Nassau Botanical Gardens

February 10, 2012 · Filed under Travel · Tagged Ceiba pendantra, Delonix regia, Flamboyant tree, Nassau Botanical Gardens, Royal Poinciana, Silk Cotton Tree

On our second day in Nassau, Ian had to work, so I decided to visit the Nassau Botanical Gardens. My map showed it not far from the hotel, so I decided to walk there. Look at this wonderful sculpture

 outside of a company.

And the sidewalk at the street was decorative as well.

When I arrived,

 the main gate was closed,

Main Gates from inside the Botanical Gardens

but a gentleman sweeping the street told me there was a back entrance and showed me the way.  Unfortunately the gardens are closed to the public, and from my understanding had been that way since the hurricane, although I (stupidly) did not ask how long that has been. I tried to find out through Google, but read conflicting reports, could it really have been a few years ago. However the staff were super friendly and one of them decided to show me around.

He was very knowledgeable about trees and hearing I was living in Barbados, decided to test me. I don’t mind admitting I failed miserably, and sometimes the common name caused confusion. For example, in Barbados the Royal Poinciana  is the Flamboyant tree, another case for Latin names being used.

This is the Silk Cotton tree or Ceiba pendantra, it is the largest tree in the gardens. They can grow up to 150 feet and have white flowers that are fragrant at night. But it is the seed pods that are responsible for their common name, they have a fluffy, white, cottony filling that can be used as ‘stuffing’.

But, the hurricane cleanup is still on going, and a lot of the smaller plant material will need to be replanted. So I just enjoyed hearing the stories about the trees (no photos were taken, sorry) and concentrated on the hard landscaping.

This is a staircase to Fort Charlotte. The Garden site was actually used as a quarry when the fort was constructed in the 1780′s .

There are a large number of gates throughout the gardens.

Look at this amazing arch.

No, not at me,

Now look up, see all the conch shells.

Another lovely set of stairs, I think I need some of these at Kilbourne Grove.

A great bench to sit on and rest for a while. I think this could be a DIY.  Another use for those cement balls I want to make.

This obelisk, donated by Delta Airlines, marks the birth of their nation for The Bahamas.

A rock wall, with self sown ferns growing out of it, beside a fresh water pool.

I hope to return to the Bahamas again, hopefully by then, they will have been able to reopen this wonderful space.