From the island that brought us Alexander Hamilton . . .
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Transcript:
Hello Listeners,
Today is February 13, and this is A Garden A Day with Mædunbroc Gardens.
Thank you for listening.
We’ve been spending a lot of time in tropical locations so far this year and for good reason. As ice falls from the sky and I wonder how hard it’s going to be to chisel out of my driveway tomorrow, I like to think about palm trees, sandy beaches, dolphins, orchids, guava, bougainvillea, jasmine. Gosh, I love jasmine. Sigh.
Well, today’s garden checks all the boxes for tropical island botanicals. This garden is small but spectacular. Where are we? Today, we are exploring the Botanical Gardens of Nevis on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean Sea.
You might be familiar with the name — St. Kitt’s and Nevis. They are two individual islands, but together they make up a singular nation state. If you look at them on a map, St. Kitt’s looks like giant turkey leg, and Nevis looks like a roll or maybe a pile of mashed potatoes.
The Botanical Gardens of Nevis are located in the Montpelier Estate area of the island with views of Mount Nevis and the ocean.
Opened in 1998, the garden spans only five acres and is privately owned by the Douglas family and their associates who acquired the garden in 2008. They continue to maintain and improve upon the garden and open the garden gate for visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature in Nevis.
The owners are art collectors, so visitors will enjoy beautiful Asian and pre-Columbian sculptures mixed with a few more contemporary pieces. Fountains and other water features offer another layer in the sensory experience in the garden.
An avenue of Royal Palms leads visitors into the garden where an additional 100 palm species can be found.
The Rainforest Conservatory was modeled after the Palm House at Kew Gardens. We explored Kew in episode 38 on February 7. If you haven’t listened to that one, yet, go ahead and take a listen. I’ll wait here.
The Rainforest Conservatory houses the garden’s three friendly parrots — Rocco, Arturo, and Deadora.
Here you will also find a variety of palms, bananas, Scarlet Lobster Claw and Scarlet Spiral Flag.
The botanical garden contains four herb and vegetable gardens — one as a show garden located near the Rainforest Conservatory and the other three for use by the staff. There used to be a restaurant on site, and these three gardens supplied fresh veg for the chef. The restaurant is now closed, but I would imagine the owners are keen to reopen.
The garden also boasts the beautiful blooms of orchids as well as a cacti and succulent garden.
A delicious tropical fruit garden is also on offer to guests with many fruits native to the Caribbean. Mangoes, guava, papaya, West Indian Cherries, breadfruit, and many more can be found in this garden.
And you just might want to keep your eyes open for the resident Green Vervet monkeys that swing through the trees. The species is native to Africa, so I’m not sure how they arrived at the garden.
The tropical vine garden showcases bright blossoms and beautiful scents. One particularly interesting vine growing in this part of the garden is the Jade Vine. It is endangered in the wild and rare in cultivation, so it is definitely one to look for when you go.
You might also look for the three hundred year old Poinciana tree also known as the Flamboyant tree or the Shack Shack tree. The tree usually shows off its bright orange-red blooms in summer.
The Botanical Gardens of Nevis are a popular spot for weddings. The Nevis Great House, a newer house built to resemble the classic island houses of old, can accommodate up to 200 wedding guests, and a few garden spots make for a beautiful backdrop for an outdoor island wedding.
The garden includes a plant nursery and a gift shop which are open when the garden is open, and the gardeners here also raise bees. The honey is available for purchase in the gift shop.
Check with the garden for open days and times before you go. It seems they vary with the season.
This well-manicured garden offers a relaxing day out among the flowers as you enjoy your time on the island.
Well, that’s about it for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s garden.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me tomorrow to find out where we are going next. I release a new episode every single day.
As a reminder, you can learn more about the gardens featured on A Garden a Day by clicking on the links in the notes or by visiting our website, agardenaday.com.
And If you like A Garden a Day, and I hope you do, please consider liking, subscribing, and telling your friends. If you are able, please also consider giving us a five-star review. It lets me know you like the show, and it also helps others find the podcast. I really do appreciate your support.
If all goes well, I will be right back here tomorrow. See you then!
To learn more about The Botanical Gardens of Nevis, check out these links:
https://www.botanicalgardennevis.com/
https://www.viator.com/Nevis-attractions/Botanical-Gardens-of-Nevis/overview/d5500-a14463
https://montecristomagazine.com/travel/botanical-gardens-nevis
https://visitskn.com/botanicalgarden/
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