A renowned botanic garden has drawn criticism from its former curator, who claims that it has deteriorated to the point that it is “going to hell.”
The Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight was established in 1970 and is known as “Britain’s Hottest Garden” because of its “exceptional” environment.
But according to former curator Simon Goodenough, he was “outraged” to see the place he cared for for 25 years “overrun with weeds” and “totally run down.”
Beginning his work on the garden in 1985, Mr. Goodenough said it was “upsetting” to see all of his labors “go to hell.”
American businessman John Curtis, the current owner, has retaliated, saying the former curator is criticizing his own work and that some of the planting selections he made when he was there are at least somewhat “responsible” for the garden’s present condition.
The Isle of Wight Council held the property until 2012, at which point Mr. Curtis leased it for 125 years.
Mr. Curtis disputed Mr. Goodenough’s allegations and defended his advancement since the acquisition.
He said that the garden was “transitioning” away from the techniques used by conventional horticulturists and toward the creation of “synthetic ecosystems,” which need years to develop.
The argument began when Mr. Goodenough, who left his position in 2011, recently paid a second visit to the botanic garden, which claims to be “unrivalled for its collections of subtropical species growing unprotected outdoors.”
But the previous curator was appalled by its state.
Now, renowned landscaper Mr. Goodenough has issued a long open letter criticizing its “mismanagement” by American businessman John Curtis, the company’s present owner.
Mr. Goodenough wrote in a local newspaper last week, “I’ve been observing for 11 years as things become worse and worse but feel that I can no longer keep mute on the future of the garden.”
Since then, Mr. Curtis has retaliated, alleging that the former curator is really criticizing his own work and that certain planting choices he made while working there are partially to blame for the garden’s present condition.
The argument began when Mr. Goodenough, who left his position in 2011, recently paid a second visit to the botanic garden, which claims to be “unrivalled for its collections of subtropical species growing unprotected outdoors.”
‘The property is filled with weed species and what was once a rich and diversified horticultural and botanical collection is now worn down,’ he added. ‘There is plainly little or no upkeep going on.
The plant collections accumulated in the 1980s and 1990s are all but gone, and the so-called Mediterranean Garden has turned into a sea of weed species.
Although there are still many incredible, enormous, and uncommon species to be viewed, many of them are displaying signs of neglect.
The garden no longer merits the moniker “Botanic.” It would take enormous efforts to save the garden from what seems to be an unstoppable fall into destruction,’ he added.
On the local news website On The Wight, Mr. Goodenough said, “I have tended to dismiss terrible Trip Advisor ratings but having seen the ‘garden’ with my own eyes to say I was startled is an understatement.”
The well-liked attraction, which also has a restaurant, café, store, and wellness centre in addition to its horticultural offerings, has lately faced a deluge of unfavourable internet reviews.
The tourist destination, which has an average rating of three and a half stars on Tripadvisor, has received recent criticism for being “a waste of money,” “clearly worn down,” and “in need of professional treatment.”
One visitor, who claimed to have visited the gardens 14 years before and referred to them as a “highlight” of his family’s vacation to the Isle of Wight, said he was “mortified” to find them in such a condition of “neglect.”
“A formerly flourishing, colorful, and clearly well-maintained garden is now a chaotic wreck. There were dead and dying plants everywhere, worn-out, overgrown beds and borders, no labels at all, terrible facilities, and particularly bad restrooms.
“The structures had little to no evidence of upkeep or care.” We saw plenty of signs of neglect and absolutely no gardeners,” he stated.
According to Mr. Curtis, gardening will embrace this strategy in the face of growing rates of plant extinction and climate change. The Ventnor Method is the name of this strategy.
It is not a charming English border with plenty of flowers planted in groups of three or five.
The previous curator, who is now in charge of a private estate in Berkshire, scorned this strategy.
The 67-year-old man stated: “The much-touted “Ventnor Method” is a smokescreen for a complete lack of care and upkeep and is utterly at odds with the naturalistic plants that I had the pleasure of curating.
The garden no longer merits the moniker “Botanic.” It will take enormous effort to save the garden from what seems to be an unstoppable slide into ruin.
However, the current owner, Mr. Curtis, attributed some of the issues to Mr. Goodenough’s planting.
What Simon sowed back in the 1980s has now fully grown. According to him, the eucalyptus trees are progressively suffocating the shrub and perennial layers at the east end of the garden.
The success of Mr. Goodenough’s trees, Mr. Curtis acknowledged, meant “many of the understory plants are perishing owing to the established canopy above and the phytotoxic leaf litter below,” but he added that he must “fight weeds like any other gardener.”
Mr. Goodenough, who has worked for both Kew Gardens and The National Botanic Garden of Wales, defended his decision to plant the trees and said that he “would have handled” them if he had still been the curator.
According to rumors that only unskilled horticulturists are still employed there, The Botanic Garden, which costs £10.50 for adult admission, has lost its ‘high profile’ head gardener Michelle Cain.
The business “could not establish the money or resources necessary for her to prosper,” according to owner Mr. Curtis.
In the next weeks, he remarked, “We will be adding additional junior gardeners to push the presentation of the plant collection.”
‘The garden was losing £20,000 per month when we began to save it in 2012, and there were 14 council employees working there who weren’t used to working in the private sector.
“(People) don’t always understand the amount of work and creativity needed to develop a successful organization from that beginning point,” the author says.
And we did that while investing £750,000 on the garden’s structures.
We have refurbished or repaired 16 structures thus far. The Magnolia Walk, Olive Grove, Japanese Garden, and Fountain Area have all undergone development.
Since visitors have online complained the lack of training among gardeners and café employees, former curator Mr. Goodenough said that the “frequent turnover of personnel is a serious cause for worry.”
The former curator lamented, “There are so many squandered chances in Ventnor, and there are so many excellent examples of gardens managed as charities all around Britain.”
Not one of them is Ventnor Botanic Garden.
The garden has other detractors besides Mr. Goodenough.
Valerie Pitts, chair of the Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends’ Society (VBGFS), recently sent an email to the organization’s 300+ members informing them that the VBGFS would stop funding plants for the Living Collection in protest until it was certain the plants could be planted and cared for properly.
While Ventnor Garden was “not the tidiest of gardens,” according to climate scientist Sophie Hebden, it did demonstrate sustainable planting methods and was doing well during the current drought.
She told MailOnline, “I did see some bryhers and stuff towards the back, it wasn’t that tidy.”
Even while the garden is already mostly green in comparison to many others in the UK, she said, it could provide greater value for the money with additional instructional materials and “enhanced signage” outlining the garden’s practices.