Gardens and Horticulture

Nature

The Isle of Wight's mild maritime climate, with frost-free winters in the south-facing Undercliff, allows a remarkable range of plants to grow outdoors that would struggle on the mainland. This microclimate has attracted gardeners, botanists, and plant collectors since the Victorian era, and the island has a concentration of notable gardens that belies its size. The Ventnor Botanic Garden, Mottistone Gardens, Northcourt Manor Gardens, and the grounds of Osborne House are among the most visited.

Ventnor Botanic Garden occupies the site of the former Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, which was built at Ventnor because the sheltered south-facing position and mild climate were considered therapeutic. The garden exploits the same microclimate to grow plants from the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South America. Palms, agaves, echiums, and tree ferns thrive outdoors here, and the terraced gardens cascading down the hillside are beautiful in every season. The garden is free to enter and includes a cafe, a gift shop, and a plant sales area.

Mottistone Gardens, managed by the National Trust, are set in a sheltered valley below Mottistone Down in the west of the island. The gardens surround the Elizabethan manor house and include herbaceous borders, a Mediterranean garden, a kitchen garden, and organic growing areas. The colour-themed borders are at their best in high summer, and the setting, with the ancient downs rising above, is quintessentially English. The National Trust also maintains the grounds of The Needles Old Battery and New Battery at the western tip of the island.

Northcourt Manor Gardens at Shorwell are the largest private gardens on the island, with 15 acres of formal and informal gardens surrounding a Jacobean manor house. The gardens include a walled garden, woodland walks, subtropical planting, and a collection of unusual trees. The garden opens seasonally and is well worth visiting for anyone with a horticultural interest.

The gardens at Osborne House, Queen Victoria's Italianate seaside palace near East Cowes, reflect the Victorian passion for Mediterranean gardening. The Swiss Cottage grounds, where the royal children learned gardening and cookery, are charming. The walled garden has been restored and includes ornamental planting and productive beds. The parkland around the house offers walks with views across the Solent to the mainland.