The Bath Botanic Gardens [May 2005]
I enjoy having the Bath Botanical Gardens on my doorstep. It is wonderful season by season seeking out old flowering friends and being surprised by new ones. On a snowy day recently I was hoping to walk around the gardens early before people were about and savour the special atmosphere - it was not to be, the gates remained locked and the gardens tantalisingly pristine.

I used to wonder why the notice boards at each entrance were not used to promote what was in flower to let visitors know what to look for each month like other gardens. On a walk led by Stan Hitt former Director of Parks for Bath I asked why, and the wry response was that when they did do this the plants often disappeared! Another anecdote concerned the display beds that are sometimes planted up ornamentally with vegetables, one summer a gentleman was seen picking the ripe veg and putting his haul into a capacious bag; when challenged the unabashed response was, 'I pay my taxes don't I?'

I am sure many Bathonians and visitors have favourite areas of the botanic gardens or special plants - I thought I would share a few of mine.

The acer grove as spring progresses is a magical place with a succession of bulbs planted in the turf including snowdrops, spring snowflakes, native daffodils and Snake's Head Fritillaries as well as clumps of primroses dotted about. The magnolias in March are wonderful in a good year when the frost doesn't singe the blooms. On a cloudless day the flotillas of flowers in pinks and creams sail magnificently against a clear blue sky. One of my favourites for its exuberant pale pink satin confection of petals is Magnolia dawsoniana introduced into the UK in 1908 from China by the famous plant collector E H Wilson. As you walk amongst the enormous fallen petals you feel the wet crunch underfoot like lettuce leaves.

Dipelta floribunda is another favourite, also from China. There is a large specimen which is quite hidden and presumably sheltered to some extent by the shrub it grows in amongst. Not often seen in gardens, the dipelta has bountiful clusters of flared white and pink scented flowers in early summer which develop into a mass of papery seed heads. Other scented trees and shrubs which are a delight include, the sarcococca near the pond - in January the scent can be detected from way off; the small tufted flowers of the Azara microphylla by the main gate fill that part of the gardens with the smell of rich chocolate in April. The scent of cowslips can be found in spring emanating from the corylopsis and in autumn from Clematis rehderiana. In autumn too the leaves of the huge cercidiphyllum near the pond waft their burnt sugar smell across the park.

Around Christmas time I visit the Glastonbury Thorn [Crataegus monogyna Biflora] to see if it is flowering. In winter too I look for Parrotia persica, the small brown fuzzy flower buds of this tree split to reveal the deep scarlet stamens within. In late summer I sometimes sample [scrump] a couple of mulberries from the White Mulberry tree. There are many more delights and treasures - long may the gardens continue to provide pleasure and interest. If you are developing a garden in the Bath area the gardens are a good place to see what can be grown. Become a friend of the gardens and take advantage of guided seasonal walks and talks. If you are visiting Bath don't forget to take some time out to enjoy the gardens.

You will find the Botanic Gardens tucked away to the far west side of Royal Victoria Park, a short easy walk from The Crescent and Bath city centre.

Contact: Friends of Bath Botanical Gardens, Lower Sports Centre, North Parade Road, Bath BA2 4ET Tel: 01225 47 71 01

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