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Entering the Garden..... as you turn to your left, you will see the Killarney Strawberry Tree, Arbutus unedo. This tree is a native of south-west Ireland, but grows particularly well in the Botanical Gardens. It is unique in the fact that it flowers and fruits at the same time. Amazingly, it survived the restoration work going on all around it, back in the late 1990’s. The fruits are edible, but not particularly appetising!

Look out for the tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, also. It is at the top of Osborn’s field (to the left of the Curator’s House past the Victorian flower beds), showing off its beautiful autumn colour of rich, butter-yellow, unusual shaped, leaves. It is in the same family as the magnolias, and if you look you will see the seed heads, similar to the magnolias. Look out for the beautiful yellow-green tulip-shaped flowers next spring!

In the Glasshouses ... one shrub flowering for the first time is the Banksia integrifolia (Australian honeysuckle). It is to be found in the central dome (Australia). There are about four or five of the most unusual bottle-brush type flowers in a pale yellow-green. This plant originates from the coastal areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania. There are about 46 species of Banksias in Australia and Tasmania. They have been named after the distinguished botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who travelled with Captain James Cook.

In the mixed borders... the Miscanthus sinensis have become a popular addition. A variety of these tall perennial grasses can be seen when you walk down the central promenade. They are grown for their foliage and flowers, and complement late flowering plants such as rudbeckias and asters. They originate from Japan, China and Taiwan, but enjoy our temperate climate. There are now many cultivars and the one pictured is the very popular ‘Silver Feather’. One of the main advantages to growing these grasses is that they add beauty and elegance to the border throughout the winter

Around the Garden... there are many very mature hollies (Ilex species), and the female forms are looking particularly good this autumn with an abundance of red and sometimes yellow berries. It is probable that many of these would have originated from the famous Handsworth nursery, Fisher Son & Sibray, who cultivated at least ten hollies in the 19th and 20th century. One of those hollies was named after the designer, and first curator of the Garden, Mr. Robert Marnock - Ilex x altaclerensis  ‘Marnockii’. A specimen of this holly has been planted at the bottom of the main east lawn.