The Rainforest
Ancient canopy, fern-draped silence
Protected by the Lansdowne Estate for centuries, stand beside ancient oaks with ivy and holly spiraling up their trunks, their canopies lost in the sky above. This is the literal heart of Ardea Gardens: a rainforest ecosystem, undisturbed for hundreds of years, once part of the hunting grounds of Ardea Castle. Dozens of tree ferns, azaleas, a towering Cunninghamia, sequoia, gigantic rhododendrons, and bottlebrush thrive here as they have for generations — and the views over this untouched canopy are unlike anything else on the estate.
