Friends of Andromeda Botanic Gardens
Perched on a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean, which you can briefly glimpse between mature frangipanis, palms and the wealth of trees from around the world that make up this delightful garden, Andromeda occupies 8½ acres about 300 yards from Tent bay at Bathsheba and sits on the boundary of the parishes of St. John and St. Joseph.
Andromeda Gardens was established by Iris Bannochie and her first husband, Dr Harry Bayley, around her holiday home in St Joseph in the 1950s. She bequeathed Andromeda Gardens to the Barbados National Trust in 1988.
Our charity has been created to promote, or assist in promoting, the conservation, maintenance and development of Andromeda Botanic Gardens, Barbados.
We aim to continue to preserve, encourage, support and enhance the scientific value of the living plant collections in the gardens, the habitat they offer for indigenous wildlife and their environmental importance in the area.
We need your help!
The gardens are still owned by the Barbados National Trust but since 2014 have been leased to and managed by Passiflora, which is run by Sharon Cooke. Sharon completed her post graduate diploma in garden design from the University of Wales while studying at the prestigious Inchbald School of Design in London. There is only one other gardener and a couple of occasional volunteers to look after the whole site, run reception, welcome visitors and manage everything! 2021 was a very trying year as, not only were there few visitors with the global pandemic, there was also the fallout of volcanic ash from St Vincent in April followed by a sudden tropical storm in June and Hurricane Elsa in July which caused further tree damage.
To keep the gardens in good condition needs lots of love, time, and – this is where you can help – money. Donations mean that we can keep the Garden in tip-top condition.
Garden partners
Andromeda became an RHS Partner Garden in 2016 – a status earned by gardens that have a high standard of planting and design. Andromeda Botanic gardens is the ONLY RHS Partner Garden in the West Indies. We are also twinned with the wonderful Lovell Quinta Arboretum (LQA).
