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This is the time of year when I  am so sick of watering, I could scream. Last week's shower helped but the ground is very dry. Rain is predicted for Monday. It is noticeably cooler and it even got down into the 40s last night.  I've noticed trees changing color around town. Ours are just barely beginning to show some color. But change is definitely in the air. Plants I'm enjoying right now - A few weeks ago, I wrote about a gift of colchicum. I had not seen any trace of life until it rained. The following morning - magic! Cochicum 'Water Lily' Another gift from years ago is the autumn cyclamen. Always a nice surprise! Kinnikinnick is growing over it and I like the effect. Autumn Cyclamen I love asters and am constantly adding more to the garden. This is a recent purchase - 'Starshine' Aster ageratoides 'Starshine' This one is an unknown, given to me by a friend that I sometimes garden for. It is 6 feet tall! If anyone knows the name, I'd love to ...
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Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (Weymouth, England)


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
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  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 20, 2025 at 5:56 PM

    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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  2. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningSeptember 21, 2025 at 7:10 AM

    So beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2025 at 8:56 AM

    It has been so entertaining to walk through these gardens with you, Phillip, since it is doubtful I will ever see them all (or any!) myself. Thank you so much for sharing them! Debbie

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  4. Barbara H.September 21, 2025 at 9:21 AM

    Hah! Debbie said just what I was going to say. Thanks for sharing this journey with us.

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2025 at 6:47 AM

    Why couldn't our local pigeon look more like golden pheasant? I'd never tire of looking at them.
    The more temperate weather near the UK coast help those tropical-like plants thrive. I remember being shocked (and more than a little jealous) at seeing flowering Echium next to Leucadendron right on the southern coast of England.
    Abbotsbury is such a gorgeous garden with so many familiar plants that we grow here in the PNW, I felt quite at home going through this post!
    Chavli

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2025 at 7:24 AM

    My favorite of the gardens you’ve visited. The lushness!

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  7. tz_gardenSeptember 24, 2025 at 8:46 AM

    Wow, this is really a gorgeous garden. The golden pheasant fits in perfectly. The whole thing is unreal. And the before photo shows how stark it was!

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