Address and contact details |
| Bullers Way, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 4LA |
| Tel: 01305 871412 |
| Fax: 01305 871092 |
| Latitude: 50° 39' 41" N |
| Longitude: 2° 37' 47" W |
Background to the collection |
Ownership: | Private, Ilchester Estates |
Umbrella organisation: | PlantNetwork, National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens |
Personnel |
Curator: | Stephen Griffith |
Contact person: | Stephen Griffith |
Total Staff: | 10 |
Policies |
Accessions: | Plant collections from the wild have good records, suitable planting sites within the garden and appropriate labelling. |
Physical environment |
Soil type: | Loam/Acid |
Aspect: | South |
Total area: | 10.1 ha |
Area heated: | 500 m² |
Weather records | No records kept |
Temperature | |
Absolute maximum: | 34 °C (2003) |
Absolute minimum: | -7 °C (1991) |
Wind | |
Direction: | South |
Strength: | Above average |
Rainfall | |
Average annual: | 80 mm |
Month of maximum: | April |
Month of minimum: | August |
Plant collection |
Notable plants within the collection: |
| Largest Picconia in the country, largest Buxus balearica, oldest camellias, largest Pterocarya fraxinifolia, tallest Liriodendron, oldest Villaresia |
Geographical area(s) of specialisation: |
| Southern Africa, China, Eastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand |
Special families within the collections: |
| Oleaceae, Malvaceae, Fagaceae, Ericaceae, Theaceae, Rosaceae, Pittosporaceae, Leguminosae, Phormiaceae, Gramineae, Ginkgoaceae, Magnoliaceae |
Special genera within the collections: |
| Picconia, Hoheria, Quercus, Rhododendron, Pittosporum, Camellia, Acacia, Phormium, Ginkgo, Magnolia |
Special collections: |
| Conifers, ICCP, – 18 Genera, 20 Species, 20 Taxa, 37 Plants. Bamboos, Hoheria, NCCPG, – 6 Species, 6 Accessions, 16 Plants. |
Record Keeping: | Kept since 1992 Accession books printed in 1899, 4000 species listed |
Plant-collecting trips: | National |
Facilities on site |
Herbarium: | No |
Library: | No |
Research facilities: | No |
Publications: | Garden catalogue |
Identifications: | Undertakes free identifications for the general public |
Teaching and Education: | Potential for primary, secondary, higher, taxonomic, special courses |
Interpretation: | Supervised garden walks, signs, brochures, guided trails |
Friends Organisation: | No |
Visitor facilities: | Restaurant, plant shop, bookshop, gift shop |
Access to the collections |
Public access: | Admission charge |
Visitors per year: | 65,000 |
Public opening hours: | Mon-Sun: 10am-6pm |
Guiding principles behind the collection |
| The Garden aims to cultivate as many unusual half-hardy plants as possible, to make use of its special microclimate, as well as to increase its woodland plant collection, cultivated and wild-collected material. The Garden is putting together a lottery bid for the estate to include the funding of a botanical survey and records system. |
Location map |
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