Ventnor Botanic Garden is a

botanic garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

located in

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. It was founded in 1970, by Sir Harold Hillier, and donated to the

Isle of Wight Council The Isle of Wight Council is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, an island in the south of England. It is currently made up of 39 seats. Since the 2021 election, there has been an 'Alliance' coalition administration of Independents, ...

. Its collection comprises worldwide

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

and subtropical trees and shrubs organised by region. The garden's unusual climate is more akin to the Mediterranean and enables a wide variety of plants considered too tender for much of mainland Britain to be grown. These grow in the open air, and benefit from the moist and sheltered

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

of the south-facing

Undercliff The Undercliff is the name of several areas of landslip on the south coast of England. They include ones on the Isle of Wight; on the Dorset-Devon border near Lyme Regis; on cliffs near Branscombe in East Devon; and at White Nothe, Dorset. All aro ...

landslip Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

area on the Isle of Wight coast. When frost does occur it is usually of short duration and not of great severity.

History

The garden is on the site of the Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

established there to exploit the same mild climate. Founded by Arthur Hill Hassall, designed by local architect

Thomas Hellyer Thomas Henry Hellyer (18405 April 1889) was an Australian politician and solicitor. He was born at Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst to solicitor William Hellyer, and Margaret Gray. On 25 April 1862 he married Rose Anne Parfitt, with whom h ...

and opened in 1869 as the National Cottage Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, it offered 130 separate south-facing bedrooms for its patients. The hospital closed in 1964, made obsolete by drug treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

, and was demolished in 1969. In 1970, the site was initially redeveloped as the Steephill Pleasure Gardens before Sir Harold Hillier's involvement in its more extensive development as a botanical garden. Despite the generally mild weather, plants had to be carefully selected to tolerate the shallow alkaline soil and salt winds, and the garden suffered serious damage in the unusually hard winter of 1986–7, the Great Storm of 1987, and another major storm in January 1990. A large greenhouse was built in 1986 and opened in 1987, where tropical plants are grown, including a pool containing 22 tonnes of heated water showing Giant Waterlily in the summer months, with surrounding Egyptian Blue Lotus flowers. In 2005, a new Palm Garden was opened, building on existing hardy and half-hardy palm trees on the site, including some specimens of ''

Trachycarpus fortunei ''Trachycarpus fortunei'', the Chinese windmill palm, windmill palm or Chusan palm, is a species of hardy evergreen palm tree in the family Arecaceae, native to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India. Description Growing to tall, ''Trachyca ...

'' or Chusan palm, which date from the late-19th century and are the oldest outdoor-grown palm trees in the United Kingdom. In 2021, the collection of '' Arecaceae'' (palm trees) was given

National Plant Collection The National Plant Collection scheme is the main conservation vehicle whereby the Plant Heritage charity (formerly the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens) can accomplish its mission: to conserve, grow, propagate, docume ...

status. The garden was managed by the

until 2012 when it transferred to Ventnor Botanic Garden CIC. Parking charges were replaced by an entry fee. The curator of the garden from 1986 until 2011 was Simon Goodenough, who was succeeded by Chris Kidd.

Access

The garden is located alongside the

A3055 road The A3055 is an A-Class Road on the Isle of Wight in Southern England. It forms the Southern portion of the ''circular'' around-the-Island A-class loop, the northern section being the A3054. The stretch along the south-west coast of the Isla ...

, and buses on Southern Vectis' Route 6 stop nearby in Park Avenue.https://www.islandbuses.info/services/SQ/6?date=2020-02-06&direction=outbound Southern Vectis' Route 6 There are scenic walks from nearby Ventnor town.

References

External links

Official website
''Isle of Wight Historic Postcards'' page with images of the Royal National Hospital. {{coord, 50.5892, N, 1.2278, W, type:landmark_region:GB-IOW, display=title Botanical gardens in England Tourist attractions on the Isle of Wight Gardens on the Isle of Wight 1970 establishments in England

Botanic Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...