It’s officially spring you guys!!!

Well, for me in Lima it’s now autumn (not that you’d notice), but I’ll be heading back to the UK in a few weeks and I’m so excited for it to be spring!!

One thing I love about Cambridge is how green it is. There are so many parks, gardens, fields and meadows in and around the city, so when spring arrives, you really feel it. One of my favourite spots to visit in spring/summer is the University Botanic Garden in the city centre. It’s like an oasis of nature.

There are so many different areas to explore, from the large pond – complete with stepping stones and lily pads- to the research gardens full of all kinds of plants and flowers grouped together by variety. There are also areas that are a bit more wild – like the creation of a mini fen -, there’s a rock garden, a space full of bamboo and then there are the more traditional manicured gardens. There are also specialist sections, like the scented area, where the raised beds are full of scented plants and flowers, making it a wonderful place to find a ton of bees and butterflies.

We visited back at the end of August, just after the never-ending heatwave, but luckily everything was back to its green state by then. However, we did find that the majority of flowers that were still with us were basically all purple! Maybe there’s something about purple flowers that deal with the heat better than others….

One of the main attractions at the Botanic Garden is the glasshouse. It houses a huge number of more tropical or exotic plants that couldn’t be left outside to fend off the English weather! Different rooms have different environments, so in one place you’ll see plants from drier, arid locations and in another it’ll be hot and humid and full of lush green. It’s fascinating.

There’s so much to see and do here. When I last visited we didn’t leave ourselves enough time at all, so I definitely need to return! They offer guided tours of the garden too, so if you want to learn more whilst exploring then definitely try those out. It’s a fun place to come for a picnic, to bring your kids, or to just take a nice afternoon stroll. I’ve met many a friend here over the years, just to catch up, as the environment is so relaxed that it’s easy to stroll around chatting for a long time. There’s a cafe, so if you didn’t bring your own food then they’ve got you covered, and a shop filled with all kinds of nature themed goodies. You can also pick up some plants here too, if your walk filled you with inspiration for your own garden or balcony space!

Cambridge Botanic Garden, 1 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE