The Caribbean travellers finest resource

Email this page to:

Close

Nevis / Special Interests / Flowers & Gardens

By James Henderson

Nevis is immensely fertile and so if you are not acquainted with tropical flora you will be stunned by the greenery. It is also well worth pursuing if you do recognise the plants, because there is so often an interesting story behind them, many of which were brought from outside the island in the late 1700s. Hotel gardens are particularly good on Nevis and so it is definitely worth talking to the gardener.

For a horticultural enthusiast it is worth noting a couple of prominent gardeners in Nevis, who open their gardens for private viewings when they are on island. Ann Knudsen is listed as having the largest private collection of palms in the world, William Glover has over 750 types of cacti, agaves, aloes and euphorbias, and Roger Staiger has an excellent collection of bromeliads. Their gardens are also opened for charity from time to time.

Another excellent way to be introduced to the flora of the island is to go on one of the hikes that visit Jessup's Rainforest. The guides are very knowledgeable and will bring this fascinating aspect of the island alive in incredibly colourful detail.

The Botanical Gardens of Nevis, is well worth a visit (closed mid-August to mid-October annually). It is set in seven extremely lush acres filled with tropical and sub-tropical plants from around the world, which you approach through an alley of royal palms. There are a number of collections including palms - Bismarck Palms, golden palms, sago palms and sealing wax or lipstick palms - an orchid terrace, hundreds of extraordinarily intricate and beautiful orchids, and an area devoted to cacti, century plants and other succulents. There is also a vine arbour, where creeping plants are trained around trellises - the jade vine is spectacular. The centrepiece is the rainforest conservatory, which is overflowing with ferns and other forest plants, creeping around the rocks and waterways. Among them you will find a strange Mayan-looking sculpture that strikes an odd note of a theme park among the otherwise excellent flora.

In the gardens there is also a very attractive looking Creole house with a wraparound veranda where you will find the Oasis in the Gardens Restaurant featuring Thai cuisine and a gift shop.

Upcoming events

  • 12 Jun

    Carnivals & Festivals | Barbados

    Enjoy a guided walk through the enchanting 50-acre Flower Forest with owner David Spieler. Bagpipes and Celtic dancing at a favourite beauty spot with views to the East Coast and Scotland District. Starts at 11am. Cost US$10/Bds$20.

Browse Flowers & Gardens on other islands

Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | Barbados | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada & Carriacou | Jamaica | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad

Or read our other island guides

Anguilla | Antigua | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | Bermuda | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Cuba | Curacao | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada and Carriacou | Guadeloupe | Haiti | Jamaica | Martinique | Montserrat | Nevis | Puerto Rico | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad | Turks & Caicos Islands | US Virgin Islands

island_map View on map

Nevis’s weather

Nevis weather chart

When to go and weather

Looking for inspiration?

  1. Try a Killer Bee cocktail at Sunshine’s Beach Bar on Pinney’s Beach
  2. Visit the Horatio Nelson Museum
  3. Enjoy a game of golf at the Four Seasons Resort, designed by Robert Trent Jones II
  4. Learn how to windsurf on the protected bay at Oualie Beach
  5. Stay in one of the island’s delightful plantation inns

Nevis Events

View calendar