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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....
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The Newt (Somerset, England)


After Stourhead, the second garden on the tour that day was "The Newt". Talk about a change in garden styles!

As I review my photos, I can appreciate the beauty and style of this garden, but I must confess, it was one of my least favorites.  I remember mostly the heat (it was one of our warmer days), the glaring sun with few trees in sight, and the commercial feel of the whole enterprise. But then again, this was mainly a vegetable garden and I was having an "off" day (I had just toured Stourhead, where I missed some of the main landmarks).

The entrance took us through an area with gift shops and display areas (nice thing about photos is you see things you missed - I had not noticed the intricate ceiling design) -


We did have an actual tour guide at this one, and he led us through the entire garden -


Down a winding, blinding white walkway, towards the large vegetable garden -










Leaving one vegetable garden, we headed up a grassy avenue with water features. 



Along the side, were more vegetable and herb areas, this time color-themed -








A cool water feature featuring the newt! I believe the tour guide said that there were lots on the property when the gardens were being made.  


Winding our way back toward the central part of the garden, a large area composed of circular, square and triangular garden rooms -





The building on the hillside is the restaurant where we were treated to a delicious lunch. It was fantastic with a panoramic view of the gardens (and air-conditioned!) -



When having group dinners, we would choose our selections from a previously e-mailed menu.  I usually went with fish or vegetarian to avoid any rare-meat surprises. I chose vegetarian here and this cauliflower-based dish was fantastic.



(Visited May 10, 2025)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 2, 2025 at 4:57 PM

    Formal gardens never appeal to me as much either, although I do like the newt integrated into that stone wall.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM

    I'm not into vegetable gardens either but what a splendid bug hotel - or rather a splendid manor house!
    What I absolutely adore here is the natural, weaved fence and the round port holes... amazing!
    Chavli

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  3. tz_gardenSeptember 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM

    I like that bug hotel. Yes, I agree with your feelings - too structured or something? However, that beautiful lunch in a cool room looks delicious!

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  4. JerrySeptember 16, 2025 at 8:59 PM

    That woven fence is very impressive!

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