Hope Botanical Gardens

Hope Botanical Gardens, also known as the Royal Botanical Gardens, is a 200-acre park and gardens located in St Andrew, Jamaica. Major Richard Hope's estate was established after 1655 when the British took over Jamaica from the Spanish. The gardens were established in 1873 from a section of his estate. The Royal Botanical Gardens, commonly called "Hope Gardens", occupies 200 acres of land in the Ligunaea Plains of urban St Andrew. The gardens were established in 1873 on a section of land from the estate of Major Richard Hope, one of the original English colonisers who arrived with the invading force of Penn and Venables. Today the gardens are the largest public green space in the Kingston metropolitan region, and are home to Jamaica's most popular collection of endemic and exotic botanical collections. Of particular interest is the Cassia siamea grove by the main entrance, which was planted in 1907, and the other mini-gardens within the park - notably the cacti garden, with its rare varietals; the bougainvillea walk with its magnificent explosions of tropical colours; the annual gardens, with numerous species of exotic flowers; the sunken gardens and the lily pond.