In 2007 we opened a new Tropical House, sited within the Double Walled Garden.

Inside you’ll find some of the most beautiful plants in the world.

They share two things in common.

  • they all come from the world’s tropical regions
  • like other plants in this quadrant of the Double Walled Garden, most are monocots (plants that emerge from the ground with one seed leaf)

These plants have evolved some mind-boggling features to help them thrive in steaming hot climates and the darkness of the jungle.

Many belong to five of the most important tropical plant families – the orchids, gingers, aroids, palms and bromeliads.

Who designed this Tropical House?

It was world-renowned Welsh architect John Belle, celebrated for his restoration of some of the most famous landmarks in the USA including New York’s Grand Central Station Terminal & the National Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island.

Orchid Festival Weekend. This event usually takes place around the middle of September every year and offers orchid fans a rare chance to see – and buy! – the best of blooms from Europe’s top nurseries. It also features a series of demonstrations and talks – for beginners and experts alike –  including ‘Basic Care of Orchids as Houseplants’, ‘Cultivating Unusual Species’ and ‘Orchids in Wales’.

Autumn Colour with a Difference

In autumn, the Tropical House is a great time to come and see our red flowered bromeliads in bloom.