© Ashmolean Museum
IN BLOOM: How Plants Changed Our World
19 March 2026 — 16 August 2026
On NowAcross 100+ works, the show links botanical collecting to trade, empire, and culture, showing how plant histories still shape landscapes and sustainability debates today.
From Ashmolean Museum
What do we really know about the plants and flowers in our gardens and window boxes? Beyond their beauty, many have hidden histories – tales of exploration, obsession, and knowledge. This major new exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain's most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies. Featuring over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings,...
Read more at Ashmolean Museum →Critic Reviews
The Guardian
Jonathan Jones
Rip-roaring history of botanical adventurers disturbs and delights
"There are some lovely works of art here but I couldn\’t escape the thought that all of art and science are helpless before the mystery and beauty of a single living daisy."
Read full review →The Telegraph
Alastair Sooke
These flower paintings aren’t just beautiful – they’re astonishingly weird
"There’s much to savour in the Ashmolean Museum’s new exhibition about plants, which draws extensively upon Oxford University’s collections to avoid the “substantial environmental cost” of international loans, as director Xa Sturgis puts it. (I suppose a show with a botanical theme can be forgiven for flaunting its green credentials.) But, given the vagueness and breadth of the ostensible topic (“humanity’s relationship to nature”), I’d be hard-pressed to tell you what it’s really about."
Read full review →Visit
Oxford·View on Google Maps →
Sunday10am–5pm
Monday ·10am–5pm
Tuesday10am–5pm
Wednesday10am–5pm
Thursday10am–5pm
Friday10am–5pm
Saturday10am–5pm
© Ashmolean Museum
IN BLOOM: How Plants Changed Our World
19 March 2026 — 16 August 2026
On NowAcross 100+ works, the show links botanical collecting to trade, empire, and culture, showing how plant histories still shape landscapes and sustainability debates today.
From Ashmolean Museum
What do we really know about the plants and flowers in our gardens and window boxes? Beyond their beauty, many have hidden histories – tales of exploration, obsession, and knowledge. This major new exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain's most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies. Featuring over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings,...
Read more at Ashmolean Museum →Critic Reviews
The Guardian
Jonathan Jones
Rip-roaring history of botanical adventurers disturbs and delights
"There are some lovely works of art here but I couldn\’t escape the thought that all of art and science are helpless before the mystery and beauty of a single living daisy."
Read full review →The Telegraph
Alastair Sooke
These flower paintings aren’t just beautiful – they’re astonishingly weird
"There’s much to savour in the Ashmolean Museum’s new exhibition about plants, which draws extensively upon Oxford University’s collections to avoid the “substantial environmental cost” of international loans, as director Xa Sturgis puts it. (I suppose a show with a botanical theme can be forgiven for flaunting its green credentials.) But, given the vagueness and breadth of the ostensible topic (“humanity’s relationship to nature”), I’d be hard-pressed to tell you what it’s really about."
Read full review →Visit
Oxford·View on Google Maps →
Sunday10am–5pm
Monday ·10am–5pm
Tuesday10am–5pm
Wednesday10am–5pm
Thursday10am–5pm
Friday10am–5pm
Saturday10am–5pm