Something exciting is happening at Ventnor Botanic Garden. This is very much the feeling we all have at the moment. John and Mylene are working well together with the IOWC as we move through negotiations. Keith Leonard has agreed to lend his great expertise in many ways, not least to make efficiencies in our energy consumption. A great boost has come from the support from Susyn Andrews, Honorary Research Fellow with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Susyn is the most respected horticultural taxonomist in Britain, author of many works and papers including the landmark “The Genus Lavandula“, a fully comprehensive monograph on Lavender. Susyn previously went through the entire VBG holdings of the genus and updated our nomenclature (to save our blushes).
Susyn says “The garden at Ventnor has always had a very special place in my mind. What makes VBG unique in Britain and Ireland is the fact that such remarkable documented plant collections from the subtropic and Mediterranean climatic zones are grown outdoors here. I see great potential for the recognition of nationally important scientific collections and reasearch and have highlighted a number of plant groups which warrant examination and will create long term interest.”
This marvellous site has always had potential, nurtured over time from Sir Harold Hillier to Simon Goodenough, and from horticultural landmarks in the 70’s to scientific potential in the new millennium. Its a fascinating evolution to contribute to, so come and be a part of it! Something exciting is happening at Ventnor Botanic Garden.