Ventnor Botanical Gardens, mid-winter 2024
Ventnor, on the Isle of Wight, has a unique microclimate, meaning the plants here are protected from the cold northerly winds by the island's chalk downs. The climate is akin to the Mediterranean and because of this, their impressive palm collection can thrive all year round outside, without glasshouses. The palm collection are some of the oldest in the UK, including some that were planted in the 1860s. And it's not only the palms that are beautiful, Ventnor's Botanical Gardens ‘living plant libraries’ showcase a whole range of amazing diversity of the UK’s cultivated plants.