The Tregothnan Estate, Honiton UK
The botanical gardens located on the grounds of the Tregothnan Estate in Honiton, have been the center of the estate, the heartbeat if you will since 1335. This estate has been the home to the same family since that time, and for anyone visiting the region and staying in one of the Honiton hotels, this is a site that must be experienced first hand. The estate has remained dedicated over the last six hundred plus years to the cultivation and the care of the gardens. And the focus on doing things right, doing things well has been a family tradition for hundreds of years.
As with many who design and care for botanical gardens throughout the world, the Tregothnan is focused and passionate about the collection of a wide variety of species and the growing and tending of those species. Many of the specimens are rare and reflect the passion and the experiences through the products that are produced on site, such as the vast array of tea plants as well as the production of Manuka Honey. The production of such food products is just one of the aspects of agriculture and botany in which the estate takes part and interest.
The florist section was the first in the United Kingdom to have gained the certification for organic farming known as the Soil Association. When the general public became aware of the status, and more interested in the benefits of organic farming, the Estate became inundated with calls, people ordering edible flowers and bouquets. The Estate had been practicing in such a sustainable manner for many years, and so they were ready to apply their principles to the techniques and the demands of the modern world. They now have a wide range of products and plants that are certifiably organic, making this the largest nursery of its kind, throughout the entire world.