Zoo launches new green fingered guide

9:23am Saturday 17th May 2008

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Chester Zoo has recently produced a stunning free guide to its Zoological gardens.

The guide is an informative 12 page booklet that allows Zoo visitors old and young-alike to discover more about the Zoo's award winning gardens.

It offers a detailed look at 10 of the major garden areas in the Zoo, including the Roman Garden, Sunken Garden, Rock Garden and the famous Fountain Lawns.

The sunken garden is one of the hidden treasures of the Zoo, it is located close to the Sealions and has been part of the Zoo since 1977.

Mark Sparrow, the Zoo's Curator of Horticulture and Botany, said: "It is great to be able to share with our visitor's details on how each garden area came about and its purpose, as well as explaining that we do lots behind the scenes to help conserve plant species.

"The Zoo's mission statement includes the conservation of both animal and plant species as we recognize that the conservation of animals is compromised if the environment in which they live is not protected too."

The Zoo is not only home to many glorious gardens, but also holds collections of rare and endangered plant species and is involved in the conservation of several rare British native species too.

The Zoo will be getting further involved by celebrating Plant Conservation Day on May 18.

A variety of staff will be on-hand to speak to visitors about the conservation of native plant species, Cacti and Carnivorous plants, and about the zoos conservation efforts in Mauritius.

The Bluebell Recovery Project will be on site telling the tale of how the British Bluebell has become so rare and visitors can even learn how to encourage wildlife into their garden or how to build a pond as well as being able to pot a plant and take it home to grow.

Staff can be found at the zoos Native Species Hut located at the main entrance, Grow Zone, Islands in Danger and the Wildlife Garden near to the Lions.

The event is just one of the ways that Chester Zoo is marking Cheshire's Year of the Gardens - a celebration of the best of Cheshire's gardens.

The Zoo's gardens won both Chester and Northwest in Bloom in 2007 and it was recently announced that the Zoo has been short listed in the 2008 Visit Chester and Cheshire Annual Awards in the Best Large Visitor Attraction category.