The latest from the gardens

This year, Paul Stearn, our Head Gardener, celebrated 30 years at Jesus College. We caught up with him to hear the latest news on our beautiful gardens and grounds.

“As a team, we undertake a variety of activities within the gardening year and are able to turn our hands to pretty much anything. This makes gardening an incredibly diverse and interesting job.

Our large long-term projects are carried out in the winter months. This winter saw the replanting of North Court car park, regeneration of the wildlife pond, management and planting within the woodland walk, and new hedge planting near the car park opposite Library Court.

The woodland walk is just coming into its own and will continue to look beautiful with winter and spring flowers for weeks to come. It is well worth a walk through just to reflect or stop and ponder for a while whilst enjoying the nature around you. Now is a particularly good time to see late snowdrops, primroses, hellebores (Lent roses), daffodils and miniature narcissi, ferns and garlic mustards.

You could even encounter our resident town foxes, which have been spotted wandering through College in recent weeks. They are used to people and have no fear in coming up close to you but, of course, should not be approached themselves!

Second Court’s annual block of beautiful daffodils have bloomed, breaking up the court and visually soothing the mind. The spring bedding in First Court will soon be a riot of colour. The large variety of trees in our grounds are beginning their bud break, and leaves are starting to emerge – nature truly blossoming into spring.

In fact, College really is at its best in these spring months, especially in terms of the colours and scents floating around, so it is well worth a visit. If you do make the trip more information can be found in our garden guide, which is available from the Porters’ Lodge for a small outlay of £1.00.”