Andromeda Gardens
Encyclopedia
Andromeda Gardens is a 6 acres (2.4 ha) botanical garden
and attractive tourist attraction in the village of Bathsheba
, Saint Joseph in Barbados
. It is a beautiful scenic park with strikingly attractive flowering plant
s and tropical trees and along with Flower Forest
it is one of the most alluring parks on the island. Named from the Greek mythological
figure of Andromeda
it started as a private plant collection around the home of Iris Bannochie
, a leading expert on horticulture
on the island.
Andromeda was first open to the public during a fund raising event hosted by the Barbados Horticultural Society in the 1970s. Andromeda was well received, and has remained open to the public by paid admission since then. Andromeda currently boast over six hundred different species of plants adapted to a range of tropical environments. In 1990, the garden had 40,000 visitors.
The Andromeda Botanic Garden is currently owned by the Barbados National Trust although currently leased to Perseus Inc. The University of the West Indies
(UWI), has responsibility for Research and Educational activities at Andromeda. The University's activities are funded by the Peter Moores
Foundation (UK).
The Andromeda Botanic Gardens Educational Program is run in co-ordination with the Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences of the University of the West Indies.
Notable in the gardens is the large talipot palm
tree, one of the largest palms in the world.
At the centre of the upper garden, near a grotto-like lily pond is a majestic native banyan
. When Queen Ingrid of Denmark visited the garden in 1971, she was served refreshments in a recently built gazebo
overlooking the sea. There is a library
, classroom, cafeteria
and gift shop. In 1991, the palm garden contained over 60 different species of palm.
Iris Bannochie
founded the garden in 1954 on land owned by her family since 1740, and showed plants from Andromeda with the Barbados Horticultural Society many times at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
and attractive tourist attraction in the village of Bathsheba
Bathsheba (Barbados)
Bathsheba is the main fishing village in the parish of Saint Joseph with some 5,000 inhabitants on the east coastline of Barbados. The town has a number of quaint churches; Saint Joseph Anglican Church was built on Horse Hill in the town as early as 1640 but was rebuilt in 1839 following a...
, Saint Joseph in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. It is a beautiful scenic park with strikingly attractive flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s and tropical trees and along with Flower Forest
Flower Forest
Flower Forest is a horticultural park and tourist attraction near the village of Bathsheba, Saint Joseph in Barbados. It is a scenic park with attractive flowering plants and tropical trees. The property was formerly a sugar plantation.-External links:*...
it is one of the most alluring parks on the island. Named from the Greek mythological
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
figure of Andromeda
Andromeda (mythology)
Andromeda is a princess from Greek mythology who, as divine punishment for her mother's bragging, the Boast of Cassiopeia, was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster. She was saved from death by Perseus, her future husband. Her name is the Latinized form of the Greek Ἀνδρομέδη...
it started as a private plant collection around the home of Iris Bannochie
Iris Bannochie
Iris Bannochie was a Barbadian horticulturalist who was the leading expert on horticulture on the island of Barbados. With her second husband, John, she created and owned Andromeda Gardens, a scenic park with strikingly attractive flowering plants and tropical trees in the village of Bathsheba,...
, a leading expert on horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
on the island.
Andromeda was first open to the public during a fund raising event hosted by the Barbados Horticultural Society in the 1970s. Andromeda was well received, and has remained open to the public by paid admission since then. Andromeda currently boast over six hundred different species of plants adapted to a range of tropical environments. In 1990, the garden had 40,000 visitors.
The Andromeda Botanic Garden is currently owned by the Barbados National Trust although currently leased to Perseus Inc. The University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
(UWI), has responsibility for Research and Educational activities at Andromeda. The University's activities are funded by the Peter Moores
Peter Moores
Sir Peter Moores CBE DL is a British businessman, art collector and philanthropist, a former chairman of the Liverpool-based Littlewoods football pools and retailing business in the United Kingdom....
Foundation (UK).
The Andromeda Botanic Gardens Educational Program is run in co-ordination with the Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences of the University of the West Indies.
Notable in the gardens is the large talipot palm
Talipot palm
Corypha umbraculifera is a species of palm, native to southern India and Sri Lanka.It is one of the largest palms in the world; individual specimens have reached heights of up to 25 m, with stems up to 1.3 m in diameter...
tree, one of the largest palms in the world.
At the centre of the upper garden, near a grotto-like lily pond is a majestic native banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
. When Queen Ingrid of Denmark visited the garden in 1971, she was served refreshments in a recently built gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
overlooking the sea. There is a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, classroom, cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
and gift shop. In 1991, the palm garden contained over 60 different species of palm.
Iris Bannochie
Iris Bannochie
Iris Bannochie was a Barbadian horticulturalist who was the leading expert on horticulture on the island of Barbados. With her second husband, John, she created and owned Andromeda Gardens, a scenic park with strikingly attractive flowering plants and tropical trees in the village of Bathsheba,...
founded the garden in 1954 on land owned by her family since 1740, and showed plants from Andromeda with the Barbados Horticultural Society many times at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London.
See also
- Flower ForestFlower ForestFlower Forest is a horticultural park and tourist attraction near the village of Bathsheba, Saint Joseph in Barbados. It is a scenic park with attractive flowering plants and tropical trees. The property was formerly a sugar plantation.-External links:*...
, another garden in Barbados - San Juan Botanical GardenSan Juan Botanical GardenThe San Juan Botanical Garden, also known as the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico, is located in the Caribbean city of San Juan, capital of Puerto Rico. This lush “urban garden” of native and exotic flora serves as a laboratory for the study, conservation and enrichment of...
- St Vincent Botanical GardensBotanic Gardens St. VincentThe St Vincent Botanical Gardens is located in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere and perhaps the oldest in the tropical world. Conservation of rare species of plants has been practiced here since 1765...