Harris Garden

Harris Garden
The entrance to the Harris Garden
Location	University of Reading Whiteknights Campus Reading United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°26′09″N 0°56′28″W / 51.43591°N 0.94113°W / 51.43591; -0.94113Coordinates: 51°26′09″N 0°56′28″W / 51.43591°N 0.94113°W / 51.43591; -0.94113
Area	12 acres (4.9 ha)
Owned by	University of Reading
Website	friendsoftheharrisgarden.org.uk

The Harris Garden is a botanical garden of the University of Reading, situated about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the centre of the English town of Reading. It was established in 1972 and expanded into its current form in 1988. It is named after Professor Tom Harris, a distinguished palaeobotanist and keen gardener. Friends of the Harris Garden is an organisation set up with the aim of supporting the Garden.

The garden is situated on the Whiteknights Park campus of the university, but is separate from the rest of the parkland campus. It is accessed from the rest of the campus by an entrance behind the Harborne and Philip Lyle Buildings of the School of Biological Sciences.

The garden is about 12 acres (4.9 ha) in size. Within this area it encompasses various borders, several ponds and a stream, a formal garden, a heather garden, a wildflower meadow, coppiced woodland, and a walled garden. Adjoining the gardens to the north are the university's experimental grounds and several ranges of glasshouses.

The garden is a hotspot for butterflies and also features primulas, pansies and palm trees, as well as being home to a national collection of digitalis. Special collections include Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Asteraceae, Crassulaceae, Droseraceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Iridaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Lentibulariaceae, Liliaceae, Palmae, Pinaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Nepenthaceae, and Sarraceniaceae.