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Bermuda's Gardens

Some are public, open every day including public holidays

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer by e-mail to this file use "bermuda-online.org/gardens" as your Subject

Introduction

Bermuda, in USDA Zone 11, is at 32 degrees North, with about 50 inches of rain annually. For the few species of plants and trees that are endemic, the considerable number that are native and the vast majority that were introduced, see Bermuda Flora. There is no wet and dry season, but summer droughts and winter gales are common.  It has a sub tropical and frost free climate. There is a constantly high humidity, especially from May to October, but no frost or snow. Temperatures rarely drop below 50 degrees F or rise above 90 degrees F. The surrounding Atlantic Ocean and proximity of the Gulf Stream exert a moderating influence on the climate. Bermuda soil is alkaline, limestone in origin and with depth from two to three feet to an inch or less. Below it is solid limestone. Shallow soil and periodic droughts of up to eight weeks can test and defeat the tolerance of plants. Bermuda has Asia's subtropical regions but no orchids of its own. Plants to avoid. Bermuda has numerous areas on trails, woodlands and even private roads with plants including poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and stinging nettles, very similar in size and shape to those in North America. Keep well clear of them. Worst garden pests. They include mealy bugs on crotons, controlled with Volk oil; black spot on roses and hemispheric scale on hibiscus, kept at bay with a mild solution of malathion.

Bermuda Passion Flower

Books include

• Bermuda - a floral sampler. Elizabeth W. Curtis. 1978. Illustrations by Diana Amos.

• Bermuda: A Gardner's Guide. 2002. Garden Club of Bermuda. Many illustrations and color photographs. $45.

• Bermuda's Botanical Wonderland. Christine Phillips-Watlington. 1996. Bermudian Publishing Company Ltd. The most valuable resource for botanists and gardeners since Britton's "Flora of Bermuda" in 1918. Illustrated.

• Bermuda, Her Plants and Gardens. Jill Collett.

• Bermuda's Seashore Plants and Seaweeds. Wolfgang Sterrer and A. Ralph Cavaliere. 1998. Published by Bermuda Natural History Museum and Bermuda Zoological Society. 269 pages. About $15.

• Bulletin of Marine Science. Bermuda Natural History Museum. The issue prior to July 14, 2000 had an inventory by Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer on the number of species (at least 8,299) of flora and fauna in Bermuda, of which 4,597 are marine and 3,702 are terrestrial.

• Flora of Bermuda. Nathanial Lord Britton. New York, Scribners. 1st edition, 1918.

• Flowering Trees of the Caribbean. 1951. 125 pages. Illustrated.

• Flowers in Bermuda. Cunninghame, Judy. 1969. Longtail Publishers. 12 plates of artwork on Bermuda's flowers.

• Flowers of Bermuda. Hannau. No date. 64 pages and illustrated.

• Flowers of Bermuda. Middleton. c. 1927. E & C. Tucker, Bermuda. 18 pages, illustrated.

• Marine Fauna and Flora of Bermuda. Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer. 1986. Wiley Interscience, New York. Out of print.

• Plants of the Bermudas or Somers Isles. 1883. By Oswald Reade, a British pharmacist then working at the Royal Navy Hospital, Dockyard, Bermuda.

• The Bermuda Garden. Whitney (editor). 1955. Garden Club of Bermuda, 231 pages. Illustrated.

• The Bermuda Jubilee Garden. Edited by Elfrida L. Wardman. 1971. Published by The Garden Club of Bermuda, to mark its 50th anniversary. Printed in Scotland by Robert MacLehose and Company Limited. The University Press, Glasgow. 349 pages. Illustrated.

• The Conspicuous Flora and Fauna of Bermuda. Dr. Ralph Cavaliere, Ph.D.

• The Story of Bermuda. Strode, Hudson. 1932. New York, Random House. Fish scale cover, 374 pages, with illustrations by Walter Rutherford. Strode spent three years in Bermuda then returned to the University of Alabama where he was Professor of English. He also describes Bermuda's fishes, flora, open spaces and trees of the period.

• Trees and Plants of the Bermudas. Zuill, 1933. Published by Bermuda Book Store, Hamilton.

Aberfeldy Nurseries

Pomander Road, Paget PG 05. Open Monday-Saturday (except public holidays) 8 am to 6pm. Telephone 236-2927. Fax 236-7853. Superb, privately owned commercial nursery for trees & shrubs, scented plants, Bermuda Roses, herbs, special orders, seeds, fertilizers, etc. Plants of every description for sale. In February 2009 it was acquired by businessman and owner of Bermuda General Agency and The Phoenix Stores, Wendell Brown from previous owner J.C. (Kit) Astwood who had run the business for about 20 years. At the time of sale Aberfeldy Nurseries has a team of 26 excellent and long-serving staff. Mr. Astwood's uncle, Will Onions, started the business from scratch with manager David Gill in 1950 as a hobby at first, but that passion soon grew into a fully-fledged operation when Sir Jeffrey Astwood stepped in to take charge. The company passed through the family to Mr. Astwood, who assumed the role of chairman of the board, and his friend Bobby Baron, who were working together at bicycle rentals J. B. Astwood & Son Ltd. and has gone from strength to strength ever since, expanding from a workforce of four to 26 employees today. Mr. Astwood ran the nursery growing and selling hedge plants like Oleander and Hibiscus from his back garden at Aberfeldy in Somerset to begin with, before setting up the retail and wholesale side of the business at its current site in Pomander Road, Paget, while continuing to produce stock at its greenhouses in Somerset. The nursery owns the land on which it sits, which is made up of three acres in Paget and three acres in Somerset.

Bermuda Easter lilies. Photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

Arboretum

In Devonshire Parish. A Bermuda National Park. Enjoy a picnic here, no organized flower beds or formal gardens but a great walking area, with shade trees. It is accessible by the route 3 bus and a short walk.  Go via Montpelier Road, off Middle Road. There is scooter and car parking.  It is open from sunrise to sunset, free to the public. A serene inland setting of 22 acres of open space with a gazebo, tall trees, open meadows,  pathways, shrubs, collections of conifers, palms and genus ficus. There are interesting plants and shrubs on walkways and paths. An ornamental bridge has small pools underneath.  The property has an interesting history. From the mid 19th century, like most of the Parish at the time, it was part of British Army lands at "Montpelier" nearby - the private house now owned by the Bermuda Government and now lived in by the Deputy Governor. In 1962, some years after the British Army left Bermuda, the lands were planted as an arboretum.

Bermuda African Violet Society

No garden of its own. A popular garden club for those who favor this species. Meets fourth Tuesday each month, 7:30 pm, Horticultural Hall, Bermuda Botanical Gardens, Paget, new members welcome. Call Hattieann Gilbert at 234-0650 or secretary Barbara Millett at 292-6662.

Bermuda Botanical Gardens

169 South Road in Paget Parish DV 04. Or P. O. Box HM 834, Paget HM CX. Phone (441) 236-4201. Fax (441) 236- 7582. Since April 2002 part of the Department of Conservation Services of the Bermuda Government's Ministry of the Environment. On Main Island. The largest local public garden by far, with over 100,000 visitors and locals each year. One mile from the City of Hamilton, they are open daily from sunrise to sunset, via Berry Hill Road, Point Finger Road and South Road. Bus routes 1, 2 and 7 go to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital  nearby. Open 365 days a year. Free for 362 days (except during the Agricultural Exhibition every April). A mix of park, woodland, greenhouses, agricultural buildings and horticultural collections. A Bermuda National Park under the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986. Chiefly of interest for its trees, orchard, collection of orchids and Camden. Visitors should expect a fair amount of walking. The Bermuda Botanical Society - a Bermuda Registered Charity # 249 - provides them from its Visitor Centre (9:30 am to 3:30 pm) in the Gardens, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays 10:30 am year-round, weather permitting

A Board of Agriculture was formed after the Board of Agriculture Act 1875 during the governorship of Sir John Henry Lefroy. The Public Garden Act 1896 provided funds for the acquisition of land for experimental gardens and the appointment of a full-time superintendent. The Gardens began officially in 1898 as the Public Garden with 10 acres (which became the Agricultural Station in 1912), with the arrival of Ga. A. Bishop, a professional horticulturalist trained at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, near London, England. 

The Public Gardens continued to be under the Board of Agriculture until the Department of Agriculture Act 1912 went into effect. They nearly doubled in 1921 after the Montrose estate was acquired. An outbreak of oleander scale in Bermuda (in 1917) led to legislation that in 1923 provided for a plant pathology section of the Bermuda Government, still there today. In 1958, the Bermuda Botanical Gardens were established instead of the Agricultural Station.  In 1958, remaining experimental plots at the Gardens were moved to other Government properties such as "Avocado Lodge" and "Clifton." Three acres were lost in 1962 when King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was expanded. The Gardens expanded again in 1965 when Camden House and its garden were acquired from the Tucker family. They now occupy 36 acres. The 72nd Agricultural Exhibition was here in April, 2009. 

Facilities include, in a particularly serene area, a lovely Sensory Garden for the Blind, well worth sensing by the blind and disabled and also of great interest to those who help them professionally. The Librarian at Bermuda's Department of Environmental Protection, Botanical Gardens, 169 South Road, Paget Bermuda DV 04, phone 441-236-4201, fax 441 236-7582, kindly sent good information about the Sensory Garden, from which the following is extracted.  

‘Garden for the Blind’ is from the Monthly Bulletin Vol. XXX No. 6.  June 1960. "The actual design is based upon a Garden for the Blind constructed in Queen's Park, Harborne, Birmingham, England. Credit for bringing this Garden to the attention of Bermuda's Department of Agriculture (as it was then) and supplying the original working drawings went to Mr. Don Wellington, then with Bermuda's Public Works Department. Geographically, the site chosen  was formerly known as the Banana Patch . A map of the Garden made in Braille was placed in the stone pillars framing the entrance."

“A Garden for Those who are not Blessed with Sight’ is taken from The Bermuda Botanical Garden guide to the collection of plants, 1970. "Enclosed by a Bermuda stone wall, it was made in 1960 for the benefit of those unfortunate persons not blessed with sight. While it may appear a little unusual to those who can see, the idea on the designer's mind  was the make the Garden easy for the sightless to use and enjoy. In the paths made of Bermuda stone chippings will be noticed a large cement stone at each path junction. This is to indicate a change of direction. The sightless person is soon able to pick his or her way round the garden by the aid of these stones. The raised beds on the eastern side are to enable the plants to be touched without the person having to stoop. Running water is an essential feature of a garden of this type, hence the small pool and fountain. The fountain centerpiece is a replica of one by Verrochio to be found in the Vatican Gardens, Rome. The choice of planting material used in this Garden is limited to plants which have a pleasant odor when handled or which have a pleasant texture. Most of the herbs such as sage, thyme, lavender, rosemary and many others have been used freely. The large tree in the center of the lawn is the Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) the natural source of camphor and a native of Formosa and China. Growing over the shelter in the north east corner is coralita, a slender but vigorous vine which bears masses of small pink flowers in summer. The Garden is bounded on the western and eastern sides by a hedge of the Martinique laurel (Murraya exotica), related to the citrus family. This attractive evergreen shrub bears fragrant white flowers which are followed by red berries. Its fragrance makes it an ideal choice as a hedge to this garden."

Beyond the Sensory Garden, for details of what other plants grow in Bermuda, see Bermuda Flora.

A new Cactus House was completed in 2003. A Master Plan for the Gardens was published in March 2003 and went on public display.  It includes recognition that the Gardens and Park is a place for passive recreation and as a venue for special events. In September 2003, the Gardens, Grandstand and buildings were so badly damaged by Hurricane Fabian that it forced the cancellation of the 2004 Annual Exhibition normally held here every late April. They have since been repaired.

Morning Glory. Photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

In April 2008, a five-year project transforming the Botanical Gardens by introducing historical designs came to fruition. The new Formal Gardens feature a new exhibit featuring a Japanese Zen Garden, 17th Century-style English Parterre Garden, 12th Century-style Persian Garden and Tudor-style children's Maze Garden. The development increases the Botanical Gardens' aesthetic appeal, and will help the location serve as an attraction for tourists and locals alike. Each of the four gardens is about 90-square feet and has themed plants, and they are all separated by a central viewing gazebo. Working locals can sit there on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in the summer and de-stress. The gardens give further appeal to the locale for wedding photographs

Bermuda Botanical Society

No garden of its own. A popular garden club. Contact the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for current information.

Amaryllis. Photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

Bermuda in Bloom

Annual Awards given by The Garden Club of Bermuda in June to homeowners of outstanding gardens. In Bermuda, the only requirement is that their gardens must be visible from a public or estate road. It is possible for homeowners to make arrangements for private tours. 

Recent winners (excluding those awarded in April 2006, not yet notified to this author by the Garden Club of Bermuda) include:

Gold Certificate Awards

Silver Certificate Awards

Bronze Certificate Awards

Hibiscus 1. Photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

Bermuda Judges Council for Floral Art

No garden of its own. An organization of local and overseas floral judges. Contact the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for current information.

Bird of Paradise. Photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

Bermuda National Trust Headquarters

Waterville, Pomander Road,  Paget. This garden is not big but spectacular at certain times of the year, in a delightful waterfront location well worth making a special point to see and to sit for a while, less than 2 miles from the city center. This is the place to see Bermuda Roses. Free to the general public.

Bermuda Open House and Garden tours

Annually, April/May. See above for Program for 2009 and what it featured in 2008. Purely for historical purposes, and they do not appear on the Club's website, we give a summary of the 2006 and earlier programs.

2006

April 26, 3 waterfront houses and one garden, Devonshire Bay, Devonshire Parish.

• Surf Song. Home of Mr & Mrs John Windsor.

• Rosapenna. Home of Mr & Mrs Martin Gutteridge.

• Decks Awash. Home of Mr & Mrs Jay Kempe.

• Garden only. Home of Dr David & Mrs Saul. Dr. Saul is a former Premier of Bermuda.

May 3. 3 homes, St. Mary's Road & Longford Hill. Warwick Parish .

• Old Walls. 41 St. Mary's Road. Historic. An early 18th century farmhouse, built in 1709 and home of Mr & Mrs Ian Davidson, extended to the east in the 1820s, with its extensive garden. A feature was a traditional dry stone wall building demonstration by Mr Larry Mills. 

• Old Walls Cottage. home of Mr & Mrs William Fawcett.

• Casuarina. Home of Mrs Anne Holzberger in the exclusive Mizzentop condominium development.

May 10. 4 houses, historic Salt Kettle in Paget Parish, reached via Darrell's Wharf and Salt Kettle ferries.

• Marechaux. Home of Mr & Mrs George Butterfield. 

• Prudden¹s Point. Home of Mr Michael Frith and Ms Kathy Mullen.

• Marechaux Cottage, 3 Salt Kettle Road. home of Mr & Mrs John Wadson and opened in conjunction with the Bermuda Rose Society. The earliest part of the house, built between 1845 and 1860, is the beautifully proportioned living room with its old growth, long-leafed yellow pine floors, a great hearth and cedar surround. In the 1930s, renovations were completed and again in the 1980s. The present owners, who valued the 19th century origins, made sympathetic alterations, adding bedrooms and wide brick terraces, excavating to create a basement and garage, and transforming the old kitchen into a spacious family room with views over the rooftops of Salt Kettle to the Harbour. The exterior lines of the house are defined by new pilasters, painted white, in contrast to grey stone-washed walls; windows are now framed in cedar. Furnished with many antiques inherited or found at auctions. Old Bermuda maps and historic etchings, paintings and watercolors.
• Salt Winds, 3 Salt Kettle Lane. home of Mr Toby Trott. Historic. Property is noted in 1660 in Richard Norwood’s second survey of Bermuda. Norwood, an English surveyor, initially measured and divided the Island into tribes (after 1684 known as parishes). A 1758 will described the structure as a “store house”. Hewn out of rock at near water level, the storehouse provided safekeeping for cargo unloaded from sailing ships moored in the harbour. After 1801,  the second floor living quarters were completed. In the 1940s, the wide verandah, graceful dual flights of steps and a bedroom to the west, were added. Salt Winds’ present owner is a 13th generation Bermudian. The family’s genealogical chart, in the front hallway, shows that he is a descendent of the merchant adventurer Perient Trott who in the mid-1600s was the largest landowner in Bermuda. Perient Trott’s eldest son, Samuel, subsequently managed his father’s interests, including a whaling industry. He is credited with building one of Bermuda’s oldest extant buildings, his home in Walsingham, the cruciform core of what is now known as Tom Moore’s Tavern.

2005

2004

Normally, many Homes and Gardens in Bermuda are featured, over an 8-week period. But many properties were still recovering from severe hurricane damage inflicted in 2003.  As a result,  2004 was a much-reduced one day-only event, on Wednesday, May 19, in the Town of St. George. The price per person for entry to the 5 homes below was $20.00.  

• "Hard-a-Lee", Speaker's Drive - Richard & Jane Spurling.

• "Red Barracks", Speaker's Drive - Michael Spurling. 

• "Boatswain's Watch", Cut Road - Christopher & Barbra West. 

• "Samaritan's Cottages" on Water Street - Jamie & Shelly Carswell. 

• "Harbour View" and "Aunt Nea's Inn" - Nea's Alley - home of Delaey Robinson and Andrea Dismont.
  (Harbour View was featured on the April 2004 PBS show, "This Old House")

Walking Garden Tours took place hourly starting from Town Hall, each one approx. 30-45 minutes, finishing up at Aunt Nea's Inn.

2003

Bermuda Orchid Society

An affiliate of the American Orchid Society. It meets on the third Thursday of each month at 8 pm, usually in one of the buildings of the Bermuda Botanical Gardens. Visitors are welcome. The Annual General Meeting is every late November. E-mail Peter Rego at parego@ibl.bm or telephone (441) 234 2154.

Bermuda Plant Nursery

Pitts Bay Road. Telephone 295-5157. E-mail bdaplant@ibl.bm. A small outside but very nice facility for residents and visitors, with local and imported plants for sale year-round and imported Christmas trees in December. Commercial. 

Double poppy. May 2002 photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

Bermuda Rose Society (BRS)

P.O. Box PG 162, Paget, PG BX, Bermuda. It began in 1954. Its own garden has been since 1988 the Repository Garden of the Bermuda National Trust at Waterville in Paget. It is an associate of the Royal National Rose Society, an Affiliate member of the American Rose Society and Heritage Roses Group. One of its longest-serving members is Liesbeth Cooper.  In 1987, the BRS hosted the World Federation of Rose Societies regional conference. It is a founding member of the Heritage Rose Foundation. A major function is to help with the care of rose gardens, including those at the Bermuda National Trust. Members meet monthly from October to May. Guest speakers are often invited from overseas. The 2002 Annual General Meeting was on May 3, 2002 at 3 pm, preceded by an exhibition of roses from1-2 pm at Horticultural Hall, Bermuda Botanical Gardens, with free open admission and a members' tea at 2pm. Guest speaker for the 2002 AGM (and later) was Field Roebuck from Texas, USA, accompanied by his wife Joan. Members propagate between 500 and 750 rose bushes annually for sale to members of the public and for donations to various organizations. They welcome new members and visitors from overseas rose societies. They do well in Bermuda. 

Roses are in many types, sizes, names, all over Bermuda, in many public and private gardens. Not indigenous to Bermuda, all were originally imported but the Bermuda Roses are mystery roses and were given local names as they could not be identified in origin. Places to see them include the Bermuda Botanical Gardens; Aberfeldy Nursery; Allamanda Gardens at Elbow Beach Hotel and the Bermuda Rose Garden at Waterville. All these are in Paget Parish. Also try the Bermuda Perfumery and Gardens in Hamilton Parish; Bermuda Plant Nursery in Pembroke Parish; Somer's Garden in St. George's; and Verdmont Manor House in Smith's Parish.

October is the start of the rose season in Bermuda. Roses should not be pruned in the hot months of June to September unless there is a storm and branches get broken. The summer is the forced dormant period during which roses should not be removed or disturbed. At the appropriate time, any branch that goes into the bush should be removed and any branch rubbing against another, likewise.

It is often assumed, incorrectly, that some roses are indigenous to Bermuda. All were imported, without exception, but many have now been naturalized. There is no such thing as a true Bermuda Rose" as they are sometimes referred to. It was not until the coming of the 18th century clipper ships , with their cargoes not only of spices, tea and silks but roses for Southern Gardens of the USA and to a much smaller extent for Bermuda too, that the majority of so-called "Bermuda Roses" including Bermuda Mystery Roses, first arrived. Because of climactic conditions, some did not survive. The latter are referred to as such because they have no known name or pedigree and were given local names to reflect where they were found. The main flowering period for Old Garden Roses is from end of October through May. With a few exceptions, they are dormant during the long, hot and humid summers, unlike in Britain and Europe where they bloom from June or July. But many Bermuda-grown roses not in places where they are sheltered, suffer from the lack of a climactic "breaking space" which a cooler or temperate climate elsewhere gives them. It is one of the reasons why some roses with local Bermuda names but under different names elsewhere can be found in zones 7-10 of North America. 

They were exported by special license from the USDA many years ago. The Base Garden adjacent to Camden, accommodates some roses. Others can be found at the new Bermuda Rose Society repository garden at Waterville in Paget Parish, home of the Bermuda National Trust. Old Garden and Heritage Roses - those of the China, Tea, Noisette and Polyantha varieties - are lovely. See the list below for many growing in Bermuda.

	Anna Oliver. Tea rose, a vigorous, 1872, achieves a height of six feet. Archduke Charles. 1840 china rose. Once known incorrectly as the Seven Sisters Rose but renamed. Buds are a dark red and flowers open up to a rose pink with dark red outer petals. Like most China roses, flowers darken with age. Bush has flowers of two different colors. Archduke Joseph. A tea rose of 1872. Austrian Briar. Introduced to Bermuda from Cambridge, MA in 1874. One of the roses that according to Governor John Henry Lefroy grew in Government House (Mount Langton) 1874-77. Baltimore Belle. Because it came from Baltimore, MD. From the 1840s for many years, young Bermuda ladies trimmed their bonnets with fresh flowers specifically including this one. Fragrant clusters of pink to white double flowers, appears to be a hybrid descendant of the wild Prairie Rose, R. setigera, of southern USA. Banksia. R. banksiae. A rose known to have been growing in Bermuda in the time of Governor Lefroy. Bon Silene. First introduced to Bermuda in the mid 1980s. An old tea rose.
	Bourbon Rose. R. borboniana. It grew in Government House (Mount Langton) 1873-77.Bridal Rose. See "Souvenir de la Malmaison." Cabbage Rose. Or Provence. R. centifolia. A Bermuda Mystery rose at the Bermuda National Trust garden at Waterville. Once of the oldest roses anywhere. It grew in the gardens of ancient Rome.  Catherine Mermet. A mystery pink rose. Cherokee Rose. Once found growing in the Walsingham and Pembroke March areas. Conyers. A Bermuda Mystery rose at Bermuda National Trust garden at Waterville. Damask Rose. R. damascena. One of the roses that according to Governor John Henry Lefroy grew in Government House (Mount Langton) 1873-77. It was brought to Bermuda from England sometime earlier, where it was said to have been brought to England by the Crusaders. Long known in England as the source for attar of roses.
	Dr. Grill. A tea rose of 1886. Duchesse de Brabant. A shell or fragrant tea of 1857. With a strong tea scent. Introduced to Bermuda by Mr. Phies who lived at Lemon Grove in St. George's and was mayor of the Old Town from 1863-1880. Emmie Gray (pictured). A Bermuda Mystery china rose. The bush can grow eight feet high. Fairy Rose. Or Lawrenceana. R. chinensis var. minima). Known to have been growing in Bermuda in the time of Governor Lefroy.  Febvier. A china rose of 1832. Gen. Schablikine. A tea rose of 1878.  Green Rose. R. chinensis viridiflora. Frequently seen in Bermuda gardens in 1918 and noted in   "Flora of Bermuda"  by botanist Nathanial Lord Britten.
	Homere. A tea rose of 1858. Hume's Bush. A tea rose of 1760. Isabella Sprunt. Deep yellow. One of the two roses introduced to Bermuda in about 1880 by General and Mrs. Russell Hastings, who lived at Soncy, in Pembroke Parish. Le Vesuve. A china rose of 1825. Little White Pet. This polyanthus has a low spreading bush no more than two feet in height. Macartney Rose (Rosa bracteata). Locally, the fried egg rose. Introduced to the USA from China in 1793. Came to Bermuda from the USA. A rampant grower, it climbs over hedges, has white fragrant flowers with heart-shaped petals surrounding bright yellow stamens. Madame Joseph Schwartz. A tea rose of 1880.
	Madame Lombard. A tea rose of 1878. Maitland White. A Bermuda Mystery rose seen in the Bermuda National Trust garden at Waterville. Miss Atwood. A Bermuda Mystery rose. Mlle. Francesca Kruger. A tea rose of 1880. Mrs. B. R. Cant. A tea rose of 1901. Mrs. Dudley Cross. A tea rose of 1907. Mutabalis (rosa chinensis mutabalis). A favorite, a china rose of 1952 with an upper bush form that reaches five feet.
	Niles Cochet. A tea rose of 1903. Noisette. R. noisettiana. A rose known to have been growing in Bermuda in the time of Governor Lefroy.  Pacific Rose. Locally-named variant of the Cabbage Rose. Introduced to Bermuda in the 1800s when Captain Samuel Nelmes from Bermuda, on a voyage in the Pacific Ocean, met a French ship in distress. After he gave water and provisions, the French ship's captain gave him a prized rose bush from his garden in Normandy. Nelmes brought the rose bush to Bermuda and planted it at "Grasmere, Riddell's Bay, then the home of his daughter Mrs. Joseph C. Lightbourne. The family called it the "Pacific Rose." Papa Gontier. A tea rose of 1883. Parson's Pink. Or "Old Bush.' A favorite china rose for its lovely coloring. A compact bush of 1752 that grows up to four feet.
	Pasture. R. carolina. One of the roses that according to Governor John Henry Lefroy grew in Government House (Mount Langton) 1873-77. Perle des jardins. A tea rose of 1874. Pink Mamam Chochet. A climbing tea rose of 1893. R. Chin. Semperflorens. (Bermuda Mystery rose, Belfield residence). R. Ch. Veridiflora. A china rose of 1883. Rosette Delizy. A tea rose of 1922 with a vigorous growth. It can reach six feet as an open bush. Safrano. Or Saffron rose. A slow growing lemon yellow tea rose up to five feet high. It was well-known in rose catalogues in the American South in 1843. It was introduced to Bermuda in about 1880 by General and Mrs. Russell Hastings, who lived at Soncy, in Pembroke Parish. Slater's Crimson China. Until 1956, it was thought to have been lost from cultivation. Its rediscovery in the garden of Belfield in Somerset has caused excitement. Smith's Parish. With a lovely old flower. A mystery rose, but referred to by a central parish in Bermuda. With an open bush form growing up to six feet in height. Soncy. A Bermuda Mystery rose seen in the Bermuda National Trust garden at Waterville. Souvenir de la Malmaison. Also called the "bridal" rose. A climbing bourbon rose first brought to Bermuda in 1844 or 1845 via the USA after it was sent to the USA in 1843 by Beluze of France who noticed it. More than 30 years earlier, it had been seen growing in the garden near Paris of Empress Josephine of France, wife of Napoleon 1, a noted lover of roses. Locally, it can grow into a compact bush usually three to four feet in height, with double white flowers faintly flushed with pink. It became an established favorite of Bermuda brides. Souvenir de St. Anne. A bourbon rose of 1950. St. David's Rose. A Bermuda Mystery china. It usually grows into a compact bush of about four feet. Named after a former island in the parish of St. George.
	Sweet Briar. R. rubiginosa. One of the roses that according to Governor John Henry Lefroy grew in Government House (Mount Langton) 1873-77. Tea Rose. R. odorata. One of the roses that according to Governor John Henry Lefroy grew in Government House (Mount Langton) 1873-77. Trinity. Another vigorous Bermuda Mystery rose going up to six feet. Vincent Godsiff. A Bermuda Mystery rose seen in the Bermuda National Trust garden at Waterville. William R. Smith. A tea rose of 1903.

Bermuda Rose garden of author Frances Hodgson Burnett

Brighton Hill Nursery

14 Brighton Hill, Devonshire. Phone 236-5862. Fax 236-8779. Very good commercial nursery for trees & shrubs, scented plants, Bermuda Roses, herbs, special orders, seeds, fertilizers, etc. Plants of every description for sale. Nice to admire and walk around to see what is available. Owned by the same Dill family owning the Ariel Sands Beach Club a short distance away. 

City Hall Garden

This small but choice garden in the City of Hamilton has been gorgeous in April, May and June, 2002. It is well worth a stop to admire the plants and flowers to the left, middle and right of the City Hall. They give beauty, peace and tranquility.

Corporation of Hamilton's Plant Nursery

"The Willows, " Laffan Street, Hamilton HM 09. How the City of Hamilton grows its plants for its parks and public spaces.

Elbow Beach Hotel Garden

A leading local hotel with 50 acres of lush, year-round flowers, shrubs, bushes trees, leading down to the South Shore Ocean and spectacular beach. Freely available for guests to enjoy. By special arrangement through the hotel for others.

Fort Hamilton Garden

Pembroke Parish. A lovely surprise for those agile enough to descend. Owned and operated by the Corporation of Hamilton, the administrator of the City of Hamilton. It is a botanist's paradise. The moat garden in particular is superb. But alas, not for the disabled.

Friendship Garden Club

No garden of its own. Contact the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for current information.

Since 1921. More than 300 members. Telephone (441) 232-1273. It has organized an annual spring (April and/or May) program of fabulous Bermuda Open House and Garden tours, all in that grouping can be visited on the same day, usually a Wednesday. It is affiliated with the National Garden Clubs of the USA, the Garden Club of America, the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies of Great Britain, The Royal Horticultural Society, the World Association of Flower Arrangers and the Garden Clubs of Ontario. Private tours of gardens by members of these associations may be organized by prior arrangement. In 1971 the Garden Club celebrated its 50^th Anniversary by publishing the book “The Bermuda Jubilee Garden.” In 2002 “Bermuda, a Gardener’s Guide” was published (shown below). It has the best source of information in Bermuda on when to plant annuals, what perennials, shrubs and trees will fare well and more. Anyone interested in becoming a member can apply directly to the Club at P. O. Box HM 1141, Hamilton, Bermuda HM EX. The Annual General Meeting is held on the second Friday in May at the Horticultural Hall in the Botanical Gardens. Meetings are held on the second Friday each month from October to May. The Club organizes the “Bermuda in Bloom” competition for the best private gardens in Bermuda visible from a public or estate road. Judging is in the first week of May.

Gardens of Woodlands

Private garden, one of the loveliest in Bermuda. 9 Middle Road. Mr. and Mrs. George Peterich. Once known for its cedar stands, Woodlands is recognized today for its beautiful gardens which extend from the ridge of a hill, with vistas of Hamilton Harbour, to a valley where citrus grow beside the tennis courts. Woodlands House is historic.

Agapanthus. Photo by the author, exclusively for Bermuda Online

Government House Gardens

See under "Government House" in Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. The largest property and gardens in Bermuda by far but not usually open to the public. However, the house and gardens were featured in 'Open Houses and Gardens" by the Garden Club of Bermuda at various times.

The attractive garden is the site of the Garden Party hosted by the Governor every Queen's Birthday public holiday in June. The more than 300 trees at Government House are a living tapestry of historical events, offering an unlikely insight into periods of political upheaval and change. Two palms, planted by President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan during their visit in 1961, recall the dangers of the Cold War and the impending Cuban Missile Crisis while a sturdy Bermuda cedar planted by Sir Winston Churchill commemorates his wartime visit in 1942 to thank Bermudians for supporting the establishment of American bases on the island. Committed to a reforestation programme, Lady Vereker has overseen the planting of hundreds of cedar, palmetto, Bermuda olivewood, palms, snowberry and southern hackberry over the last five years. The gardens and their adjacent endemic and native forests are home to a large number of birds and monarch butterflies. A year after she and Sir John arrived in Bermuda, more than 900 trees and shrubs were lost in Hurricane Fabian. They included many shrubs, just about every citrus tree, the entire banana plantation and hundreds of Chinese palms, fiddlewood, spice trees, all the frangipani, most rose bushes, young cedars and all that was anywhere near a casuarina. Some 60 trees were propped up in an effort to save them. But Fabian also helped remove the invasive casuarinas lining the North Shore boundary, that up to that point had been encroaching on the endemic trees. A mango tree planted by the future George V in 1880 remained unscathed, as did over 200 trees planted by distinguished guests including a cedar planted by Churchill’s daughter Lady Soames in 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Churchill, Eisenhower and Laniel Summit: There was no shortage of guests after Fabian to contribute to the replanting effort with Prince Edward planting a Bermuda olivewood, as well as former British Cabinet Minister Lord Heseltine, who planted a calabash tree. Other trees include two Bermuda palmettos planted by Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife in the palm grove. While clearing invasive species, staff uncovered several treasures, including a hooded and smiling bronze monk’s face set into a stone wall in a charming stone quarry garden. Featuring Bermuda limestone, several of these walled gardens have since been discovered, including a “secret” citrus grove. Lady Vereker points to a palm planted by Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and says she opens the garden by appointment to Rastafarians who wish to worship at this tree. A stone bench has been placed in the spot for precisely this. Various organizations also have connections to Government House and its gardens, including the Bermuda Girl Guides who hold camps on the grounds every year and recently buried a time capsule near the slat house. The Audubon Society, who helped replant more than 80 trees to mark the 50th anniversary of the society, also help maintain the bluebird trail in the grounds. The society also hosts bluebird workshops on the grounds every year: “It has become a yearly tradition. Whole families come and make bluebird boxes. Every year we produce about 60 to 80 new boxes and the children have the opportunity to see lots of bluebirds.” In addition to bluebirds, cardinals, chicks-of-the-village, European goldfinches and warblers all visit the gardens. A night heron makes itself at home near the swimming pool. Plans are afoot to renovate the stables and use them as a venue for horticultural workshops for the Department of Parks and their staff.

Heron's Nest

Southampton Parish. Home of Mr. & Mrs. MacGillivray. Magnificent private gardens open on special occasions to groups such as the Bermuda National Trust for fund-raising dinners and special functions.

Hibiscus Garden Club

It began in 1959 when members of the St. Mary's Church Guild with a passion for flowers and gardening sought to further their interest by applying for membership in the Garden Club of Bermuda. Their applications were not accepted presumably because they were all 'coloured' women.  The Warwick ladies decided they would form their own club. The name 'Hibiscus' was chosen because of the popular flower that adds its beauty to hedges and roadside foliage especially in the spring and summer. The first meeting was at the residence of Mrs. Ruth Simons at Cedar Hill. The 11 people present were Mrs. Simons, who was elected president, Miss Julia Lightbourn and Mesdames Ruth Wainwright, Edna Conyers, Laura Bean, Mildred Smith, Faith Steed, Victor Scott, Horace Davis and Louise Wilson. Also at that meeting was Reginald Ming, Government's first Heritage officer, who according to an excerpt from the minutes of the meeting gave the ladies helpful suggestions and promised to use his office to get them affiliated with an outstanding club in England.  The Hibiscus Club is not restricted to growing hibiscus, but is interested in all types of plants and vegetation and all forms of floricultures, gardening and landscaping. Meets second Wednesday each month, 1 pm at St. Mary's Church Hall, Lorraine Drive, off Middle Road, Warwick.

Home Garden Prize

A new category under the Ministry of the Environment's Environmental Grants Scheme.

Louise Outerbridge Memorial Garden

Bermuda High School, Pembroke Parish. Opened in spring 2003. Maintained by a teacher who studied Horticulture at the University of London. Created as a Butterfly garden, with plants that create a sheltered habitat for butterflies. No pesticides are used! 

Mitchell Green Garden

Waterville, Bermuda National Trust. Established August 1999. Dedicated to the memory of Mary-Jean Mitchell Green, a keen amateur gardener who died in 1990. Her widowed husband Peter Green and family were present and funded the garden. Includes a Victorian-style gazebo.

Monte Cristo Gardens

Phone 234-4125. Square foot gardens for seniors, destroyed by Hurricane Fabian in September 2003 but being restored under the Ministry of the Environment's Environmental Grants Scheme to continue their work of using gardening to enhance the lives of seniors living here.

Organic Gardening Group

Meets second Sunday of each month at 9 am. For informal discussions on organic gardening methods. For further information call Frances Eddy at 238-0059.

Mount Pleasant

Orange Grove

Paget Community Garden

English-style, those interested can rent a 20 feet by 20 feet plot at $50 for two years, for vegetables. For further details, call Frances Eddy at (441) 238-0059.

Palm Grove Gardens

  Devonshire Parish, South Road. Managed by Gibbons Management Services Ltd, P. O. Box HM 1194, Hamilton HM EX, phone 295-0022, fax 292-1277. A lovely natural garden, a major tourist attraction, free admission. Features include a moon gate, which is considered a symbol of good fortune for newlyweds. Private but with periodic public viewing.

Somer's Garden

Duke of York Street, St. George's. Owned by the Corporation of St. George. Not much by way of a formal garden, mainly open space. But definitely worth seeing. A lovely quiet spot. While there, visit the gravesite of Admiral Sir George Somers who officially founded and colonized Bermuda.

Tulo Valley Gardens and Nursery