Visitors to the Botanic Garden, Oxford, can enjoy an even greater range of horticultural delights now that the renovations to the bog garden are complete.

The improved feature, which has taken 18 months to complete, includes a brand new pond and numerous varieties of wet-loving plants.

Timothy Walker, the curator of the garden, said that the changes have gone down very well.

"The public seem to love it," he said. "It has opened up a splendid vista to Magdalen Tower which a lot of people are photographing. It could become a bit of a 'Kodak corner'."

Although there has been a bog area in the garden since 1953, problems with flooding and general wear and tear forced the staff to make the changes.

As well as replacing the two old ponds with one new one, all the paths have been raised to prevent them becoming flooded and enabling all year round access for the 300,000 visitors the garden recives each year.

The new wetlands have been planted with a range of moisture-loving flowers, such as Day Lilies, Ligularias, Royal Fern, Filipendula and Polygonum. The main aim of the new mixture of plants has been to create as colourful a display as possible, with flowering plants all year round.

Throughout the renovation work staff battled with the elements to get the project finished. Mr Walker said it had provided a unique opportunity for all the staff to work as a team.

"Normally staff work in their own areas, with greenhouse staff working indoors and outdoor staff outside," he said. "Schemes like this come along not even a once in a lifetime so it was wonderful for staff to have a focal point to work together."

As the bog garden develops and the plants mature it should become even more popular addition to this already beautiful feature of the city. Growing interest

The Botanic Garden, founded in 1621, is the oldest in Britain

As well as the bog garden, there is an alpine garden, a grass garden, a ferenry, herbaceous borders and a collection of historical roses

Tropical plants in the greenhouses include bananas and rice, as well as collections of ferns, succulents, orchids, insect-eating plants and waterlillies

Botanic garden opening hours: 9am-5pm (4.30pm winter). Glass houses open 2pm-4.30pm. Last admission 4.15pm. Admission charge £2 April - August, Free in winter. Season tickets for the summer cost £3.

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