Birmingham Botanical Gardens

...most city dwellers. Picture Birmingham and what do you see? The Bullring, New Street Station and Spaghetti Junction would be the first things that come to my mind. Although I've never lived in Birmingham itself, I worked there for several years. During that time I went to the Botanical Gardens regularly, but for the purposes of this review I will focus on my most recent visit which was August 2008.

'''A Brief History'''
Celebrity ...
...society. He designed the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1830 to provide a place where keen botanists could see exotic plant varieties brought back from around the world. The gardens opened in 1832 to members of the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society. During the later part of the nineteenth century, glasshouses were added, but the basic layout of the gardens remains still very much as Loudon planned.

'''Arrival at the ... more

Every city need its green spaces. The architecture may be spectacular and the shops fantastic, but finding a place to escape the traffic and bustle is a necessity for most city dwellers. Picture Birmingham and what do you see? The Bullring, New Street Station and Spaghetti Junction would be the first things that come to my mind. Although I've never lived in Birmingham itself, I worked there for several years. During that time I went to the Botanical Gardens regularly, but for the purposes of this review I will focus on my most recent visit which was August 2008.

A Brief History
Celebrity gardeners are not a new phenomenon. In the nineteenth century J.C Loudon was an influential writer on gardening and became part of London's high society. He designed the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1830 to provide a place where keen botanists could see exotic plant varieties brought back from around the world. The gardens opened in 1832 to members of the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society. During the later part of the nineteenth century, glasshouses were added, but the basic layout of the gardens remains still very much as Loudon planned.

Arrival at the Gardens
The Botanical Gardens are located in Westbourne Road, Edgbaston. This is to the south-west of the city centre, approximately 1.5 miles away. The gardens are well signposted from the ring-road, with brown tourist attraction signs. If you are approaching the gardens by car along the main Westbourne Road, be aware that the entrance is immediately left after a set of traffic lights. It's very easy to miss the entrance when driving, which means you then have to go back round the block as this is a one-way system. Several local buses stop in Westbourne Road, or if you took a train to Five Ways you would then have around a 10 minute walk to the gardens.

Car Parking
There is a reasonable amount of parking, including spaces for people with disabilities near to the entrance. However I have known the car park to get quite busy in summer so it may be necessary to drive right down to the end of it to find a space. When the Botanical Gardens are holding a big event at the weekend, such as a craft fair, they sometimes allow you to park at the school next door which does provide a lot more room.

Main Entrance
The entrance is pleasant and airy, with the payment desk and shop situated close together.

Gallery
After passing through the turnstile you see some indoor aviaries, and right opposite these is the gallery. Here you will always find an exhibition of artwork, with many items for sale. This can include paintings and drawings, but sometimes there are also sculptures. Often the artwork is by local artists. The general standard is high. As many of these items are either original works or limited editions the prices are not particularly cheap, but it does give you an opportunity to find something a bit different for your home or for a special gift.

Tropical House
The original Tropical House was built in 1852, with some rebuilding work done in the 1990s. The Tropical House is dominated by a pond, 24 feet in diameter, where huge koi carp swim beneath the water lilies. As this area is intended to give visitors a taste of a tropical climate, this glasshouse is kept hot and humid. Water drips from the plant leaves above you, and you must be careful not to slip on the tiled floor as this can become wet. There are also sound effects to add to the rainforest atmosphere - thunder, screeching monkeys and squawking birds. Plants crowded into this small area include black pepper, banana, cassava, rice, and papyrus. There are a couple of wooden benches in the Tropical House where you can sit if you want, but I never linger too long. Not only is it too warm for me, the water in the pond can sometimes smell rather stagnant. It's quite a relief to go through the doors into the next glasshouse.

Sub-tropical House
The temperature in here is much more comfortable. This glasshouse was constructed in 1871, with improvements having been made in the 1980s. It is a lot bigger than the Tropical House, and has a small fountain in the centre which is a very attractive feature set amongst the lush planting. Here you can see tall palms, tea plants, carnivorous plants including Venus Flytrap, and air plants which hang cobweb-like from branches above you. There was a large bougainvillea flowering at the time I was there, giving a nice splash of colour. Many of the plants have medicinal or culinary uses and there are information labels telling you a little about those. I have to say though that the labelling could be a lot better, as in many places the labels have become lost in the foliage or it is hard to see which label refers to which plant.

Mediterranean House
This is always colourful, with displays of seasonal planting. There are many varieties of scented-leaved pelargoniums, also busy lizzies, olive trees, citrus fruit trees and a liquorice plant among others. Children particularly find it exciting to see oranges and lemons on trees, instead of on a supermarket shelf.

Arid House
This is the home to a selection of desert plants such as cacti, living stones (lithops) and agave. The big cacti are especially impressive. Don't touch! A few years ago the Arid House was in the news as they had a Century Plant in flower. This is a kind of agave which takes a century to flower - and then it dies! Life is cruel, isn't it?

Loudon Terrace
If you exit the Arid House down the slope you will pass some more aviaries, containing species of parrots. I don't really like these particular aviaries as they look in need of some renovation, and the birds don't seem to have a lot to do except shriek. After these aviaries you will find yourself at the end of the Loudon Terrace. This consists of a long paved area in front of the glasshouses. Some changes have been made here since my last visit. There is now a lot more planting, with colourful beds and containers. This make the terrace a lovely spot to sit and watch the peacocks which roam freely, though I understand their numbers have dwindled in recent years. The lovely views of the lawn and bandstand have been really opened up.

Lawn and Bandstand
The bandstand was built in 1873 and remains the focal point of the central lawn. At 2pm on Sunday afternoons during summer you can enjoy a concert there. These are mostly brass bands, jazz and swing. Please phone ahead if you wish to check details of any concerts. The rest of the gardens are all arranged around the central lawn, and I will describe them as if we were walking anti-clockwise around the 15 acre site.

Alpine Yard
This area gives an idea of the plants that grow on what are known as limestone pavements. Limestone pavements have sadly diminished in their natural environments, due to people wanting the stone for their rockeries etc. The Alpine Yard is nicely planted and gives you a chance to see plants which are becoming rarer in their natural habitat. However since this part of the gardens is adjacent to the Westbourne Road it is a little too noisy to sit and linger. If you follow the path through this section you will find the Study Centre.

Study Centre
There is an interesting programme of ongoing courses here throughout the year. To give you a flavour of the range of topics covered, currently there are classes being advertised in yoga, bridge, lawn care, botanical painting, photography, tai chi, card making, and pilates. The Botanical Gardens is also very involved in running educational activites for local schools, and you often see parties of children on trips here to learn about the environment.

Historic Gardens
Next you will come to a group of 3 small historic gardens. One is laid out to represent the Roman style of gardening, one is Medieval and one is Tudor. I think this is an area which could do with some work to make more of its features. There is one large sign telling you about the 3 gardens, but few labels to help you identify specific plants within the different areas. It's a shame that this section looks a bit neglected. It could be a very interesting attraction if it was tidied up and the labelling was given some attention.

Herbaceous Border
As you continue, there is a long, curving herbaceous border to your left. Even at the end of August this was colourful with cardoons, Japanese anemones, echinops, rudbeckia, and alstromerias in flower, along with several others I could not identify. I would just like to mention that my enjoyment of this section was hampered by a man with a blower, blasting the leaves from the pathways. I would not have minded so much if he had been sucking the leaves up, but he was simply blowing them so they dispersed around the lawns. The funny thing was that I encountered exactly the same thing on my previous visit to the gardens. I don't know if it was the same man, but it was definitely the same noisy machine with its smell of petrol fumes.

Children's Play Areas
To your right are several areas for children. These include a Childrens' Discovery Garden for 3-6 year olds where they can look at worms and suchlike, and playgrounds with swings, seesaws etc. There is a small duckpond with several different species of ducks, and a little further on is a large cage of budgies. I don't mind the budgies as they seem much livelier than the parrots we passed earlier, and give a strong impression of chattery happiness. If you go down the path past the budgies you next find the Cottage Garden.

Cottage Garden
There is a nineteenth century cottage here which houses a small museum, but it was closed on this visit so I cannot tell you what the current exhibition is. The garden is laid out with herb beds containing perfume plants, culinary plants, lavenders and poisonous plants. Here again the labelling leaves a lot to be desired although this is a nice little garden in the tradtional cottagey style.

Pond
Heading back into the main part of the gardens, you find a very pretty pond, the steep slope above it planed with heathers, ferns and hostas. There is a small waterfall running down into the pond, and here you will see more water lilies and koi carp - escapees from the heat of the Tropical House perhaps? This is one of the nicest areas of the gardens, a peaceful place to sit and listen to the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees.

Rhodedendron Walk
Nearby is the Rhodedendron Walk which is very bright earlier in the year when the bushes are in flower. May/June is the best time if you want to see this area in its full glory. Even without the flowers in bloom this is a pleasant section to walk through, with well-established trees and shrubs. Running adjacent to this is a long path which overlooks the courts at the tennis club next door.

Growing Schools Garden
Previously this area was where they held BBC Gardener Of The Year competition around 2005 and you could see the gardens that the finalists had created. Now it has been replanted and is looking very impressive with lots of colour and evidence of the involvement of local schoolchildren. There is a feature on the theme of conserving water, also vegetable beds and flower beds which included verbena bonariensis, sedum, and crocosmia.

Fern Garden
You could easily miss this part as it is tucked away, off the path, and not very obvious if you don't know it's there. Here there is another small pond, and earlier in the year there are lots of beautiful pale blue irises flowering. This is a lovely spot to sit and hide away from everyone. There are tree ferns planted alongside the bark paths, and benches where you can rest. You would not imagine you are so near to Birmingham. From the peace and stillness you could think you are in a wooded valley somewhere off the beaten track.

Woodland Walk
Now you can follow the slope back up the hill, beside borders filled with grasses, and herbaceous plants. This is another quiet, shady area where you can have some tranquil moments to yourself. I like this side of the gardens much better than the busier terrace area. This is where I would often sit and eat my lunch when I was escaping from work.

Rose Garden and Aviaries
The Rose Gardens are at their best in June/July but even on this recent visit there were still many varieties in flower, scenting the air with lovely fragrance. Many of the roses planted here are David Austin's English Roses, raised a few miles away in Shropshire. The aviaries in the Rose Garden are nicer than any of the others, very much larger with more foliage for the birds. Species kept here include Mynahs, parakeets and something called a White-crested Laughing Thrush!

Japanese Garden and Bonsai Collection
Returning to the Terrace you can now see a small Japanese Garden, which is entered via the slope to the restaurant. The Japanese Garden was opened in 2005 and leads you through to the National Bonsai Collection. Spectacular though this sounds it is actually looking slightly tatty at the moment with peeling paintwork on the walls. The value of the bonsai trees is such that they are kept behind railings, and a CCTV camera is placed prominently above the entrance to this area. For bonsai enthusiasts there are demonstrations of the craft on Sundays monthly between April and September. You can take your bonsai along if you need advice, or just go yourself and chat to members of local bonsai societies.

Restaurant
On this recent visit I was disappointed with the restaurant and felt it really let down the rest of the gardens. In the past I have occasionally had a hot meal there but this time there were only sandwiches, baguettes, cakes, ice creams etc. There was a hot pastie oven which would have looked more at home in a fast food cafe. The interior of the restaurant could be much nicer. The tables and chairs are cheap looking, although all were clean. It's much nicer to take your food outside to the tables on the terrace, although these can fill up quickly on a fine day and they are not always cleared as often as the ones inside. To give you an idea of prices, tea was £1.30, coffee from £1.50, sandwiches from £2.50. I had a pot of tea and a toasted tea cake, total cost £2.80. The tea cake was fine, nice and hot with portions of jam and butter. The tea was rather weak, and there was fluff floating in the milk jug so I had to ask for another. For the high price of entry to the gardens and the cost of refreshments I think the restaurant really needs some investment to improve its standards.

Shop
Yes of course there is a shop to encourage you to part with more of your hard earned cash. The shop is quite large, selling a good range of cards, gifts, toiletries, books, jewellery, china, souvenirs, bird feeders and wind chimes, plus many other items I could not even begin to recall. There is also an outdoor plant sales area just outside the main shop, and here you can buy reasonably priced plants of good quality as well as pots both glazed and terracotta.

Toilets
The toilets are kept to a fair standard of cleanliness but can be a bit untidy on occasions owing to the amount of visitors, especially the school parties. There are toilets situated in at least two different places, some at the entrance, and some off the Terrace, but there may be well be others that I haven't noticed. In any case I don't think visitors would struggle to find convenient conveniences as the size of the gardens is not so huge that anyone would ever be miles from facilities.

Wheelchair Access
The gardens are almost fully accessible to wheelchair users. There is an odd little nook and cranny that a wheelchair user would probably struggle to see, but there are ramps and slopes throughout the gardens to ensure access is as good as possible. Please be aware that because the gardens are built on a hill some of the sloping paths could actually be quite steep if you were pushing a heavy person in a wheelchair. Make sure others in your party take their turn at pushing too! Wheelchairs can be hired at the gardens but they do advise that you should book this in advance as obviously they only have a limited number. Hire of a wheelchair is free and they they have an electric type as well as manual. There are large print, audio and braille guides to the gardens which you may also borrow if needed.

Family Friendliness
It's a bit hard for me to assess this as I have never been to the gardens with children. Certainly when I went to the gardens on a regular basis there were many mums with children who I would see having picnics and tearing around on the grass. The play areas always look busy and children like to see the different kinds of birds in the aviaries. On my recent visit as I was leaving I overheard a man say to his wife that this was the best day out they had enjoyed in a long time, and they had 2 quite young children with them so evidently they found enough to entertain everyone. I think lot probably depends on the age of the children. I imagine teens may be bored unless they had a specific interest in plants or the environment, but for younger ones the amenities are fairly good.

Conference Facilities and Weddings
All kinds of private functions are held in the conference rooms and the gardens are also licensed for weddings. I have never attended a wedding there myself but friends have given me positive reports about weddings they have been to at the gardens. I think one big advantage of a wedding here is that if you have children with you they have a big area to run round in and let off steam after being stuffed into their posh clothes and made to sit through a ceremony! Also there would be many lovely spots around the gardens where you could have photographs taken. It's a special location for that special day, and probably nicer than many registry offices.

Special Events
To give you a few examples of special events which have taken place at the gardens this year, there have been Easter Egg hunts; outdoor productions of Midsummer Night's Dream, A Winter's Tale, and Henry V; a teddy bears' picnic; cactus shows; charity walks; book sales; evening lectures on horticultural topics.

Prices
Well, take a deep breath because now we are going to have to discuss the admission charges. I will give you the bad news first. One day admission:-

Adults £7
Concessions (i.e children, students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and their 'helper' if they have one) £4.50
Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £21

If you live within easy travelling distance and want to go to the gardens a few times during the course of a year a season ticket or membership would be the best deal by far. A lot of local people use the gardens almost like a private park, and unlike many parks you will not find any graffiti, litter or glue sniffers. Prices:-

Family Membership (admits 5 people from same family for 1 year) £58
Annual Membership (admits 2 from same family for 1 year) £40
Senior Citizen Season Ticket (admits ticket holder only for 1 year) £26
Weekday season ticket (admits any 2 people Mon-Fri except Bank Hols for 1 year) £29

When I was working nearby, the weekday season ticket was what I used to have. It worked out to be very good value and had an added advantage of making me pretty popular at work as I could take one colleague into the gardens with me for free! We used to sit and have our lunches there throughout the year, weather permitting, and I remember it was also a nice feeling to swan through the entrance with a wave of my ticket and not have to hand over any money!

Opening Times
The gardens are open every day except Christmas Day
Monday to Saturday 9a.m. until 7p.m or dusk, whichever is earlier.
Sundays 10 a.m. until 7p.m. or dusk, likewise.

Contact Details
website:- www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk

Tel:- 0121 454 1860

Address:-
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Westbourne Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 3TR

The End
This review has come out rather longer than I intended, but I didn't want to miss anything out! I hope I have given you an impression of how many different things there are to see at the Botanical Gardens. For a relatively small place it is interesting to visit and a nice balance to the bustling city centre. As I have highlighted, some parts of the gardens could do with a little more attention to make this into a real five star attraction and justify the entrance fees. But even with the gardens in their present state I would still award them four stars. Recommended! 

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