Ventnor

For some reason we did not get to Ventnor Botanic Garden last year, perhaps there were too many other attractions on offer, but we did make it the year before that (reference 2) and we did make it this year, albeit on a Sunday, which although a slightly special day there, was not, in the event, a problem.

Little bit of bother getting through Ventnor, the roughly south facing gardens being a little beyond the town, on account of road works, but we make it without getting very lost. Arrived at was the rather early hour for us of 10:30, to take tea and date slice on the terrace overlooking the east end of the garden. A rather chunky date slice, quite possibly made on the premises and flavoured with cinnamon: yet another cook who feels he has to make his mark on an everyday recipe. Why can't they leave well alone?

From where we made our end to the Australasian eastern boundary and worked our way back down among the tree ferns and then the hydrangeas, the ones in the shade that it is.

The general idea.

Some detail.

A fig with some figs. I think we had probably found a bench to sit on by this point.

After which we made it to the proper display of echiums. Something of an improvement on the odd stray we had come across up to that point - and the odd strays that we get at home, in places like Hampton Court Palace.

Various lizards along the way, pale green and maybe three or four inches long including the tail. Two turtles. And just one very large fish in the hot house - although the giant water lily was missing, with a couple of juveniles in its place. No idea how long it takes them to grow. On better form back in 2017, as noticed at reference 3. Perhaps the publicity shot mentioned there was a fake as asking Bing this morning for bikinis and giant water lilies produces plenty of both, but separately rather than together. Maybe the lilies can't take as much weight as one might think.

In any event it was far too hot for my comfort: we did not stay long.

Into the rather spectacular arid zone. Not unlike that in the big greenhouse at Wisley, but outdoors and generally rather more spectacular.

It would have been rather fun to have such a thing in our own garden back at Epsom, but I have no idea whether it would have thrived and it is too late now. I suppose we might have managed a few pampas grasses as a second best.

A rather extravagant flower. Rather a lot of effort to put into sex!

Another curious flower stem.

Its base. I did not think to take its name. Neither Bing nor Google are much good with the clue 'arid long flower stem small plant', although Google does manage to turn up the echium, which is fair enough. Bard suggests Stipa gigantea, on 'likes arid, very long flower stem, small grass like plant, ventnor botanic garden', not unreasonable in the absence of a picture, but wrong. While Google Lens offers the Dasylirion longissimum and the Dasylirion texanum, with the latter looking quite promising.

The Texas one. I then prompt Bard, which trots out a little story about each of them, offering Mexico as the origin rather than Texas for the second. But it fails to link the prompt with the original query and there is the consideration that Bard seems to like to please. Did it know or take into account that much of what is now Texas was once Mexico?

Bottom line, not sure. Have to take another look next time.

Some of the agaves have been displaced by palm trees.

Like so many of the curious plants in these gardens, they bear closer inspection.

Did rather better with identification with this one, having remembered to find a label. Samsung made a bit of a mess of focus on it, but Bing managed with the version that I extracted: Paraserianthes lophantha from the Australian region.

And I close with a curious version of holly. Google Lens has no trouble making it Desfontainia spinosa of reference 4. Some initial confusion this morning with the cigar plant at the end of reference 5. No relation.

We took a light lunch in the slightly pretentious cafeteria by the turtle ponds. On this occasion barbecued lamb chunks with salad and roast potato chunks. Lamb and salad fine, potato chunks a little tired. It being Sunday, we also got a lady jazz singer, accompanied on a portable keyboard. We were inside, out of the sun, and she was outside, so that was about right.

To avoid the road works, back through Ventnor town which was looking very healthy this Sunday afternoon. But we did not manage to get back to take a proper look, as I had at first intended. Ran out of time.

References

Reference 1: https://www.botanic.co.uk/.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/07/ventnor.html. The opening snap is not fish and chips, as at first might appear. Rather, a cheese scone.

Reference 3: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/07/lily.html.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desfontainia.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/07/to-ryde.html.