Birmingham Botanical Gardens creates Commonwealth trail for the Commonwealth Games

Birmingham Botanical Gardens has created a special Commonwealth trail for visitors as part of the Birmingham 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games celebrations.

The grade II* listed Gardens in Edgbaston has two trails: one with 54 national flowering and shrub plants and another with 54 national crops of the Commonwealth.

“We are growing as many of the 54 national flowers and national crops of the participating countries and territories as possible and will include interpretation labels next to each of the plants,” said head gardener Wayne Williams.

Grown inside the display glasshouses and relevant garden areas, the plants will be situated in spaces that accommodate their specific growing needs.

From Mozambique chilli plants to Tuvalu’s peachy plumeria flowers, there is a wealth of beautiful plants to view. The collection will include familiar specimens such as watermelons from Sierra Leone and Samoan ginger roots and more unusual plants such as the pigeon pea flower from The Bahamas.

“The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are excited to welcome visitors from all over the world, and we’re looking forward to seeing them find as many Commonwealth plants as possible,” said Wayne.

“We hope our visitors will find it educational. It will certainly give them the opportunity to enjoy plenty of exercise across our 15-acre site while taking in the beautiful scenery at our 190-year-old heritage green space.”

As a charity, the Gardens, which is home to four Victorian glasshouses, receives no regular public funding. Instead, it relies on the generosity of public donations, grants and the income it can generate through conferences, weddings and other events.

Set within a Conservation Area, it is a 15-acre oasis just one mile from the city centre and has more than 7,000 formally documented plants, with the largest and most diverse botanic collection in central England.

It also provides a unique educational resource and welcomes visits from nurseries up to colleges and uniformed groups and adult learners.