Programme - Harcourt Arboretum - University of Oxford

The public education programme for The University 

of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum 

What’s On at the 

Botanic Garden 

and Harcourt 

Arboretum 

2013-2014

Welcome to the events programme for 

2013-2014. The year ahead is packed full 

of lectures, study mornings and courses 

for you to enjoy. Willow weaving courses 

run by the talented Tom Hare are back 

by popular demand. 

All the courses and guided walks that 

take place outdoors do so regardless of 

the weather. Please wear suitable shoes 

and clothing. 

The Botanic 

Garden Science 

Lectures Series: 

Pest and 

disease control 

research in the 

21st century 

Lectures take place at 7.30pm in the 

Daubeny Lecture Theatre (at the front 

of the Botanic Garden). (Please note 

earlier time than in previous years.) 

Tickets cost £8 or £36 for the whole series. 

Gail Preston, Department 

of Plant Sciences, Oxford 

Armoured plants: the role 

of heavy metal in defence 

against plant disease 

Monday 21st October 2013 

Metal hyperaccumulator plants are 

an unusual group of plants that are 

able to accumulate exceptionally high 

concentrations of metals such as zinc, nickel, 

copper and cadmium in their leaves. They are 

typically found growing in metal-rich soils, 

and are of interest because of their potential 

applications in remediation of metal 

pollution caused by mining and industry. 

However, the reasons why these plants do 

this are not fully understood. One possibility 

is that the toxicity of the accumulated metal 

provides an ‘elemental’ defence against 

herbivory and disease. 

Sarah Gurr, 

Exeter University 

Global food security: 

food, famine and fungi 

Monday 28th October 2013 

Fungal pathogens are a major threat to 

global ecosystems, accounting for billions 

of pounds of lost or damaged crops every 

year. This talk will consider the fungal 

challenges we have faced and will evaluate 

future threats posed by the emergence and 

movement of pathogens, fuelled by modern 

agricultural systems, trade and transport and 

by climate change.

David Boshier, Department 

of Plant Sciences, Oxford 

Ash dieback – what next? 

Monday 4th November 2013 

Although just one in a line of recent disease 

arrivals in Britain, Chalara fraxinea, the 

fungus that causes ash dieback, gained 

massive media and public interest. This 

talk examines what the disease means for 

ash trees in Britain, what research is going 

on in response, and whether resistance or 

resilience is the key for our trees. 

Charles Godfray, 

Department of Zoology, 

Oxford 

The challenge of feeding 

ten billion people sustainably 

and equitably 


By 2050 there will probably be about 10 

billion people on earth, a larger proportion 

of them wealthier than today and 

demanding a more varied diet. This pressure 

on the food system will occur at the same 

time as competition for water, land and 

other resources increases, and the effects 

of climate change become increasingly felt. 

Charles will explore what might be done, 

focusing on the role of plant science and 

how best we can protect crops from pests 

and diseases. 

Dianne Irwin, Syngenta Ltd 

Plant products for crop 

protection: Historic 

perspectives and 

improvements on nature 


The practice of using extracts from plants 

for the control of agricultural pests dates 

back at least two millennia in countries 

such as China, Egypt, Greece and India. 

Syngenta’s Natural Product Team recognises 

the potential of plants as a source of useful 

bioactive compounds. Dianne will illustrate 

her talk with case studies that show the 

challenges involved when developing novel 

products from plant sources.

Winter Lecture Series 

warm up lecture! 

Henry Oakley 

Doctors in the medicinal garden: 

Plants named after physicians 

Thursday 28th November 2013 

Henry will explore the history, cultivation and uses of 

plants named after doctors and apothecaries. These 

plants tell the fascinating tales of diverse men who 

dedicated themselves to advancing the cutting edges 

of science, botany and horticulture. This engaging 

talk includes a Jesuit missionary who ran 

a pharmacy, Doctors of Divinity, a failed 

medical student, a botanist with strong 

medical links, and two kings with 

medical interests. 

Lecture will take place 

at the T S Eliot Lecture 

Theatre (Merton College) 

which is accessed 

directly off Rose Lane. 

Tickets cost £12 

(includes a glass of wine). 

The Winter Lecture 

Series: Gardens 

through the seasons 

Edward Parker 

Ancient tree hunt: finding 

the ancient trees of the UK 

Thursday 30th January 2014 

Edward’s talk will highlight 

many of the country’s most 

magnificent ancient trees and 

also discuss the various methods 

used to determine their ages, 

based on his work documenting, 

and promoting the protection 

of, ancient trees over the last 15 

years, during which time he has 

been co-author and photographer 

for the book Ancient Trees – 

Trees That Live For A Thousand 

Years. He will also talk about 

the environmental and cultural 

importance of ancient trees such 

as oak, yew, chestnut and lime. 

Lectures take place at 8.00pm at the Saïd Business 

School (adjacent to the railway station) in Oxford. 

Tickets cost £12 per lecture or £54 for the whole 

series (ticket price includes a glass of wine).

Tom Coward 

Gardening at 

Gravetye manor 

Thursday 13th February 2014 

Gravetye Manor is most famous as 

the home of William Robinson, one 

of the most inflentual gardeners 

of the late 19th and early 20th 

centuries. Robinson was a prolific 

garden writer, promoting the 

wild garden and ridiculing carpet 

bedding, topiary and contemporary 

‘bad taste’, and it was at Gravetye 

that Robinson put most of his 

ideas into practice. In 2010 the 

Manor, now run as a country house 

hotel, was bought by Mr and Mrs 

Hosking, and a major restoration 

of the garden began. Tom will talk 

about the work involved in this 

restoration as well as his experience 

of gardening in such a beautiful 

and historic property. 

John massey 

Winter into Spring 

Thursday 27th February 2014 

John will talk about his garden 

at Ashwood, firstly looking at 

architectural plants in mid-winter, 

and then following the natural 

sequence of flowering from 

hamamelis, hardy cyclamen, 

snowdrops, hellebores and 

hepaticas through to the full 

exuberance of Spring as leaves and 

blossom unfold. His garden is a 

plantsman’s paradise of rare plants 

together with many old favourites, 

all planted in ideal conditions 

and in combinations that work 

well together. John’s horticultural 

knowledge and expertise will 

be combined with his sense of 

humour and some fabulous images 

to create an inspirational lecture 

with something for everyone. 

Jo Cobb 

Concrete and flowers - 

the story of a college 

garden 

Thursday 13th March 2014 

New Hall (now Murray Edwards 

College) was built in the 1960’s in the 

grounds of The Orchard, a large house 

part-owned by the distinguished 

plantswoman Norah Barlow, 

granddaughter of Charles Darwin. By 

the time it was given to New Hall, the 

garden was somewhat overgrown, 

though with fine trees and choice 

shrubs, some of which still remain. The 

first President, Dame Rosemary Murray, 

planned and planted the gardens 

around the College in an informal style. 

The current head gardener, Jo Cobb, 

has brought imaginative, modern 

plantsmanship, as well as horticultural 

excellence, to the garden and will share 

her work with us in this talk. 

Helen Yemm 

Downsizing 

without tears 

Thursday 27th March 2014 

Downsizing - giving up a large 

garden in which you have 

invested years of care and 

starting again on a smaller site 

- is something Helen had to do 

suddenly and reluctantly, and, 

despite the initial sadness and 

fear, she found it surprisingly 

satisfying. Taking few plants 

with her, and starting from 

scratch, she found that her 

years of gardening experience 

helped her to transform a 

small and scruffy plot into a 

satisfying space in which to 

spend her dotage. Helen’s 

talk will be illustrated with 

photographs taken by 

Jonathan Buckley.

Botanic 

Garden 

Summer 

Lectures 

Lectures start at 6.30pm in the 

Daubeny Lecture Theatre (at 

the front of the Botanic Garden) 

and are followed by a drinks 

reception in the Botanic Garden. 

Tickets cost £8 per talk or 

£36 for the whole series 

2014 Biodiversity lecture 

Judy Webb 

The Lye Valley 

and the “twinkling 

stars in the 

shadowy grass...” 

Thursday 22nd May 2014 

The Lye Valley, formerly known as 

Hogley Bog, is a surprising and littleknown 

hot spot of wildlife biodiversity, a habitat 

for stunning wildflowers and spectacular insects in 

the centre of the City of Oxford. Beautiful marsh 

helleborine orchids are thriving here, within 

just a few metres of housing, and an 

important, historic, population of Grassof-Parnassus 

is recovering to good 

numbers. Oxford botanists since the 

1650s have loved this site and it was 

a favourite of photographer Henry 

Taunt, whose description of the Grass 

of Parnassus is quoted in the title. This 

is the story of a rare, ancient, wetland 

fen community, which has been fed by 

lime-rich spring water for 

thousands of years. It 

is one of the most 

important natural 

heritage sites 

within the city. 

Tom Price 

The Japan hotspot – 

collecting and conserving 

the flora of Japan 

Thursday 12th June 2014 

The archipelago of Japan is defined as one 

of the World’s 34 biodiversity hotspots. 

Learn how staff from the Botanic Garden 

and Harcourt Arboretum are conducting 

expeditions to Japan to collect and 

document the native flora to improve the 

plant collections held by the University, 

promote biodiversity conservation and 

communicate research conducted by the 

Department of Plant Sciences, Oxford to a 

wider audience.

Guy Horwood 

The Czech Republic 

with the International 

Dendrology Society 


In 2013, Harcourt Arboretum arborist Guy 

Horwood was awarded a travel bursary 

to join the prestigious International 

Dendrology Society on their study tour of 

the Czech Republic. The tour of this diverse 

and unspoilt country started and ended 

in Prague and visited botanic gardens and 

natural forests. In this talk, Guy will take you 

on a virtual version of the tour and share his 

experiences with you. 

Ben Jones 

Ethiopia: plants, 

people and places 


Come and hear about the plants & people 

of the Wondo Genet College of Forestry 

& Natural Resources, the restoration 

of their arboretum and its role in plant 

conservation. Arboretum Curator, Ben 

Jones, will describe how The University 

of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt 

Arboretum have become involved in this 

exciting collaborative project. 

Nick Wray, Curator, 

University of Bristol 


Endemic Sorbus 

in the Avon Gorge 

Thursday 3rd July 2014 

Thanks to its aspect and microclimate, 

the 1.5 mile long Avon Gorge is home to 

a unique range of plants including many 

that are rare or nationally scarce (autumn 

squill, Scilla autumnalis, rock stonecrop, 

Sedum fosterianum and pale St. John’swort 

Hypericum montanum) and the rare 

endemic whitebeams, Sorbus bristoliensis 

and Sorbus wilmottiana. This talk will 

showcase the exciting work that the 

Bristol Botanic Gardens are undertaking to 

conserve and interpret this important and 

biodiverse habitat.

Walks and 

Courses 

at the 

Harcourt 

Arboretum 

Guided bat walks 

led by Karl Lofthouse 

Thursday 22nd August 2013 

Thursday 17th July 2014 

Join the Arboretum’s resident batman for an 

evening guided walk through our diverse 

collection of plants and habitats. The route 

will pass by trees with known bat roosts, the 

bluebell wood, lime wood and through the 

wild flower meadow. The meadow’s diverse 

collection of herb species has given exciting 

glimpses of Britain’s largest bat (the Noctule) 

in past years, feeding on insects over the 

attractive ox-eye daisies. Bring your own 

detectors if you have them or there will be a 

limited number to borrow for the walk. Insect 

repellent is recommended. 

7.30pm start 

Tickets cost £15 per person 

Canopy experience 

sessions 

Saturday 7th September 2013 

Get a totally different view of the Arboretum! 

You will be taught the basics of tree climbing 

by experienced Canopy Access Ltd staff who 

will then guide you on your ascent to the 

canopy. You will be able to climb as high as 

you want and then enjoy the view before 

moving around in the canopy and then 

abseiling back down to reality. 

10.00am to 1.00pm 

or 2.00pm to 5.00pm 

Tickets cost £60 per session

The ancient craft 

of charcoal burning 

Saturday 5th October 2013 and 

Saturday 10th May 2014 

Join us to see how we are helping to revive 

the ancient craft of turning wood to charcoal 

right here at the Arboretum. We can promise 

dirt, heat, excitement and your very own bag 

of Arboretum charcoal to take home at the 

end of the course. 

Participants can stay for as long as their 

stamina lasts, with a chance to come 

back a few days later to see the 

product of their work being unloaded. 

10.00am until late! 

Tickets cost £60 per session 

Christmas wreath 

making with 

Tamsin Fraser 

Saturday 30th November 2013 

Make your own beautiful Christmas 

wreath using natural materials from 

the Botanic Garden and Harcourt 

Arboretum. You will get lots of 

inspiration and handy tips and help 

to make a moss based wreath to 

take away with you, using unusual 

materials including berries, seed pods, 

dried fruits and flowers, rose hips, 

lavender, feathers, pine cones and 

more. 

10.30am to 1.00pm 


Willow weaving 

with Tom Hare 

Saturday 8th March 2014 

or Sunday 9th March 2014 

Artist Tom Hare will teach you how to create 

interesting plant supports for the garden. By 

the end of the course you will have produced 

at least one plant support and leave with the 

skills and knowledge to continue creating on 

your own. 

10.00am to 4.00pm 

Tickets cost £60 per day

Practical courses at 

the Botanic Garden 

Successful staking 

at the Botanic Garden 

Tuesday 8th April 2014 

Learn the skills of staking with the horticultural staff as they stake 

the herbaceous plants at the Garden. This will be a practical session 

using natural materials harvested from the Arboretum coppice. 

Please wear sturdy shoes and bring a pair of work gloves with you. 

This study session will take place outside at the Botanic Garden. 

This study session will take place outside at the Botanic Garden, 

so please come prepared whatever the weather. 

10.30am to 12.30pm. Tickets cost £20 

Coffee will be provided from 10.00am 

Fruit tree pruning 

with Chris Lanczak 

Saturday 14th December 2013 

Waterperry Orchard Manager Chris Lanczak prunes 

hundreds of fruit trees every year, and has been helping 

in the new orchard at the Botanic Garden. In this session, 

he will pass on his top tips for keeping trees in peak 

condition and guide you through the practical steps of 

pruning them. The practical elements of the course will 

use the fruit collection at the Botanic Garden. 

10.00am to 1.00pm. Tickets cost £40

Botanical study sessions 

A plethora of plants in the PM: 

Botanical exploration afternoon sessions 

Explore the collections of the Botanic Garden and Harcourt 

Arboretum with Stephen Harris, Druce Curator of the University 

Herbaria, who will lead you on a voyage of botanical discovery 

looking in detail at plants of seasonal interest. 

2.00pm to 3.00pm on the following dates at the following locations: 

Conifer identification 

Saturday 22nd March 2014 

Don’t be afraid of conifers! 

Ben Jones will use the Arboretum’s 

collection to show you how to 

identify a range of different conifers. 

10.30am to 1.00pm 

Harcourt Arboretum 


Saturday 19th October 2013 

at the Harcourt Arboretum 

Saturday 16th November 2013 


Saturday 18th January 2014 


Saturday 15th February 2014 




Saturday 17th May 2014 


Saturday 21st June 2014 


Saturday 19th July 2014 


Tickets for the Plethora of Plants sessions cost £10 each 

A ticket for the whole series (of 8 sessions) costs £60 

Tickets for the half day conifer ID study session cost £20 

(includes tea and biscuits)

Get creative! 

Drawing plants 

with Kate Houghton 

A day exploring plants 

from the Botanic 

Garden collection 

Saturday 17th August 2013 

Tuition will be given through 

demonstration and simple exercises 

designed to build up speed and 

confidence in capturing some of the 

essential features of these incredible 

structures. Kate Houghton MA started 

out as a sculptor and it is perhaps this 

which drives her interest in the structure of 

plants. She is committed to the role drawing 

can play in gaining a deeper understanding 

of the natural world. 

An exhibition of her paintings will be 

on display at the Botanic Garden from 

19th July until 30th August. 

Flower and plant 

portraits in watercolour 

with Liz Sherras-Clark 

Saturday 28th & 

Sunday 29th September 2013 

10.00am to 4.00pm each day 


This will be an intensive and enjoyable 

weekend when students learn to develop 

flower painting skills and will have the chance 

to complete two of your own paintings under 

the expert guidance of Liz Sherras-Clark. 

Having trained at the Ruskin School of Fine Art, 

Liz has been inspired by John Ruskin “...great 

art should communicate an understanding 

and appreciation of nature - only by means of 

direct observation can an artist through form 

and colour represent nature in art”. 

10.00am to 4.00pm at the Botanic Garden. Tickets cost £60 (includes a sandwich lunch) 

Tickets cost £120 for the two day course

Garden writing workshop 

with gardens writer and 

editor Jackie Bennett 

Saturday 8th February 2014 

10.00am to 4.00pm 


Jackie is the award-winning former 

editor of the Garden Design Journal and 

the English Garden magazine, and she 

continues to write regular features for both 

magazines. She will lead you through an 

exploration of the different ways of writing 

about gardens and will help you find your 

writing ‘voice’. There will be individual and 

group exercises with plenty of time for 

feedback and above all lots of plants in the 

Botanic Garden to inspire your writing. 

Tickets cost £60 (includes a sandwich lunch)

Botanical 

illustration 

with 

Rosemary 

Wise 

Rosemary Wise, who has been the 

Botanical Illustrator for the University 

of Oxford since 1965, will lead these 

courses. Come along to benefit from her 

expertise and experience in the beautiful 

surroundings of the Botanic Garden. 

Botanical illustration - 

beginners 

Separate courses on 

Saturday 26th October 2013 


Botanical illustration – 

intermediate and advanced 

Separate courses on 

Saturday 22nd February 2014 

Saturday 14th June 2014 

These courses will take place from 

10.00am to 4.00pm at the Botanic Garden 

Tickets cost £60 (includes a sandwich lunch)

No of places Session total No of places Session total 

No of places 

Session total 

The Botanic Garden 

Science Lectures Series 

Armoured plants £8 

Global food security £8 

Ash dieback – what next? £8 

The Challenge of feeding £8 

ten billion people 

Plant products for crop protection £8 

Whole series £36 

Winter Lecture Series 

Warm Up Lecture! 

Doctors in the medicinal garden £12 

The Winter Lecture Series 

Ancient tree hunt £12 

Gardening at Gravetye Manor £12 

Winter into Spring £12 

Concrete and flowers £12 

Downsizing without tears £12 



Summer Lectures 

The Lye Valley £8 

The Japan hotspot £8 

The Czech Republic £8 

Ethiopia: plants, people and places £8 

Endemic Sorbus in the Avon Gorge £8 


Walks and courses at 

the Harcourt Arboretum 

Guided bat walk August 2013 £15 

Guided bat walk July 2014 £15 

Canopy experience session am £60 

Canopy experience session pm £60 

Charcoal burning October 2013 £60 

Charcoal burning May 2014 £60 

Christmas wreath making £30 

Willow weaving 8th March £60 

Willow weaving 9th March £60 

Practical courses at 

the Botanic Garden 

Successful staking £20 

Fruit tree pruning £40 

Botanical Study Sessions 

A plethora of plants in the pm 

19 October 2013 at the Arboretum £10 

16 November 2013 at the Garden £10 

18 January 2014 at the Garden £10 

15 February 2014 at the Garden £10 

15 March 2014 at the Arboretum £10 

17 May 2014 at the Garden £10 

21 June 2014 at the Arboretum £10 

19 July 2014 at the Garden £10 


Conifer ID £20 

Get creative! 

Drawing plants £60 

Flower and plant portraits £120 

Garden writing workshop £60 

Botanical illustration 

with Rosemary Wise 

Beginners October £60 

Beginners March £60 

Intermediate and advanced Feb £60 

Intermediate and advanced June £60 

Total £

How to book 

Please book online at 

https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk 

This allows secure payment and immediate 

confirmation of your place(s). No tickets are sent 

out. Your email confirmation acts as a ticket. 

If you are unable to book online, please complete 

this booking form and return it with your cheque 

payment to the address below. 

Cheques should be made payable to the 

University of Oxford Botanic Garden. 

For payment security reasons, it is no longer possible 

to make bookings by telephone. 

Name: 

Address: 

Phone number: 

Email: 

Postcode: 

Post to: 

Public Education Programme 

Harcourt Arboretum, Nuneham Courtenay 

Oxfordshire OX44 9PX 

tickets@obg.ox.ac.uk 

www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk 

www.harcourt-arboretum.ox.ac.uk

Programme - Harcourt Arboretum - University of Oxford

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