UbcNews

Close your eyes and imagine a beautiful landscape filled with over 600 tropical plant species across 20 connected gardens. Relaxing right? You can make this dream a reality when you visit Barbados’s largest and oldest botanic garden. Filled with historical wonders, Andromeda really is something special. And what’s more… it has now become a registered training provider bringing communities of plant enthusiasts together.

In collaboration with the Biocultural Education and Research Programme, the ABC will prioritise developing and promoting the recently completed Ethnobotanical Garden, among other community-focused projects like art classes and lecture series. You can attend these events at the Andromeda Botanic Gardens in the parish of Saint Joseph, Barbados.

The committee's mission is to promote the biocultural and scientific value of the Andromeda Botanic Gardens - the oldest and largest garden in Barbados and an important biodiversity hotspot on the island. Founded by renowned gardener Iris Bannochie in 1954, the gardens are a popular tourist destination and community hub for art classes, workshops, and weddings.

Following years of underfunding and revenue loss from the collapse of the tourism market during the COVID-19 pandemic, Andromeda Botanic Gardens successfully opened its long-awaited Ethnobotanical Garden in December 2022. The two-acre garden features a vast selection of native plants and an outdoor classroom to host community groups, yoga, and workshops. It also receives support from Bajan youth volunteers thanks to the Give Back Barbados Programme.

In conceptual development since 2012, the Ethnobotanical Garden aims to be a community space in the truest sense. According to a spokesperson for the project, "We didn't want to create a living laboratory just for academics, or a museum where you can look but do not touch. We wanted to create a resource where ordinary people can take the plants and use them."

To protect plant resources and elevate their cultural and scientific value, the ABC has planned a series of ethnobotany workshops promoting ecological diversity and conservation. The Committee's inaugural workshop in September 2023 featured visiting scholar Dr. Christina Welch, who presented her work on botanical records and the decolonisation of knowledge systems in the Caribbean. To find out more information about upcoming ABC-hosted workshops, you can visit http://www.andromedabarbados.com/events

In addition to its community-focused workshops and events, the Andromeda Botanic Gardens offers guided tours of its 8-acre property to international visitors - a critical source of funding that helps support local programming and free admission for citizens of Barbados. Visitors can download a complimentary phone app to identify and learn about the garden's extensive plant collection.

Whether you're a bonafide plant enthusiast or just someone who enjoys a peaceful walk through nature, Andromeda Botanic Gardens will not disappoint! Andromeda is a living classroom of nature, waiting to be discovered. Explore everything this garden has to offer by clicking on the link in the description. Andromeda Botanic Gardens City: Bathsheba Address: Andromeda Botanic Gardens Bathsheba Website http://www.andromedabarbados.com/ Phone +1-246-248-0190 Email sharon@andromedabarbados.com