From the Superintendent's Desk

More than just a Christmas plant, mistletoe is a parasite that grows on tree branches, using its host to obtain water and nutrients. 

DPhil student Oliver Spacey and his supervisor Dr Rob Salguero-Gómez from the Department of Biology are researching the ecology of mistletoe, including the plants here in the Parks. Oliver is researching host-parasite dynamics, working closely with The Tree Council. 

Oliver and Rob use drones with multispectral cameras to understand how the mistletoe is growing and surviving each year and they are currently experimenting with LiDAR (laser scanners) to map the position of mistletoes in the trees. You can see some of the results here. 

The results will shed light on questions like how mistletoe maintains its presence on different trees, how its relationship with its hosts could change in future, and what this could mean for how it is managed.

Spring planting projects

Parks staff have working on new planting schemes across the University estate.

We have refreshed the planting at Begbroke Science Park, outside the University Offices in Wellington Square, at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter and at Old Road Campus. 

We have also designed and planted completely new schemes for Reuben College and at University accommodation sites.

Above: the new Reuben College quad

Above: The new border at 40 St Giles

Supporting the University Parks

The University Parks are available free of charge for the enjoyment of members of the University, local residents and visitors to Oxford, open every day of the year except Christmas Eve. The site has been valued for centuries, and there is archival material in the form of poems and articles documenting the pleasure it has given to generations of academics, students and residents.

From time to time, we receive enquiries from visitors about contributing to maintain the trees or to the more general care of the Parks.

We have therefore set up a ‘support us’ page on our website, which makes donations to general improvements or to something specific so much easier.

There are many projects we would like to undertake around the Parks that will make them an even more beautiful and fascinating place for the whole community to enjoy, but which we don’t have the resources to proceed with as quickly as we would like. It is this kind of activity that your generosity can help support; even small contributions make a big difference, and are gratefully received.

For instance, there is a fine collection of veteran trees, as well as rare and interesting varieties like the seven-son flower tree Heptacodium miconioides and a champion Chinese weeping poplar Populus simonii. Climate change is likely to cause significant stress to many native trees, as well as exotic trees that have traditionally flourished in parkland locations. We are working on a tree replacement plan that seeks to ensure that the Parks will still be home to remarkable trees for centuries to come. All donations for trees will be ring-fenced and used to deliver the plan.

The Parks are managed both for horticultural variety and biodiversity enrichment, and we have other projects planned to enhance wildflower meadows, install bat boxes, protect the badger sett, plant trees, restore the pond, install signage and extend our facilities for propagating unusual plants. Each of these projects will improve the University Parks over the long term, so if you are able to support them, whether with a one-off gift or through regular contributions, we would value your help enormously.