Carreg Dhu Gardens
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Beautiful Carreg Dhu is a sub-tropical community garden which is situated near Longstone Terrace in the centre of the Island of St. Mary's, the largest of the Scilly Isles.
The name Carreg Dhu derives from the Cornish words for Black Rocks, the sheltered garden covers an area of 1.5 acres and occupies the site of an old quarry.
Carreg Dhu Garden was first started by Richard and June Lethbridge in 1986, brimming with colourful plants, from massive purple echiums to pink Madeira geraniums, it is tended entirely by volunteers and has plenty of quiet corners to explore.
An area of the garden has been set aside for the Historic Narcissus Collection contained in six hexagonal borders. The flower industry on the Isles of Scilly was started in 1870 by St Mary's farmer William Trevellick, who found that due to the frost-free climate dafodills growing around his farm where in flower a month earlier than in mainland Britain.
The industry had become firmly established in the islands by the 1880s. This was mainly due to the efforts of Thomas Algernon Dorrien-Smith (1846 - 1918) of Tresco Abbey who succeeded his uncle, Augustus Smith as Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly in 1872. Dorrien-Smith visited London, Holland, Belgium and the Channel Islands, where he obtained 190 different varieties of narcissus.
The collection was started at Carreg Ddu in 2006 to preserve the traditional varieties of narcissus grown in the Scillys now that the industry is in decline.
Entrance is free. Carreg Dhu is easily reached from either Hugh Town or Old Town