Andes Garden

At the beginning of 2003 we set out to create a new garden feature which would show the terrain and the range of plants from the mountains of the Southern Andes. In short we wanted to create a mountainside in miniature. The site chosen for The Andes garden was a previously uninspiring area of tarmac situated between Condor Cliffs, the Coatis and the Maned Wolves.

The garden is built on a slope rising up to approx. 2.5m at the rear. In order to achieve this we had to build a retaining wall against which the rocks and soil could be arranged. To give the impression of a mountainside, over 200 tonnes of locally quarried limestone were used. Two streams run through this rocky landscape before plunging under a wooden bridge into a pool. All of the plants used are those native to Chile and Argentina. We have tried to group them as they would be found in the wild. The plants from higher altitudes are planted at the top of the garden, while those from lower altitudes are found around the pool. Of the 52 species used some are not considered to be entirely hardy this far north in the UK, so we will have to see how they fare through the next winter.

All of the planting and landscaping work, including the construction of the bridge, was carried out by our own horticultural staff led by Mark Hargreaves. A great effort by all concerned. We hope you will enjoy viewing a small slice of the Andes Mountains on your next visit to the Zoo.