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Torre Abbey’s Palm House

Torre Abbey’s heated Palm House is a wonderful place to visit especially in the spring (or when lockdown permits). You’ll nd a jungle of palms, lots of exotic owering plants, scary carnivorous plants plus edibles like ginger, tea, co ee, chilli and banana. Anita Newcombe pops by.

Built in 1969 e Palm House replaced a slightly smaller, wooden structure constructed by the Cary family who lived at Torre Abbey for hundreds of years. In 2008, Ali Marshall joined as Head Gardener and found it rather run down, lacking in plants and under threat of closure. Having secured a reprieve she then set about hunting for new plants for a complete restock.

You can’t just pop round to the garden centre for these rare plants as they are extraordinarily di cult to source. New palms were donated by Kew Gardens in London and Ali headed there by train with a couple of carrier bags to collect the ‘seedlings’ she was promised. However, these ‘seedlings’ turned out to be 6ft high plants! Ali tells me that she ended up hiring two taxis to get her back to the station and annoyed other train passengers by loading them all into the train’s bicycle compartment.

Amazingly generous local gardeners gave other plants including a rare Pelargonium dropped o by a local man. Many years before, he had been given an original cutting from the Palm House and now returned the favour from the same plant. A jacaranda was donated from the nursery at Greenway House and many more plants were kindly gifted allowing Ali to recreate and

develop this rare collection.

All these plants need warmth and lots of humidity so in addition to the heating they must be watered regularly, twice a day in the summer. One of Ali’s joys is watering here on Christmas Day, sometimes with a glass of bubbly in hand. She tells me that she’s even enjoyed a packed lunch in the warm here when it’s been snowing outside.

Whilst automated ventilation and energy e ciency measures have saved lots of money, the next project is to

work towards becoming carbon neutral with solar power plus anaerobic digestion using heat from compost.

Visitors nd the Palm House hugely therapeutic and some school visits have included those with special needs. One child with locked-in syndrome had his rst real response to external stimuli with Mimosa leaves that close when stroked. Ali explains, “He loved them and later became a volunteer which helped him further; he even acknowledged me – it’s one of the things I’m most proud of.”

ere will be lots in ower in spring but the Palm House doesn’t really have seasons. ere are seven species of banana you won’t see anywhere else and if you love house plants you’ll be amazed by the giant cheese plant you can see here. And don’t miss the fabulous giant Bird of Paradise plant.

What I love about Torre Abbey’s Palm House is its warmth, humidity, colour and tranquillity – it’s de nitely a therapeutic place to visit. And it o ers fabulous opportunity for the amateur photographer and the sketcher. I particularly liked the Elephant’s Foot plant, the Scotch Bonnet chillies, the orchids and the bougainvillia. Some of the plants have wonderful and unusual scents like nutmeg, rose and even chocolate. Ali

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tells me that her favourite plant is the elegant Fishtail Palm with its large raggedy leaves that are aparently known as ‘the hand of the gods’ in Indonesia. e gardens also include the amazing Arid House with its collection of cacti and succulents – de nitely worth a visit. Also created by Ali Marshall is the Agatha Christie Potent Plants Garden designed to celebrate Torquay as the birthplace of the world famous crime writer. Over half of Agatha Christie’s doomed characters were poisoned and the range of sinister plants on show include the sources for cyanide, morphine and ricin – don’t worry though because they have to be processed before they become dangerous. e gardens have been part of the Bay’s Agatha

Head Gardener Ali Marshall surveys the Agatha Christie Potent Plants collection

e gardens have a band of regular volunteers, who also propagate and o er plants for sale. Get in touch if you’d like to volunteer or make a donation.

Christie Festival over many years and Hercule Poirot often drops in! e gardens have a band of regular volunteers, who also propagate and o er plants for sale. Get in touch if you’d like to volunteer or make a donation.

Within the gardens are also the ruins of the original abbey that were destroyed under Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. Established in 1196 Torre Abbey is is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a museum of history with wonderful art collections and period curios.

Please check opening details on website before travelling.   torre-abbey.org.uk