Safari Garden Video Tour - Part 3
The extraordinary cascading terraced gardens at Exeter's Capability Brown gardens are a safari garden wonder
The above video takes you on a short tour of the terraced gardens at Exeter’s rewilded Capability Brown gardens, one of the LettsSafari Network of Parks. The cascading gardens feature flower beds layered with shrubs, small trees, pollinating plants, climbing plants, potted plants and rock plants, surrounded by streams and trees including magnolia, eucalyptus and maple. All lead up to the famed Robert Adam Orangery, one of the England’s finest historic coastal houses.
We hope you enjoy the video tour (top of page), the third in a series on the amazing 15 acre Capability Brown gardens on the outskirts of Exeter - one of the first safari gardens and a unique historic garden rewilding project.
The terraced gardens are one of the most celebrated safari gardens, a place where wildlife gardening is exclusively practised and rewilding principles are painstakingly implemented with stunning, curated effect - attracting some of the rarest birds, insects and small mammals. They are laid out to optimise biodiversity - to store carbon, naturally regenerate plant and tree life and provide a home for the most surprising collection of wildlife.
The gardens, also classified as cascade gardens, feature a small, constantly flowing stream with layers of trees, shrubs and giant plants. Wild grasses and wildflower surround beds that are packed with a constant, year round rotation of flowering plants and shrubs. The year’s rotation kicks off with Himalayan iris and ends with flowering ivy balls. As a result there is an abundance of insects and birds - 365 days a year
The diversity of plant life is extraordinary - with environmental art adding to the narrative.
All of the plants are left to seed naturally and only cut back in the early spring so that the new growth can come through unfettered. Seeds create the natural rhythm of future life and support new safari garden initiatives.
Pollinating plants and flowers feed insects while shrubs, ground cover and trees provide cover for wildlife.
Even the beds are layered. And an extraordinary diversity of plants grow through the cracks in the terrace paving stones - including giant verbascums, lilies, daisies, sunflowers, euphorbia, strawberry and numerous other varieties.
Rewilded pots are a feature throughout the terraces - also designed for zero watering with wild grasses, palm trees and lavendar.
Visitors come from across the UK to take in the extraordinary terraced gardens and to learn about the power of smaller-scale rewilding and natural solutions to the climate crisis.
The views off the terraces are a marvel to be seen. Some of the best we have seen.
You can visit Exeter’s rewilded Capability Brown gardens in-person via the Devon Sculpture Park. Book well in advance as visitor numbers and dates are limited.
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