Owned by University of Reading Area 5 ha Owner University of Reading | Address Reading RG6 6UR, UK Phone +44 118 926 2337 | |
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Location University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, UK Website friendsoftheharrisgarden.org.uk Hours Open today · Open 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hours Similar University of Reading, Meteorol, SportsPark, UCEM, Reading College | ||
The Harris Garden is a botanical garden on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the centre of the English town of Reading. It was established in 1972 and expanded into its current form in 1988. It is named after Professor Tom Harris, a distinguished palaeobotanist and keen gardener. Friends of the Harris Garden is an organisation set up with the aim of supporting the Garden.
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Mr pinky 3rd jumping on the buggy at the harris garden
Planting
The garden is about 12 acres (4.9 ha) in size. Within this area it encompasses various borders, several ponds and a stream, a formal garden, a heather garden, a wildflower meadow, coppiced woodland, and a walled garden. Adjoining the gardens to the north are the university's experimental grounds and several ranges of glasshouses.
The garden is a hotspot for butterflies and also features primulas, pansies and palm trees, as well as being home to a national collection of digitalis. Special collections include Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Asteraceae, Crassulaceae, Droseraceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Iridaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Lentibulariaceae, Liliaceae, Palmae, Pinaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Nepenthaceae, and Sarraceniaceae.
History
The garden is in a location that was originally the home paddock of "The Wilderness", a former Victorian house built within the landscape garden created between 1798 and 1819 by George, Marquis of Blandford, later the 5th Duke of Marlborough.
A botanic garden was established by the University in 1972 when the Department of Botany moved from the University's London Road site in central Reading to the new Whiteknights campus. In 1987, the garden was redesigned by Richard Bisgrove of the Centre for Horticulture and Landscape in Biological Sciences. The following year, redevelopment of the Botanic Garden was started.
Responsibility for maintenance of the Harris Garden was transferred from the School of Biological Sciences to the Facilities Management Directorate's Grounds Team in October 2010. The demonstration garden, which was formerly situated in the centre of the site and used for undergraduate teaching, was at the same time replaced by an extension of the existing wildflower meadow.
Usage and access
The garden was originally mostly used for teaching and research by the University's School of Biological Sciences, and the school will continue to use the garden for some teaching and practical work, but most academic activity will now be focussed on the walled garden. Since 2010 the Garden has undergone significant development work and is now open to all with recreation and conservation being its primary function.
The garden also holds occasional open days, in which the gardens are open to the public from 2pm until 5.30pm, raising funds for various causes. In 2014, the garden is open on the second Sunday of each month from April until October. On these open days the adjoining experimental grounds, which are not normally publicly accessible, are sometimes also opened to visitors.