Shuttleworth Botanic Garden

A visionary botanic garden showcasing temperate biomes around the world

The notion of a traditional botanic garden may no longer be relevant, though the idea of a contemporary botanic experience remains as potent as ever. Fundamentally gardens shape nature according to the ideas and possibilities of their age. On the Isle of Man GROSS. MAX. worked on the concept master plan for a contemporary botanic garden of international significance. The concept evolved in close collaboration with Mark Shuttleworth (owner / entrepreneur / philanthropist), Andrew Ingels (head gardener) and Dave Mitchell (horticulturist).  Mark Shuttlewoth – a visionary client and hands on collaborator- gained fame as the second self-funded space tourist in 2002 aboard the Russian Soyuz TM-34 mission. In 2004 he formed Canonical Ltd, for the promotion and commercial support of free software projects, including the Ubuntu operating system. The design ethos of the Shuttleworth Botanic Garden is inspired by the importance and intricacies of nature highlighting the importance of biodiversity and the effects of climate change on plants, plant populations, adaptation and resilience. The land is comprised of a shallow valley, exposed areas at around 95 m above sea level and various microclimates in between with a prevailing south westerly wind. The site extends to around 200 acres and includes a mixture of semi improved and improved grassland with hedgerows and few mature trees. Since the project start in 2010 the ongoing program of tree planting has already seen around 150,000 trees planted to form shelter belts, provide wildlife habitats and reshape boundaries to slowly transform the old pastures and create microclimates. Hedgerows and field margins have been increased to provide a potentially rich habitat for wildlife that can affect the ecosystems of wider areas. Rather than a traditional Botanic Garden the project is envisioned as a series of Botanical Landscapes. They include thematic gardens in respect to Pollination, Adaptation and Survival, Evolution and Islands. Plant populations and landscapes of specific geographical locations have been carefully selected to represent various environments where a diverse range of flora can flourish. These areas are designed to be manageable, aesthetically pleasing and significant for education, conservation and research. The primary focus is on temperate biomes from around the world, flora from islands both physical and metaphorical, highlighting the importance of biodiversity and the effects of climate change on plants, plant populations, adaptation and resilience. The project endeavours to collaborate with global partners and provide education and research opportunities encouraging dynamic thinking and the conservation of biological diversity. The scale and ambition to transform an agricultural landscape into a designed landscape, expressing contemporary notions of biodiversity, habitat creation and sustainable development is heroic. The strength of the Shuttleworth Botanic Garden is that it can reconcile opposites: global and local, east and west, nature and culture, microcosm and macrocosm. Each designed area is created by a collaboration of designers, botanists, the estate team and other specialists including Shunmyo Masuno (Japanese Garden), Harry Holdings Studio (Cornus Landscape), Jo Barker of the Permaculture Association (Orchard Garden), O2 Landscapes (New Zeeland Garden) and University of Concepción Landscape Ecology Lab (ChileanForest). In 2024 the garden obtained BGCI membership.

www.theshuttleworthbotanicgarden.com