After seeing a string of English-style gardens, Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens provided a welcome change of pace. Located in a sheltered woodland on the Jurassic Coast, this 30-acre garden is filled with rare semi-tropical plants.
As we entered, we were greeted by this little guy (a golden pheasant) -
The entry area included a restaurant with a wrap-around porch and a gift shop -
Entering the main gardens -
This hill was quite a trek - I was out of breath when I reached the top. Once there, you get an overlook with a view of the ocean -
This property was once home to a castle that was once a monastery. This is how it looked in 1890 -
The gardens were developed by the Fox-Strangways family. Most notably, William Fox-Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester, was a diplomat and botanist, who introduced many exotic species to the garden. The genus Photinia stranvaesia was named after him.
In 1899, Lady Ilchester printed a catalog which documented over 5,000 plants in the garden.
The castle burned in 1913. It was rebuilt but because of construction faults, it was demolished in 1934. You will find a complete history of the gardens on their website.
We looped around to the beginning point and had time for lunch. I had a tuna sandwich and tried a flapjack, which is an oatmeal cake baked with syrup.
(Visited May 11, 2005)
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
The bird video was a nice bonus to your post of this beautiful garden. I wonder if I could convince my husband to move to the UK?!
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