Managing botanical gardens is not just about putting plants into the ground, as Simon Goodenough and his team have shown. Managing to overcome many constraints imposed by Council policies, Ventnor Botanical Gardens are a shining example of what can be achieved with enough determination and commitment to the environment.

As visitor's ooh, ahh and wonder at the floral displays, there is ongoing effort behind the scenes working towards sustainability. Re-using reclaimed materials for hard landscaping, creating drought tolerant planting schemes, composting organic waste on site (such as cardboard) and increasing public awareness of water efficiency are just some of the practices. Combining the site map with the marketing leaflet has reduced quantities of printed materials.

In recent years, water management has had increasing importance within the site management plans. Water meters throughout the site are regularly monitored, drought tolerant plants are pointed out in the plant sales area and staff offer water efficiency advice when making a purchase. The car park area is to have a planting scheme reflecting landscapes found in hot countries.

Drought tolerant plants have been grown and used for hanging basket displays available to local businesses through Ventnor Chamber of Commerce. Working with Southern Water, the gardens are looking to install rainwater-harvesting systems throughout the site. It is also hoped that the current temperate house is to be re-built to include sustainable features, such as carbon neutral energy use (Heat pumps, PV and wind turbine) and rainwater harvesting.

•  Visitors offered water efficiency advice and chance to purchase drought tolerant plants
•  Gardening carried out 'peat free'
•  Ongoing work with Southern Water to increase water efficiency and water harvesting systems
•  Working with local businesses to produce drought tolerant floral displays in Ventnor
•  Reduced printed material by combining marketing leaflet with site map
•  Creative use of a variety of re-claimed materials around site for hard landscaping

Quote form auditor:
"Ventnor Botanic Gardens shows what can be done on a large scale through forethought and careful planning. The current drought situation on the Island has been taken on board with appropriate planting schemes and visitor information."

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