Welcome Last year proved record breaking in many ways. We had welcomed over 200,000 visitors for the first time and we are thrilled that so many have been able to enjoy the Garden and its plants. Less welcome records relate to the unusual weather this year: an incredibly dry spring and one of the warmest autumns on record led to one of the driest ever years, and brought many plants forward in their flowering. Walking through the Winter Garden in November I was shocked to see Winter Sweet, Chimonanthus praecox, fully in flower, a plant I have seen just beginning to bloom at Christmas and more traditionally associated with the Chinese New Year in February. A full account of this strange weather year can be found as the centre spread feature. It also proved an extremely busy year, one of the highlights being the opening of the Sainsbury Laboratory by Her Majesty the Queen. As with any new building there have been ongoing snags and we should have finally closed these works by Christmas. So many have enjoyed the Café this year we will
have extra furniture coming in the New Year to increase seating, plus more storage capacity located nearby. The spring planting season should see the final landscaping works completed around the Station Road Gate and across the Research Plots on the Experimental section. As we look forward to this coming year we will celebrate several anniversaries, including the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Friends of CUBG. The Friends remain key to the success of the Garden, helping us not only to maintain the collections and open them to the public, but also helping to underpin our outreach programme. A particularly important aspect is enabling the many school visits and also reaching out to groups in the community who may not have felt welcome or may be unable to visit. It is also 60 years since the founding of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden Association, an alumni organisation for those employed by the Garden. The meetings are always a great chance to meet old friends and I always take
the opportunity to ask about past works in the Garden and discover the stories behind many of the features we enjoy today. I am still intrigued by the defunct lawnmowers apparently buried somewhere in the new area of the Garden. We hope to capture some of these memories for prosperity this year through an oral history project. It will also be the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the original Botanic Garden in 1762 located on what is now the New Museum site. The land was given ‘for the purpose of a public Botanic Garden’ so it seems appropriate that the current Garden continues to be such a popular place for the people of Cambridge. The recruitment of a new Director has proved unsuccessful this year. As I write, the University remains committed to filling this post and are currently reviewing options. In the meantime I will continue to oversee the running of the Garden as Acting Director. Dr Tim Upson, Curator and Acting Director
40 years of service
Voicing the Garden
On Tuesday 13 December, Alan Langley, who currently heads the Glasshouse Section and is the chief pruner of the iconic Jade Vine, celebrated forty years of working at the Botanic Garden. Al came to the Garden on a one-year contract to grow Stephania japonica for research into its potential use as a cancer drug. An opportunity arose to join the permanent staff and stay on - and on, and on! Over the years, Al has worked on nearly all the horticultural teams from Systematics to Woodland, but his heart lies with plants under glass and in particular the carnivorous collections. Alan has also contributed much to
Inspired by 60 years of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden Association for current and former staff, and by 30 years of the Friends of Cambridge University Botanic Garden, both of whose anniversaries fall in 2012, we are currently planning an oral history project called Voicing the Garden. Its purpose is to understand the landscape heritage of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden through the words of those who conceived and made it, and those who visit and enjoy it, and to share these insights via a new archive that will be published on the Garden’s website.
the life of the Garden. He has organised barbeques and parties for staff – many have proved legendary – and has made great contributions to our education programme. You will no doubt have seen him manning the stand on Science Day or organising sales at our Apple Days, and he has even got into the spirit of events by dressing as a gardener from 100 years ago. The achievement was marked by a gathering of staff and the cutting of an enormous cake beautifully decorated with garden tools, fruit, flowers and vegetables.
Emma Daintrey
Emma Daintrey
While we are just at the development and fundraising stage, I would be particularly grateful to hear from any Friends who might like to take part and be interviewed for the archive. I am particularly keen to hear from any Friends who have been visiting down the generations, perhaps with their children or grandchildren, so that we can understand more fully how the admission system has changed from that of an exclusive system of Sunday key holders to the wide and widening audience base of today. I would also be grateful to hear from any new Friends who have just discovered the Garden to record their first impressions. If you could help with Voicing the Garden, please do get in touch with me at 1 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE or jcd35@cam.ac.uk
Al Langley, centre, celebrates 40 years at the Garden, as confirmed by his personalised plant label! (inset) Friends’ News – Issue 88 – January 2012
Juliet Day, Development Officer