This week I was lucky enough to visit the Chelsea Physic Garden for the first time in a number of years. I’d forgotten how much of an oasis this stunning garden is and I thought I’d share a few of my photos with you.
The garden was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries and was used to teach plant identification to trainees. The site has links to Sir Hans Sloane, of Sloane Square fame, as well as Sir Joseph Banks and Robert Fortune. There is an excellent history of the garden on the Chelsea Physic Garden site. The garden still focuses on ethnobotany and includes collections such as The Garden of World Medicine and The Pharmaceutical Garden
This little cabin on wheels marks the work of Swedish creator of taxonomy, and one of my heroes, Carl Linnaeus.
The location close to the River Thames gives the garden a unique micro-climate which allows species not usually hardy in the UK to survive.
The garden is beautifully maintained but manages to retain a relaxed, informal atmosphere with plenty of quiet corners to just sit and watch the world go by.
