Tresco Abbey Gardens, Scilly Isles, UK | A superb Sub-Tropical G
{"Image ImageDescription": "<b>Tresco Abbey Gardens, Scilly Isles, UK </b>\n\nLooking at the plants in this garden it is difficult to believe that Tresco Abbey Gardens is situated in the British Isles. Containing sub-tropical plants from Australia, South Africa and South America - including Echiums, Agaves, Aloes, Proteas, Aeoniums, Strelitzias and palm trees, this garden looks as though it should be situated in the Mediterranean! However, it is located in England, on the small island of Tresco in the Scilly Isles (approximately 28 miles from the south west tip of Cornwall in the United Kingdom).\n\nThe photographs in this set where taken in late August when a lot of the color had already left the gardens. However, the varied planting provides a superb example of the value of a clear garden structure filled with diverse and contrasting foliage - creating a wonderful green tapestry of architectural plants throughout the year.\n\n<b>Details:</b>\n\nWith a stunning background of white sandy beaches and vivid turquoise sea, Tresco Abbey Gardens is an outstanding historic garden set amid the romantic ruins of a 16th century priory. The gardens were started by Augustus Smith, who moved to the island in 1834. The garden has subsequently been developed by four succeeding generations of the family from Augustus Smith. \n\nThe gardens have many delightful features, often seen at their best in the warmth of the afternoon sun, ranging from the Abbey arch, the Neptune steps, the shell house and a number of tastefully placed sculptures (including one to the earth goddess Gaia), all bordered by fantastic foliage of varying shapes, textures, sizes and hues.\n\nSurrounded by sea and in the warmth of the Gulf Stream the climate is exceptionally mild and totally frost free in most years. With south facing terraces, these gardens have often been referred to as 'Kew gardens without the roof', because in mainland UK, you would only find these plants in a botanical garden glass house.\n\n<b>Location: </b> Tresco Abbey Gardens, Tresco, Scilly Isles, TR24 0QQ, England: UK Map references: OSGB36 Grid ref: SV8931214323, SV893143, Map Tile Ref: SV81SE88\n\n<b>Links:</b>  More details about the gardens are available from  the <a href=\" http://www.tresco.co.uk/what-to-do/abbey-garden/default.aspx\"> Tresco Abbey Gardens </a> website.", "Image Make": "Nikon", "Image Model": "Nikon COOLSCAN V ED", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2011:04:09 22:04:05", "Image Artist": "ukgardenphotos.com", "Image Copyright": "(C)  2011 ukgardenphotos", "Image ExifOffset": "2584", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "240", "Thumbnail YResolution": "240", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "2708", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "23916", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Unknown", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220"}