Back to the page
  • Welcome
  • Visit us
    • Visit us
    • Opening times & information
    • Visiting – travel, dogs, toilets, etc.
    • Ticket Prices
    • Pre-book tickets
    • Garden map
    • Group Visits
    • Tours
    • Press and photography
    • The Garden Café
    • The Garden Shop
  • Accessibility
  • What’s on
  • The Garden
    • The Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Horticultural Collections
    • Understanding Plant Labels
    • History of the Garden
    • Wildlife
    • Plant picks of the week
  • Learning
    • Learning
    • Schools
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Adult Learning
    • Family Activities
    • Communities
    • Science on Sundays
    • Trails for Adults
    • Certificate in Botanical Horticulture
  • Science
    • Science
    • Our Science Staff
    • Our Staff Publications
    • Your Science
    • Supporting Your Research
    • Phenology Project
  • Collections
    • Collections
    • Living Collections
    • Seed Bank
    • Herbarium
    • Cory Library
    • Archives
    • Living Collections Portal
    • Botanic Dyes
  • News
  • Support Us
  • Friends
    • Friends
    • Join the Friends
    • Friends’ Events
    • Corporate Support and Corporate Friends
    • Gift Memberships
Donate
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
menu

Today's Opening Times:
10:00am - 6:00pm

  • News
  • Support Us
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Home
  • Visit us
    • Ticket Prices
    • Opening times & Information
    • Visiting – travel, dogs, toilets, etc.
    • Garden Map
    • Group Visits
    • Tours
    • Pre-book tickets
    • Press & Photography
    • The Garden Shop
    • The Garden Café
    • Accessibility
    • Virtual Visits
  • What’s on
  • The Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Horticultural Collections
    • Understanding Plant Labels
    • History of the Garden
    • Wildlife
    • Plant picks of the week
  • Learning
    • Schools
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Adult Learning
    • Family Activities
    • Communities
    • Science on Sundays
    • Trails for Adults
    • Certificate in Botanical Horticulture
  • Science
    • Our Science Staff
    • Our Staff Publications
    • Your Science
    • Supported Publications
    • Supporting Your Research
    • Phenology Project
  • Collections
    • Living Collections
    • Herbarium
    • Seed Bank
    • Cory Library
    • Archives
    • Collecting Expeditions
    • National Plant Collections ®
    • Living Collections Portal
    • Botanic Dyes
  • Friends
    • Join the Friends
    • Gift Memberships
    • Friends’ Events
    • Corporate Support and Corporate Friends
  • Open search panel
Close search panel
Back to listing
Home News Garden news November Garden Clippings
Share Created with Sketch.
  • Email Share this with Email
  • Facebook Share this with Facebook
  • Twitter Share this with Twitter
  • Pinterest Share this with Pinterest
  • WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp
  • Google + Share this with Google plus

November Garden Clippings

Weekly news updates from the Garden during the November lockdown.

27 November 2020

During this lockdown month, we have been keeping you in touch with the Garden by posting our Wellness Wanders each week (on a Wednesday), so those unable to visit can enjoy a short virtual visit. These will continue fortnightly over the Winter months.

We’ve also been posting weekly Garden news clippings. This is the last of these lockdown news updates. We’re pleased to hear many of you have enjoyed keeping in touch with the Garden in this way, so we hope to make this a regular feature in the New Year.

Week commencing 23 November:

This week we’ve seen morning frosts, fog and heavy dew – a real sign that winter is underway. They’ve also provided a perfect backdrop for the season ahead, when our Winter Garden comes into its prime. This week its plantings have been literally sparkling in the early frosts and dew.

Early morning mist and frost in the Winter Garden Click for information
Planting is designed for some plants to be backlit by the low winter sun Click for information

Last week’s new plantings are already basking in the limelight, perfectly placed to capture the low winter light which has been bouncing off Cornus ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ and highlighting the Cardoon’s coppery coloured seedheads, with Acer ‘Phoenix’ at the back, providing a fiery-red focal point for this whole area of new planting.

Further down the path the pinkish blossoms of the Viburnums are pumping out their perfume and we don’t think we’ve ever seen quite so many cherry blossoms in November. As David Austrin, who along with Pete Kerley looks after this area said this week: ‘the Winter Garden’s variety of the Fuji cherry, Prunus incisa ‘February Pink’ might warrant a name change – at least the ‘pink’ part is correct…’

Winter sunlight highlighting last week’s new plantings of Cornus ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ and Cardoon, coppery seedheads Click for information
Cardoon’s coppery seedheads in the sun Click for information
Cherry blossom of Prunus incisa ’February Pink’ in November! Click for information

Pete and David, helped by other members of the horticultural team have worked incredibly hard to get the Winter Garden ready for its season. They’ve been busy putting together the finishing touches – lifting the crown of golden bamboo – Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Aureocaulis’ to reveal its golden stems; mulching the entire area to set off the brightly coloured stems and foliages and at the beginning of this week they removed an old Viburnum tinus on the path around the back of the garden, replacing it with a variegated Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ to brighten up a dark corner.

The team have appreciated all the positive comments from this week’s visitors, who are clearly enjoying all the results and we hope that all those who are able to visit, will continue to enjoy the garden in all its winter glory over the months ahead.

Raising the crown of the Golden Bamboo Click for information
Golden Bamboo glowing in the sun Click for information
Pete removing an old Viburnum tinus Click for information
The Winter Garden this week ready to welcome our visitors Click for information

Elsewhere, the cold mornings have brought a flurry of more leaf fall and teams from around the Garden are nearing the end of many weeks of lockdown leaf gathering and clearing!

Clearing the last of the leaves Click for information
Leaf collection in the Autumn Garden Click for information
Piles of leaves everywhere! Click for information

Work in the Bog Garden also continues. The gault clay lining has been re-puddled and a humus-rich layer of compost has been put in place around the edge for the marginal plantings. Next steps are to reposition edging stones around the bed and re-lay the path.

On the Annual Beds, plant material that will either root or won’t rot down is being lifted, with any green material dug in to act as a manure before being raked over. Re-sowing will take place in early May.

 

Work continues in the Bog Garden - showing the clay lining and layer of compost Click for information
Work in the Annual Beds, near the entrance to the Winter Garden Click for information

And finally, we’re delighted that the Garden will be featured on ITV’s Good Morning Britain Lorraine show this coming Monday morning! The team visited the Garden pre-lockdown for planting inspiration with landscape designer John Wyer. This will be included in a short film about the benefits of gardens to wellness and wellbeing as part of a health campaign for NHS staff areas, working with NHS Charities Together. So tune in at 9am on Monday morning to find out more!

Good Morning Britain filming in October Click for information
Landscape Designer John Wyer and presenter Mark Heyes finding inspiration in the Garden Click for information
Presenter Mark Heyes - captured on camera Click for information
The Good Morning Britain/Lorraine team Click for information

Previous clippings

Week commencing 16 November

Week commencing 9 November

Week commencing 2 November

 

You may also be interested in

Magic & Mayhem

Magic & Mayhem

You may find some seasonal surprises in the Garden this winter ...
Pre-book tickets

Pre-book tickets

We are pleased to welcome the public to the Garden, pre-booking is optional, walk ups welcome.
Caring for cacti and succulents over winter.

Caring for cacti and succulents over winter.

Meet the world's smallest cactus, plus top tips on how to look after cacti and succulents over winter.
University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden

Social

  • Follow us on YouTube
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Threads
  • Follow us on LinkedIn

© 2025 Cambridge University Botanic Garden

  • Privacy policy
  • Contact us