Guernsey's Horticulture & Gardens
-
Port
St Peter Port, Guernsey
-
Activity Level
Moderate
-
Excursion Type
Local Sightseeing,All
-
Wheelchair Accessible
No
-
Starting At
$84.95
-
Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
-
Duration
Approximately 3½ Hours
-
Meals Included
Meals not included
The Guernsey horticulture industry dates back more than 200 years when the earliest greenhouses were used to supply delicacies for the table and tender plants for gardens. To this day, Guernsey glasshouses are often called vineries -- an echo of the past. Nowadays, Guernsey is the largest supplier of cut flowers to the UK, with more than 500 acres of glasshouses producing colorful freesias, roses, carnations and irises.
Visit one of the freesia-growing centers where the owner, Mark Fletcher, will show you the various stages of freesia cultivation. This privately-owned, thriving horticultural enterprise covers three acres and showcases how traditional Guernsey flowers are grown under glass. Savor exotic fragrances as you watch the picking, bunching and boxing of freesias for dispatch daily to the UK and Europe.
Return to St Peter Port to visit the award-winning Candie Gardens -- a green oasis set above the harbor. These historic gardens were established in 1894 and offer excellent panoramic views over the rooftops of St Peter Port.
The Upper and Lower Gardens contain a rare surviving example of a Victorian Public Flower Garden. Guernsey's mild climate means that some less-hardy plant varieties and plants from around the world can be grown relatively easily here. Striking geometric designs form the centerpiece of the Lower Gardens. Elsewhere the plantings are more subtle, with herbaceous and fern borders. Aquatic plants, including water lilies, thrive in the garden's three ponds, which provide an area of quiet reflection.
Notes:
Terrain includes stairs and/or uneven surfaces. Guests with mobility limitations can use pedestrian ramps to access the Lower Gardens. Due to the limited tourism infrastructure available on Guernsey, your driver will be your guide. It is not always possible for additional assistance to be given to guests with mobility limitations. Motorized wheelchairs/scooters cannot be accommodated.