A labor of love on an old sugar plantation
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Transcript:
Hey there, Garden Lovers.
Welcome to A Garden a Day with Mædunbroc Gardens where we explore the world one garden at a time.
But First!
It’s a new year. We are starting something new, and we hope you will, too. If you haven’t subscribed to A Garden a Day, yet, I hope you decide this is the year you will tap on that button! You can also find us on Substack, where you can subscribe to read our latest newsletter. You can find us as Maedunbroc Gardens or click on the link in the show notes. Thanks!
Today, we are heading to Hunte’s Gardens in sunny Barbados.
The garden began in 1990 by horticulturalist Anthony Hunte and opened to the public in 2007. Hunte was raised in Barbados and had a long family history in agriculture. It was his grandmother who taught him gardening and inspired his greatest work, Hunte’s Gardens.
In 1990, he set out to create the most enchanting place on earth on ten acres of a former sugar plantation. The garden is located in a sink hole gully that is millions of years old. He started with the royal palms that were already growing there and added more palms and flowers.
The history of Barbados and the property are intertwined with the garden itself. Several structures remain in the garden that are hundreds of years old. At the center of the garden is the century old converted stable that Hunte made home. He furnished it with antiques and invites visitors inside to see his historic furnishings. He also offers rum punch, coffee, and cake to visitors.
Inside the garden are winding pathways, benches for resting, and sometimes unexpected visitors. Hummingbirds and green monkeys are regular garden companions. Hunte also added a PA system where soft classical music plays as visitors stroll through the garden.
There are more than 84 species of plants and birds found within the garden including some that are rare to the West Indies. The garden is a lush, tropical paradise filled with vibrant colors and textures. There are vines, ferns, orchids, bromeliads, and towering palms.
Visitors enter through decorative gates that once belonged to a luxury resort onto the area where sugar was once processed into syrup. A winding path leads guests down into the gully where towering palms grow creating a canopy to protect the profusion of colorful tropical blossoms below. The garden is organized into mini-gardens and secret rooms with plenty of places to sit, relax, and enjoy nature.
Well, that’s about it for today’s garden visit.
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Thank you for listening today and everyday.
If all goes well, I’ll be right back here in two weeks. See you then!
To learn more about Hunte’s Gardens, check out these links:
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