News OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Simon Goodenough, the former curator of Ventnor Botanic Garden (1985-2011).
News OnTheWight contacted John Curtis, the current leaseholder for the Botanic Garden, for his response to Simon Goodenough’s letter, but he chose to not provide a full reply. Ed
I have remained silent about the direction of travel of Ventnor Botanic Garden since I left, and the Isle of Wight Council disposed of it.
However, after a visit recently I feel that I can no-longer remain so. I have tended to ignore bad Trip Advisor comments but having seen the “garden” with my own eyes to say I was shocked is an understatement.
The place is overrun with weed species
There is obviously little or no maintenance going on the place is overrun with weed species and what was a rich and diverse horticultural and botanical collection is completely run down.
Although there are many amazing, large and rare specimens to be seen still, many of these are showing a lack of care and maintenance.
Collections of plants amassed in 80s and 90s all but gone
The so-called Mediterranean Garden is now a sea of weed species and the collections of plants of the Mediterranean that were amassed in the 1980s and 1990s all but gone.
The much vaunted “Ventnor Method” is a smoke screen for a total lack of care and maintenance and is completely at odds with the naturalistic plantings that I had the pleasure to Curator.
Scant evidence of carefully maintained record system
A Botanic Garden needs to earn its stripes and as such the collections need to be Curated and documented, well labelled and there needs to be a carefully maintained record system. There was scant evidence of any of this happening.
The garden does not now deserve the title Botanic. Huge strides will have to be made to rescue the garden from what appears to be an inexorable slide to ruin.
Staff hived off to do private gardening jobs
Horticulturally speaking what is left of the ornamental plantings and mixed borders are diabolic and have obviously not been gardened and maintained properly for years.
During my visit I saw no gardeners or volunteers and I believe that this is the norm as much of the time what staff there are, are hived off to do private gardening jobs away from Ventnor.
Volunteers decimated by a “hostile management regime”
Also, a once thriving volunteer force and Friends Society has been decimated by a hostile management regime at the Garden.
I had great pride in the Botanic Garden that was for the community and involved the community this is obviously not the case now.
Lost sight of what a Community Interest Company stands for
There is still so much good will for Ventnor Botanic Garden, but the current Community Interest Company seems to have lost sight of this and what a Community Interest Company stands for.
The rapid turnover of staff is also a big cause for concern, the recent sacking of the new in post head gardener being a case in point, there is a litany of such dismissal, this can only point to mismanagement.
Time for new management?
There are so many missed opportunities at Ventnor and there are so many good examples of gardens run as charities all over Britain.
Ventnor Botanic Garden is not one of them. Time for a rethink, time for new management?
Image: © Google Maps/Streetview
