Day 4: Bermuda Botanical Gardens - Part 3

Camden House is situated within the Botanical Gardens and overlooks sweeping lawns leading down to South Shore Road. Built in the early 1700's, it became the property of  Henry James Tucker in 1823. Henry established an arrowroot factory behind Camden which now houses the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

Although Camden is the official residence of the Premier it is not used for that purpose, however official functions are held there.
The house is open to the public for a limited time each week. Visitors can enjoy free tours of rooms filled with original cedar furniture, Waterford crystal collections and historical portraits; all of which provide a fascinating insight into the island's history.

The former arrowroot factory which now houses a cafe and art museum

Agricultural implements

Near the entrance to the cafe and museum is a sculpture dedicated to John Lennon. Commissioned by the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda and created by Bermuda Sculptor Graham Foster, the Double Fantasy Sculpture features a double image of his profile with iconic spectacles. Lennon's Rickenbacker guitar, the Double Fantasy freesia flower he is reputed to have named his album after and doves of peace are also represented.

In the cafe...















Antiguan Anole (Anolis leachii). The Antiguan Anole, commonly referred to in Bermuda as the Warwick Lizard, was at one time most commonly seen in the parishes of Warwick and Paget. Today it can be seen in most areas of the island. This lizard is native to Antigua and Barbuda and possibly arrived in Bermuda in the 1940s

Sparrow and Kiskadee share a bath

South Shore Road

This Kapok tree was always one of our favourites and we just had to climb on its weird and wonderful trunk!

This way for the bus home!

Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoyed the photos. Comments welcome! You can use the Anonymous option if you don't have a Google or other account.

Click here to go to the next instalment...

Day 4: Bermuda Botanical Gardens - Part 2

The Sensory Garden was designed for the benefit of blind visitors to the Botanical Gardens. The design is based on a Garden for the Blind constructed in Queen's Park, Birmingham England.

 Built in 1960, the garden incorporates gravel paths bordered by raised beds filled with plants with aromatic foliage. Within the enclosed stone walls of the garden, the heady scents of sage, mint, lavender and rosemary seem magnified.

At the centre of the lawn, a seat encircles the trunk of a Camphor Laurel, tempting visitors to sit in the shade to enjoy the tranquility.

Various grasses provide different textures for visitors to experience.












Running water from the fountain into the pond, provides a further sensory experience. The fountain centrepiece is a replica of one by Verrochio in the Vatican Gardens in Rome.




















Beyond the walls of the Sensory Garden are huge Banyan trees which prove irresistible to children and adults alike.

Bird of Paradise

Swiss Cheese Plant in fruit (yes, it's edible!)

Golden Shower Tree

Natal Plum

Shrimp Plant

The former cafe, now the education/information centre

Around 18 species of butterfly have been found in Bermuda, six of which breed there. One of the most striking is the distinctive Monarch butterfly with its wingspan of 4-5 inches. The Monarch feeds primarily on Milkweeds (Asclepias).



















To see a short video clip of breeding Monarch butterflies
click here...










I hope you've  enjoyed my photoblog. As always, thanks for visiting and please feel free to comment below. 

Click here for the next instalment... 

Day 4: Bermuda Botanical Gardens - Part 1

The Botanical Gardens on South Road, Paget parish, cover an area of more than 35 acres. The gardens feature extensive collections of flowers, plants and trees. There are also large orchid, fern and cacti collections as well as a sensory garden dedicated to those with impaired vision.

Flower covered walkway near the Point Finger Road entrance

Jasmine

Allemanda - Golden Trumpet Vine

I really wish I knew the names of all these beautiful flowers but unfortunately I'm not sure of many of them. During the time we lived in Bermuda we spent a lot of time in the botanical gardens and clearly remember that most, if not all of the plants were labelled with both common and Latin names. Now, however, there are very few identifying labels. Furthermore the gardens appear to be suffering from a lack of maintenance in all areas. This may be due in part to the huge extension to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital currently under construction nearby.

  

Added to the construction upheaval there are several ongoing building projects within the gardens which it is hoped will transform the Botanical Gardens by introducing areas based on historical designs. Included in the Formal Gardens are a Japanese Zen Garden, 17thC style Parterre Garden, 12thC style Persian Garden and Tudor style children's maze. Each of the four gardens is about 90 square feet, filled with themed plants and separated by a central viewing gazebo.

  Hopefully the plants will all be labelled once again, when the work is completed.

Gardeners take a break from their labour in the gazebo.....















... the maze has some way to go before anyone can become lost in it though!






Orchids are not native to Bermuda, despite its subtropical climate. There were very few in flower when we visited the Orchid House, but we did find this amazing specimen which had flowered and fallen to the floor...

A type of Bromeliad (I think!)

A type of wild Plantain

In the Fern House

Giant seed heads

Pink Frangipani

Red Frangipani

Bougainvillea

Scarlet Cordia

There was so much to see (and to photograph) in the Botanical Gardens that I think the visit warrants more than one blog post.


I hope you've enjoyed the photos so far; thanks for visiting.


Click here... for the next instalment.