big glass buildings help tropical plants grow in Oxford. Inside, you’ll feel like you’re in a jungle – hot, wet, and full of big green leaves!

You’ll see banana plants, palm trees, bright flowers, and climbing vines. The air is humid, and some plants even grow up the walls!

🟢 Fun fact: The banana tree here once grew real bananas – but only in a very hot summer!

🟢 Another fun fact: There’s a plant here that moves its leaves when you touch it – it’s called the ‘shy plant’!

Let’s go in and explore. Can you find:

• A plant that grows taller than you

• A flower with an unusual colour

• A leaf that is bigger than your head?
  
  

We’ll spend a few minutes inside, but be careful – don’t touch the plants unless the signs say it’s okay!"

And now we’ve come to our final stop – the peaceful Merton Walk. This quiet path runs along the River Cherwell. Look out and you might see ducks, swans, or boats. It’s a great place to relax and think about what we’ve seen today.

Behind us is Merton College, one of the oldest colleges in Oxford. Long ago, students and writers would come here to walk and write poetry.

🟢 Fun fact: A famous poet once said he got his best ideas walking by this river!

🟢 Another fun fact: The Botanic Garden once kept bees here to help pollinate the flowers – and students could buy the honey!

Now, take a moment to reflect:

• What was your favourite part of the garden?

• Which plant surprised you the most?

• What new thing did you learn today?