Bicton Park -

Bicton Botanical Gardens has some of the most gorgeous landscapes in Devon. The oldest of the gardens is the Italian Gardens, laid out in the first half of the eighteenth century, reputedly to a design by André Le Nôtre, the landscaper of Versailles. A century later the American, Stream and Hermitage gardens were created with streams, ponds and waterfalls with a huge selection of plants suited to the moisture laden environment. These were followed by the Victorian Fernery, with its primeval glade of tree-ferns and other exotic plants.

The Pinetum and Arboretum are particularly noteworthy and attract visitors from all over the world. Bicton is home to over one thousand trees coving three hundred species. Like a zoo, Bicton plays an important role in conservation, with trees in the gardens which are endangered in their natural habitats. Twenty five of the trees at Bicton are champion trees, either the largest or tallest of their kind in Britain and Ireland. In fact the Grecian fir tree in the grounds is the tallest that has ever been recorded.