What exactly is a botanical garden

A. There is no organisation or body that decides what is a botanical garden and what is, but the general definition of a botanic garden is defined as one that is open to the public and that grows plants not just for display but also for scientific purposes. An arboretum is a botanical garden dedicated to woody plants, i.e. trees and shrubs.

�

In Britain most major universities have a botanical garden attached and then there the famous Royal Botanic Gardens a Kew, Wisley and Wakenhurst run by the RHS as well as many that are in private hands.

�

Essentially they have a more diverse role than say private or National Trust Gardens, collecting and breeding plants from around the world, keeping records and libraries and promoting educational programmes for adults and children.

�

A.� They have a different emphasis. Many of Britain's great gardens are planted to achieve the maximum visual impact, with plants from all over the world thrown in together.

�

In a botanical garden you are more likely to find plants grouped together phytogeographically, in layman's terms according to how they would grow together in their native habit, or around themes like desert plants, rock plants or aquatic plants.

�

Due to the importance of research and education you will usually find the plants are meticulously labelled, often with the Latin name and the common name together.

�

A.� Not at all. There is an image in some peoples minds of botanic gardens, particularly the university ones, being reserved for academics and students with a special key to let themselves in, but that certainly doesn't hold today.

�

There is a growing recognition that, as often public funded gardens, it is vital that botanic gardens earn their keep by getting the public into them in ever increasing numbers. Most of them are open during the week, offer courses for keen plantsmen to beginners, have plant sales, friends schemes and themed days and walks.

�

It is also important to remember that not all botanic gardens publicly owned but are at part of some of some of Britain's most popular attractions. Devon's Bicton Park, for instance, is open all year round and combines the garden with children's play areas, tearooms and all the other trappings of a family day out, while Westonbirt Arboretum attracts 100,000 visitors in October alone.

�

A.� The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London are renown the world over and attracts millions of visitors every year. The gardens at Oxford are the countries oldest while the Cambridge University garden is often claimed to contain the apple tree that Sir Isaac Newton sat under when he came up with his theory of gravity. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh are among the city's most popular public parks and tourist attractions.

�

However, there are botanic gardens worth visiting the length and breadth of the country, from Bristol, to Birmingham to Liverpool and Glasgow.

�