Owing to his early training in horticulture Mr Mottershead took a great interest in the gardens. In the 1950s the zoo gardens really began to take off – becoming a feature complementing the animal with flower beds, boarders, rose and rock gardens and shrubbery. Mr Phillip Gallup was appointed head gardener in 1953 and oversaw the development of the greenhouses and nursery areas to supply the zoo’s rapidly expanding needs. Some 80,000 plants were required for the summer bedding alone! The zoo became famous for its colourful spring and summer bedding displays. Equally admired were the rose gardens, the fuchsias, and the well-manicured, green lawns that not only gave the zoo its open spaces but proved popular as picnic areas for the increasing numbers of visitors.Natural grasses/bamboo help create and encourage endangered plants to thrive as it__s not just the animals that need looking after. By matching plants that would surround a certain animal in the wild, it provides a better natural environment.