Ventnor Botanical Garden

Botanists have attempted to cross-pollinate two giant plant species, in a bid to create the largest lily pad in the world. Trainee botanist Hannah Rogers, 17, worked with experts at Ventnor Botanical Gardens on the Isle of Wight to delicately hand-pollinate an enormous Amazonian water lily that only blooms for two nights a year. The process mimics that performed in the wild by nocturnal scarab beetles attracted to the plant's pungent pineapple-like scent over its two nights of flowering. "Nestling in the microclimate of The Undercliff, Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight has a subtropical and exotic plant collection unrivalled elsewhere in the UK.  Plants which would normally be found in protected glasshouses thrive and naturalise in geographical plantings based on the Mediterannean zones of the world.   As you will see from these pages there is much to see at Ventnor, and we hope you enjoy this unique and wonderful garden." Chris Kidd, Curator The site of the Garden was formerly the Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest. Founded in 1868 by the inspiration of Dr Arthur Hill Hassall, physician and naturalist, it grew within a decade to be an important institution. For 80 years it was a major factor in the life of Ventnor. With the discovery of antibiotics for tuberculosis the hospital quickly became redundant and soon deteriorated beyond economic repair. It was finally demolished in 1969. Ventnor Botanic Garden lies in the remarkable microclimate at the heart of the famous 'Undercliff.' This unique garden is protected from the cold northerly winds by chalk downs. Indeed, it holds the warmth from its southerly aspect so well that, combined with the moderating influence of the sea, frost is rarely known. When frost does occur it is usually of short duration and not great severity. With an average rainfall of 28 inches its climate is more akin to the Mediterranean. This enables a wide variety of plants considered too tender for much of mainland Britain to be grown. The Garden is unrivalled for its collections of subtropical plants grown unprotected out of doors.