The Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens near the village of Abbotsbury, Dorset, southern England, are gardens that are open to visitors.[1] They were originally founded in 1765 by the Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for the nearby castle. Since then, the gardens have developed into a 20-acre (81,000 m²) site with exotic plants, many of which were newly-discovered species when they were first introduced. There are formal and informal gardens, with woodland walks and walled gardens.
The gardens are in a wooded and sheltered valley, leading down towards the Chesil Beach. This provides a microclimate in which more delicate plants than is normal for southern England can flourish. However, in 1990, violent storms damaged many of the rare specimens, which have since been replaced by younger plants.
In 2010 Abbotsbury employed the chainsaw artist Matthew Crabb to carve a 200 year old oak tree which had fallen after a particularly bad winter.[2] Crabb created two beautiful wildlife scenes which have become visitor attractions in their own right.