Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are botanical gardens situated in Edgbaston
, Birmingham
, England
. The gardens are close to the centre of Birmingham and open every day of the year, from sunrise to sunset. They are located at .
They were designed in 1829 by J. C. Loudon, a leading garden planner, horticultural journalist and publisher. The gardens opened in 1832.
The layout is recognisably Loudon's and, as he proposed, there is a conservatory
at the top of the site. There is a lawn on the slope in front of the conservatory and a range of beds and shrubberies round its perimeter. In 1839, Loudon noted that "the trees and shrubs have thriven in an extraordinary degree". Overall, the character is that of a Victorian
public park – with a bandstand
set in 15 acres (6.1 ha) of landscaped greenery.
The British National Bonsai
Collection is based in the gardens. One of the oldest specimens is the "Omiya tree", a 250 year old Juniperus chinensis
in the informal upright style, presented to the collection in 1995 by the then city of Omiya
, Japan
.
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The gardens are close to the centre of Birmingham and open every day of the year, from sunrise to sunset. They are located at .
They were designed in 1829 by J. C. Loudon, a leading garden planner, horticultural journalist and publisher. The gardens opened in 1832.
The layout is recognisably Loudon's and, as he proposed, there is a conservatory
Conservatory (greenhouse)
A conservatory is a room having glass roof and walls, typically attached to a house on only one side, used as a greenhouse or a sunroom...
at the top of the site. There is a lawn on the slope in front of the conservatory and a range of beds and shrubberies round its perimeter. In 1839, Loudon noted that "the trees and shrubs have thriven in an extraordinary degree". Overall, the character is that of a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
public park – with a bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
set in 15 acres (6.1 ha) of landscaped greenery.
The British National Bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
Collection is based in the gardens. One of the oldest specimens is the "Omiya tree", a 250 year old Juniperus chinensis
Juniperus chinensis
Juniperus chinensis grows as a shrub or tree with a very variable in shape, reaching 1-20 m tall. This native of northeast Asia grows in China, Mongolia, Japan, Korea and the southeast of Russia.-Growth:...
in the informal upright style, presented to the collection in 1995 by the then city of Omiya
Omiya, Saitama
was a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In 2001 it merged with two other cities to form the city of Saitama. Since 1 April 2003, the area of former Ōmiya city is Kita-ku, Minuma-ku, Nishi-ku, and Ōmiya-ku of Saitama city.-Origin and pre-modern history:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
See also
- List of botanical gardens in the United Kingdom
- Winterbourne Botanic GardenWinterbourne Botanic GardenWinterbourne Botanic Garden is the botanic garden of the University of Birmingham, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. It is adjacent to Edgbaston Pool, a Site of Special Scientific Interest....