There’s a particularly good display this year in the Selwyn gardens, with the Victorian-style border a great showpiece in the lower College garden. This is accessible to everyone in the College and to visitors. Our photographs show some of the highlights, with guidance on the plants from our head gardener Paul Gallant – who, with his team, is responsible for one of the most attractive gardens in Cambridge.
The first picture shows the Victorian border looking back towards the College and F Staircase – with 2 banana trees (Musa basjoo) that survived the winter, and the Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) behind on the left.
Next, a fine seasonal display of dahlias – mostly of the Collarette variety, with begonias in front and miscanthus sinensis at the back.
Our homepage picture, also below, shows the serpentine path in the border looking South. It’s edged with Ophiopogon, with Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) on the left and a green canopy of banana on the right. This border is planted with unusual annuals and tender perennials.
Then we can see the path again, this time looking North. Japanese sweetcorn (Zea mays japonica) and 80 Canna lilies give this border height and structure. It is interspersed with abutilons, castor oil plants, rudbeckia and salvia.
Our final photo is a view of the Victorian-style border from Old Court – showing the Trachycarpus, self-set sunflowers, dahlias and bananas at either end.
To visit the gardens, please see our College Plan: http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/selwyn-college/college-plan/, or ask for directions at the Porters’ Lodge.
Photographs by Howard Beaumont, summer 2014.
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