Sowing the seeds of success....

The University of Oxford Botanic Garden has undergone dramatic change over the past three years. A suite of developments including the new Medicinal Plant Collection and the Vegetable and fruit Collections, culminates with the sowing of the new Merton Borders.


These borders replace what was previously lawn area and cover an area of 955m2, the largest single cultivated area in the Garden.  The Botanic Garden has chosen to make these plantings an example of sustainable development and a celebration of plant diversity. All of this whilst minimising the impact on the environment, from plant establishment through to long-term management. As such these new borders will be established through the direct sowing of seed of over 100 different species.

The Garden is working in collaboration with James Hitchmough, Professor of Horticultural Ecology, the Landscape Architecture Department, University of Sheffield. James' research focuses on the creation of naturalistic herbaceous vegetation for use in urban parks and greenspace. These vegetation types are based on semi-natural plant communities but involve both native and exotic species to create visually dramatic, yet highly sustainable designed plantings that are managed mainly through the application of nature conservation techniques such as cutting and burning.

The new plantings at the Botanic Garden are based on seasonally dry grassland communities in three biogeographic regions of the world: the Central and Southern Plains of the USA, high altitude areas of Eastern South Africa and lastly, Southern Europe to Turkey and across Asia to Southern Siberia. Once established the area will be transformed into a sustainable, dry (non-irrigated), highly ornamental planting.




The aim is to showcase plants and planting that are likely to
become more important in the future if current climate change models prove to be accurate. The planting will be extremely innovative as it is based on the scientific study of the ecological rules governing natural plant communities. It will be an excellent example of the practical application of scientific research in British horticulture.  

James designed species lists for each biogeographical zone and calculated quantities required of each taxa to ensure a target of 70 plants per square metre. Seed mixes for the different areas were weighed out at the Department of Plant Sciences the day before sowing. The area was then marked out according to James' plan, breaking up the area into nine alternating zones of the three different plant communities. Containerised plants, that do not establish well from direct sowing, were then randomly placed through the scheme and planted.  


The seed batches were mixed with sawdust before hand sowing each area in turn. The sawdust acts as a carrier for the seed, and also allowed us to see which areas had been sown and if sowing had been conducted evenly. Two sowings were made across each area, at right angles to one another, to ensure even distribution of the seed 


The seed was then raked in by hand and jute netting laid over the entire area. This will keep the sand layer in place and prevent squirrels, cats and foxes digging the surface up.


Germination will occur in spring 2012, with the first flowering in late summer. Watch this space for updates!