I ended up with a lot of photographs from my visit. Literally hundreds. Everywhere I looked there was something beautiful or interesting. It has been hard to edit these down into a manageable number for just one post so I have decided to split my visit across two posts, the second of which will cover the indoor growing spaces - the tropical Hothouses, cool Fernery, and a small greenhouse filled with cacti, succulents and carnivorous plants. For now, I will focus on the abounding wonders of the outdoor spaces of the garden...
Chelsea Physic Garden was founded in 1673 by the Society of Apothecaries, as a space for apprentices to grow and study medicinal plants in. The site already contained established orchards and market gardens, with a free draining soil and southerly aspect ideal for the many specimens that would arrive from warmer climates to be planted into the collection.
Hundreds of years of considered planting and botanical experimentation have created a unique and fascinating space, with support and contributions from a series of explorers, botanists and gardeners. A statue of Sir Hans Sloane stands at the centre of the garden. Hans bought the 'Manor of Chelsea' (land that included the garden) in 1712. He proceeded to grant a perpetual lease of the garden to the apothecaries, at a rate of £5 per year. This fee is apparently paid to his descendants to this day!
Paths radiating from Hans's statue lead to areas of specific focus, ordered with a view to education, research and conservation. Which all sounds fairly clinical, but in the height of summer feels quite the opposite, with plants blooming, arching and spilling across the neatly edged beds, a complex symphony of colour and form.
The Dicotyledon Order beds are laid out to indicate the relationship between species, with an evolutionary sequencing. A particular favourite here was a dense mass of white poppies, with a more than a little of the poached-egg about them (I may have just been hungry...)
The Garden of Medicinal Plants is lush, filled with the familiar and the unusual, in a series of interlinked courtyards. Subtle signage describes the ways in which the plants can be used. Though all the plants have been carefully chosen, some parts feel almost wild, with naturalistic planting and a casual abundance.
The Garden of Edible Plants is a small but lovely section, encompassing herbs, fruits and vegetables. As you'd expect, there is a lot of crossover here with other areas. I wonder if (and hope that) the produce here is used in the onsite cafe.
Fortune's Tank Pond is crammed with reeds and waterlilies, and alive with frogs, dragonflies and more. A planted bank to one side separates it from the formal beds, and cast some shade across the edge of the pond. A body of water makes such a difference to a garden.
The History Beds showcase the many specimens brought to the Garden by botanists through the ages, many of them introduced to England for the first time. William Hudson, Robert Fortune and Sir Joseph Banks are among the luminaries represented here. The men and women who helped to make the garden such an extraordinary place are noted and honoured throughout. One sign describes how Carl von Linne, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist, delighted in the task of naming new specimens. He dubbed the common toad 'Buffo Buffo' after a French rival - Comte de Buffon. Ha!
The Garden of Useful Plants displays numerous functional species - used for textiles, dyes, hygiene, craft, perfume, fuel... It's important to be reminded just how many elements of our lives depend on plants. The area includes a small but perfectly formed vineyard, a bed displaying plants which have religious symbolism, and even a specimen of Cannabis Sativa. There is something heavily metaphorical and actually a bit moving about the various plants sacred to different religions thriving in a bed together.
We ate lunch in the cafe, in view of a huge Magnolia tree. Its flowers were vast and perfect, with a form, solidity and snowy whiteness reminiscent of nothing so much as a starched shirt collar. Unreal.
Many beautiful trees, some extremely old, tower amongst the formal beds and cast a deep shade over the woodland areas edging the south side of the garden. These include an ancient yew, the largest outdoor olive tree in the UK, and a stunning weeping beech. The day of my visit was so hot that even with a fair few visitors in the garden, the exposed areas were practically empty of people. Instead respite was sought in the shady woodland, cool and green and alive with birds.
The woodland area feels semi wild, with naturalistic shrubs and groundcover. There is a wonderful Lacecap Hydrangea, with cucumber colouring and those perfectly 'unfinished' blooms. Anenomes bring a gentle splash of colour, Hostas try and fail to defy hungry slugs, and a slightly anomalous and inexplicably amusing cluster of globe pruned box borders the woodland to the east.
Many of the trees are hung with bee houses, and there are log piles and stumps left to encourage insects. What a wonderful place for them to live!
Chelsea Physic Garden is situated on the northern bank of the Thames at Chelsea, and can be accessed from Swan Walk, to the East. The nearest tube is Sloane Square. At the time of my visit, the entrance fee was £9.90. The Garden is run as an independent charity.
