Harris Garden

Harris Garden is a botanical garden at the University of Reading containing formal garden areas, heather sections, wildflower meadows, ponds, and a stream running through woodland. The landscape combines cultivated plantings with natural features across multiple distinct zones.

The site was originally part of The Wilderness, a Victorian house property, before becoming a garden space. A landscape design created between 1798 and 1819 by George Spencer established the foundational layout that the modern garden builds upon.

The name honors Tom Harris, a distinguished botanist and academic figure at the University of Reading. Today, students and visitors experience it as a place for botanical learning and quiet study within nature.

The garden is open daily from early morning until dusk, with convenient parking availability. Weekend visits and weekday afternoons after 5:00 pm offer the easiest parking access for visitors planning their trip.

The Flower Stream features natural stone bridges and carefully selected plantings that actively support local pollinating insects year-round. Visitors walking along this waterway can observe how garden design works with nature to sustain beneficial species.