Beneath the Canopy

The garden takes a whimsical journey through a slice of the Amazon Rainforest. Learn how these plants thrive in the wild and meet the wondrous creatures with which they share this richly diverse but highly threatened part of our planet and their integral links to each other and our ecosystem.

Oversized, abstract wildlife illustrations of rainforest creatures feature through the garden representing the essential roles their real-life counterparts play in maintaining ecological balance. Through understanding the origin of the plants visitors can see how to provide the right care for a range of tropical houseplants and why, even in the wild, plants are never ‘picture perfect’.

The garden uses a wide range of plant families, genera and species which originate in (or are closely related to plants from) the rainforest, or have been introduced there, including:

• Bromeliaceae Family: these weird-looking, mainly epiphytic plants take centre stage in the canopy, especially the genera Bromeliad and Tillandsia.
• Marantaceae Family: striking tropical plants such as calatheas, and marantas, whose patterned leaves add something special to the design.
• Araceae Family: tropical aroids such as spathiphyllums, anthuriums, monsteras and philodendrons. As some of the most popular houseplants they feature heavily in the design.
• Polypodiaceae Family: lush ferns such as Asplenium, Blechnum, Aglaomorpha and Aspidium grow in many homes, so they will have a key role in the jungle.
• Orchidaceae Family: flowering orchids such as Miltoniopsis, Brassia, Cattleya and Oncidium add colourful blooms to the whimsical rainforest.