Zoo Gardens

The gardens at the Zoo are one of Bristol’s most important collections of plants. They contain unusual and rare trees, shrubs and plants from around the world, such as the monkey puzzle tree, (Araucaria sp.), Kashmir cypress, (Cupressus cashmiriana), the oblong woodsia, (Woodsia ivensis) and the purple-berried flax lily, (Dianella tasmanica).

They are also home to the national collections of two genera, Caryopteris and Hedychium. Bristol Zoo Gardens has set up a three-year national garden performance trial for Hedychium at different sites throughout the UK, trialling species such as H. Assam Orange and H. spicatum.

The Zoo grounds also contain trees that have been given the status of ‘Champion trees’ by the Tree Register. These include Trithrinax campestris (by the entrance to Zona Brazil) and Crataegus laciniata (opposite the herbaceous border).