Lightwater Cove’s romantic west coast oceanfront botanical gardens blend annual and perennial flowers, herbs, ornamental trees and flowering shrubs to produce a lush and colourful landscape.
Botanical Gardens
Where Nature Thrives and Beauty Blossoms
Herbs
Nature's Remedy: Fresh and Fragrant
Herbs are woven throughout the landscape, valued for both their beauty and medicinal properties. Between the 150 year old barn and the upper pond, a meandering herb garden invites exploration. Many areas of the gardens serve not just as ornamental spaces but as sources of food and healing herbs. Culinary and wellness herbs such as thyme, sage, lavender and chamomile grow alongside ornamental plants like grasses, peonies, and heathers, blending function with aesthetics.
Water Gardens
Ponds and waterfalls feature lilies and a myriad of diverse, vital and serene water plants. Lightwater’s ponds display a delicate array of water plantings including a plethora of water lilies, water forget-me-nots, marsh marigolds, water iris, and carex grass. Bright koi fish live within these ponds, darting between the undersides of the water plant’s generous green shelters.
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Explore the Gardens
Romantic Flowers
Our garden is infused with charm and old world beauty with traditional romantic flowers. Climbing roses, tulips, daffodils, dahlias, peonies, foxglove, irises, and poppies decorate our land. A range of these flower varieties emerge in each season, colouring the land with their special colours and radiance.
Pollinator Flowers
The gardens are alive with vibrant blooms like cosmos, asters, heather, and calendula. These bee-friendly plants add colour and provide essential nectar and pollen, supporting our vital pollinators.
Flowering Shrubs
Flowering shrubs bring bursts of colour and fragrance to our gardens, creating a vibrant backdrop for every season. Lush hydrangeas bloom in shades of blue, pink, and white, adding a classic charm, while the delicate, citrus scent of choisya flowers fills the air with sweetness.
Climbing Vines
Climbing vines add charm and elegance to the gardens at Lightwater Cove, creating natural arches and lush green walls. Varieties like clematis, honeysuckle, and climbing hydrangeas bring vibrant blooms and sweet fragrances. Wisteria and jasmine add rich textures and timeless beauty.
Botanical Herbs
An essential aspect of all our botanical gardens is the presence of medicinal herbal plantings. These plants can all be cultivated and ingested for their valuable healing properties while simultaneously providing another layer of beauty and interest to the gardens.
Berries and Figs
Fresh and succulent berries and figs are one of our most enjoyed garden offerings! The vibrant strawberry patch is one of our most prolific plantings, offering delicious full size and miniature berries from mid summer right through to the end of October. Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries are all ripe for picking at the right time! Figs and elder berries are famous for their high antioxidant and immune-boosting properties.
Stone Masonry
All of our stone masonry has been masterfully crafted by local island artisans. Much of the work done is “drywall” style, with no mortar used. This method requires a tremendous amount of expertise on the part of the artisan. The stones must fit together exactly, in a masterful balancing act to make the wall aesthetically pleasing as well as strong and sturdy enough to hold up for many generations to come.
Rose Arbor
One of the garden’s most romantic offerings is the iconic rose arbor. Located within the stone walls of Lightwater Farm, this garden displays an impressive array of roses, on display from June right through to late September. Pink, peach, red and yellow roses wrap around curved wooden arches. Walk through the brightly coloured corridor and feel for yourself, the beautiful rose touch!
Ponds Streams and Waterfalls
Our botanical gardens are gifted with an abundance of water features. Our natural-rain filled ponds are linked together by a network of spectacular streams and waterfalls. Running between the flowering gardens, moving water ties the different areas of the gardens together, while providing a soothing and aesthetically pleasing palette for eyes and ears alike.
Heritage Orchards
Our oceanfront heirloom orchards are home to a wide variety of apple, pear and plum trees. Many of these fruit trees were planted by the first inhabitants of this property in the late 19th and early 20 centuries. Some of the heirloom apple varieties found in our orchards are: King, MacIntosh and Pippins.
Organic Sustainability
Water Conservation and Circulation
Water conservation is at the heart of sustaining the lush beauty of Lightwater Cove’s botanical gardens. Our gardens, farm, and signature streams and waterfalls rely on a carefully planned irrigation system to thrive. Elm Grove Pond, a large earth pond reservoir, captures rainwater throughout the winter months. The pond water is then fed into an underground piping system, connecting to our irrigation network and smaller ornamental ponds, as well as our streams and waterfalls. The water within our streams and waterfalls is then recycled in a continuous loop, ensuring nothing is wasted.
Natural Gardening
It is a given that we use all natural fertilizers, sourced from our own recycled plant material, seaweed, and manure and plant matter from other local farms. Plants with natural insecticide qualities including calendula, rosemary, lavender and sunflowers. Garden beds are fed by compost plant matter from our farm and kitchen. Plantings are also nourished by manure and other organic mulch from local farms.
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Map
Download our Garden Map to explore the beautiful grounds with ease.
