Blog
12 October 2026
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A Welcome Return to College
October brings a welcome change of pace to Emmanuel College Gardens. After the quieter weeks of the summer break, it is lovely to have a buzz around the site again as we welcome students back for Michaelmas term. The courts and paths are busy once more, and the gardens return to their important role as places to meet, pause and enjoy a little calm between lectures and college life.
Autumn Colour in the Gardens
Although the season is turning, there is still plenty of flower and colour to enjoy. Dahlias continue to provide bold displays until the first frosts, while salvias, asters and Japanese anemones add rich late-season colour through the borders. Autumn crocuses and cyclamen appear closer to the ground, and ornamental grasses are at their best, catching the lower light and bringing movement and texture. Seed heads, berries and the first changing leaves now sit alongside the remaining flowers, giving the gardens a softer, more autumnal character.
Repairing and Rethinking the Borders
After a blisteringly hot and dry summer, this is an important time for the garden team to assess, repair and rethink the borders. Some plants have coped remarkably well, while others have struggled or been lost. These observations help us decide where soil improvement is needed, where planting combinations can be strengthened and where more resilient plants might be appropriate. Autumn’s cooler temperatures and more reliable moisture give new plants the best opportunity to establish before next summer.
Planning for Spring and Beyond
Much of gardening is about looking ahead, and October is a particularly exciting month for planning. We are placing our bulb orders now, selecting tulips, narcissi and other spring-flowering bulbs that will bring fresh colour to the College next year. New planting is also being carefully considered, balancing seasonal interest with the need to build healthy, resilient borders that can cope with increasingly challenging summers.
Preparing the Wildflower Meadows
The garden team have also been busy preparing the wildflower meadows for the seasons ahead. The first task is the end-of-season cut, removing the summer’s foliage once flowering has finished. The next phase will involve extracting seed from the cut material, scarifying the soil surface to create suitable conditions for germination, and re-sowing selected areas. This careful cycle of cutting, collecting and re-establishing will help maintain the meadows’ diversity and ensure another colourful display in future seasons. Look out for exciting developments this year.
Cambridge City Council have forged a new partnership with the University in expanding its wildflower meadows. In a new area, on Parkers Piece, at the University Arms Hotel end of the park, there will be an expanded wildflowers meadow sown. This will link to Emmanuel’s Park Terrace wildflower ribbons and help expand the link to the wildflower meadows on the corner of Parkers Piece by Park Lodge. I have been in contact with my colleagues at the city council biodiversity team and with King’s College and this area will be managed with traditional methods, using the Shire Horses that work the King’s College Meadows. This enhances Emmanuels story of increasing Biodiversity in Urban areas. As regular readers to these blogs know, this is something that I have been campaigning for and building for in the last seven years or so that I have been related to Emmanuel.
Caring for Front Court
Once the matriculation photographs have taken place on Front Court, attention turns to the lawn. This month we will carry out repairs to areas worn by summer use and the concentrated footfall of this important College occasion. Aeration, overseeding and careful top-dressing will help the grass recover, strengthen its roots and prepare it for the colder, wetter months ahead.
Clubs and Societies
Will Stander, our new Head Groundsman, and I attended the Freshers’ Fair to meet new and enthusiastic students. We spoke with people interested in the Community Garden and the College grounds more generally, while also giving many students the opportunity to put faces to the names behind Emmanuel sport. It was a busy afternoon and a real pleasure to talk with so many fantastic people.
Michaelmas is always a season of renewal at Emmanuel: a new academic year begins just as the gardens move into their next phase. We look forward to sharing the changing colours of autumn with everyone returning to College, while working steadily behind the scenes to prepare the grounds for the seasons ahead.