The impressive college buildings are set amongst beautiful lawned Quads and gardens, full of colourful borders and mature trees. The gardens constantly change with plantings made to allow for a succession of colour throughout the year, and provide a peaceful haven for study and contemplation.

As well as the main quads our visit will include The Master’s Garden. This private garden has been extensively redesigned in recent years. The only part of the original garden is the herbaceous border and an established Magnolia in the lawn. The herbaceous border is a riot of colour from May through to October, starting the year with Iris and Geranium in bloom and ending with asters, penstemon and geraniums throughout the summer and autumn.

The microclimate in the sheltered old library courtyard is ideal for the new Herb Garden that was planted in the summer of 2016. The herbs are used for cooking by the College kitchen.

Visit begins at 2.30pm

Cost of the visit £10 includes garden entry, garden tour with head gardener Tom Bartlett and refreshments

Getting there:

• Drive to Peartree Park and Ride, Post code OX2 8JZ
• What 3 words for the main entrance (Porter's Lodge) of University College Oxford (Univ) on High Street is ///enable.trades.season
• Drive time from Sibford 45 minutes to the Park and Ride (allow time to park your car). Anyone with a bus pass goes free and at the time of writing the park and ride is free but do check on the day.
• Buses run every 10 minutes. From the Park and Ride, allow another 45 minutes to get to University College.
• Alight in George street opposite the New Theatre. It is then just a 15 minute walk to University College (Univ) as follows: Walk back to Cornmarket Street, continue straight until your reach the High Street. Turn left into High Street and continue straight down the High Street and Univ is on the right with a full length statue of Cecil Rhodes above the entrance.

Several members have said that they would like to take this opportunity to visit the Ashmolean in the morning.  If you are planning on doing that and you would like to visit the “In Bloom” exhibition you will need to buy timed tickets ahead of your visit. Here is the link:

https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/in-bloom-how-plants-changed-our-world

There are plenty of places for lunch including a restaurant and café in the Ashmolean and a multitude of snack bars in the covered market.

To secure your place for the garden visit, please contact our treasurer Paul Harffey on 07841 011 403 or  paul_harffey@yahoo.co.uk 

...and then pay by bank transfer ideally from April onwards but by 30th June: 

• Bank: Lloyds
• Account Name: Sibford Horticultural Society
• Sort Code: 30-99-50
• Account Number: 7028 1268

Please contact Véronique by 1st July if you have space in your car or if you would like a lift on 01295 788 088 or 07963 029 273 or veronique@humangivens.com