KING Charles's former kitchen gardener at Highgrove, who was trained at Ventnor Botanic Garden (VBG), has added his voice to those concerned by the direction the once-lauded garden is taking.

David Pearce slammed the rewilding, sustainable "Ventnor Method" being employed as being nothing more than a "greenwashing smokescreen" at the expense of a well-loved visitor attraction, educational centre and internationally acclaimed plant collection.

He said, in a letter to the County Press: "I firmly believe that something must be done before there is little else left, and a national treasure is lost. Whilst it is still reversible, we must act."

Mr Pearce is not the only one to speak out.

Simon Goodenough, the garden's former curator, recently criticised the way the garden was being managed.

The story, first told in the County Press, made headlines in national newspaper and within gardening publications globally.

In the same week, the garden's Friends society withdrew their funding and support.

Chair of the Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends' Society (VBGFS) Valerie Pitts emailed all 300-plus members to inform them they would no longer fund plants for the Living Collection until they can be assured the plants can be appropriately planted and cared for.

Isle of Wight County Press: Ventnor Botanic Garden.Ventnor Botanic Garden. (Image: Newsquest)

John Curtis, who took the garden over from the Isle of Wight Council ten years ago, responded to all the points made at the time, and said the garden was transitioning from the methods of traditional horticulturists and instead creating synthetic ecosystems, which take years to create.

He said: "We believe the future of gardening in the face of climate change and accelerating plant extinction rates will celebrate this approach. We call this approach the Ventnor Method. It is not a flower-filled quaint English border with graduated heights of planting in threes and fives."

Between 2016 and 2018, Mr Pearce was an apprentice at VBG. He was fully funded, tutored and developed by the Friends’ Society.

The apprenticeship scheme was funded through an optional small donation to the Friends, which was added to the admission charge and on which they could claim Gift Aid. This donation system was subsequently withdrawn.

Mr Pearce, nurtured at the garden during his apprenticeship, secured a place on the highly competitive RHS Wisley Diploma, and after qualifying, went to Highgrove, where he was kitchen gardener to the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles.

Now 25, Mr Pearce runs the historic garden of Whatley Manor, a 12-acre arts and crafts garden and 5-star country house hotel just down the road from Highgrove, leading a team of four gardeners.

David Pearce's letter to the editor slamming the Ventnor Method

"I am writing to express my concern over the so-called Ventnor Method. This ‘experimental trial’ practiced at VBG is being hailed as the future of gardening, and a solution to climate change.

"However, I believe it lacks any of the scientific backing to make it a viable and supportable scheme. Even if it was, no one should be experimenting to the detriment of a scientifically important collection of plants.

"Behind the origin of the Ventnor Method are the naturalistically planted geographical landscapes created by Simon Goodenough in the 1980s.

"These, at the time, showcased a huge variety of rare and unusual plants (some of which were unique to horticulture) arranged how they would be found in their natural environment.

"Simon realised that given the fact Ventnor was positioned with a favourable microclimate for growing Mediterranean-zone species, it still differed in many highly complex abiotic and biotic factors that allow the establishment of intact ecosystems.

"Hence, it was gardened; carefully and skillfully cultivated to showcase an idealised depiction of those wild landscapes. For years this provided the horticultural and Isle of Wight communities with a tool for education, conservation and inspiration.

"Simon did not have the narcissism to claim such a technique was the result of his own genius. Whilst it was pioneering in its own way, this style of gardening goes back a long way, with William Robinson’s 1870 publication The Wild Garden quite possibly being the most influential moment of the naturalistic movement.

"Decades of work, science and the building of reputation ended with the Isle of Wight Council wanting to reduce their spend. As a result, they cut off all ties to the garden and handed it over, on a 125-year lease.

"There appears to have been no probation period to monitor whether the new VBG Community Interest Company fulfilled its objectives. Unlike a charity, there was no board of independent trustees and the projected Advisory Board soon ceased to exist.

"The world-renowned botanic garden and its extensive collection of plants, invaluable to science, was simply handed over to someone who had zero experience working in gardens.

"Skip to the modern day and the Ventnor Method is a term currently being used under the pretext of rewilding and sustainability.

"Rewilding is an incredibly exciting movement that will hopefully shape the way we continue to manage large areas of land. However, 'rewilding’ is very susceptible to greenwashing, and VBG is, in my opinion, a prime example of this.

"The biggest misconception of rewilding is that it is simply leaving a space to look after itself. If that space happens to be Yellowstone Park, then yes it can be rewilded by neglect, because it has a self-sustaining ecosystem.

"Through my recent visits, it is clear that VBG is becoming a monoculture of weeds. VBG’s attempt at rewilding has only lessened biodiversity. With no management, the dominant, pioneering species, do, and will continue to, out-compete less vigorous species of flora that should, under correct custodianship, be helping us advance our understanding of plants, medicines and ecosystems.

"It is clear this experiment has begun to be at the expense of a well-loved visitor attraction, educational centre and internationally acclaimed plant collection. In short, I believe the Ventnor Method is a greenwashing smokescreen used to hide the lack of financial input made by the CIC into its central asset, the botanic garden itself."

What does the Isle of Wight Council say, as landowner?

The County Press asked the Isle of Wight Council, as landowner of the garden, if they had any concerns about the use of the land.

A council spokesperson said: "Ventnor Botanic Garden has a 125-year lease on the land, which is owned by the Isle of Wight Council.

"The lease requires it to be used as a botanic garden, together with ancillary uses. Any proposed changes or amendments to the lease would need agreement from both parties.

"We are aware of comments regarding some aspects of the gardens but we are not aware of any specific breaches of the lease, or moves towards changing it."

What is Ventnor Botanic Garden's "Ventnor Method"?

The Ventnor Method is explained on the garden's website - click here.

The garden team say: "This method can be deployed in any climate, garden or setting around the world. Presenting a garden using the Ventnor Method allows ecosystems to develop above and below the ground in a way that encourages wildlife, reduces the gardener’s work, saves water and improves plant survival rates.

"As a modern botanic garden, we aim to show a style of gardening that is both aesthetically pleasing and relevant. We have taken cues from the natural world where gardeners are absent entirely and the genes of the plants determine survival in the environment they evolve within. We present plants in association with each other as they would be in the wild. At first glance, the garden might seem untidy, but our plant collection is left to thrive naturally for a reason. In nature, plants exist in self-maintaining communities that often have highly appreciable aesthetic merit while making a wonderful habitat for small birds and mammals, providing both shelter and a source of food. We have stimulated this in cultivation, and have allowed plant communities to develop and self-regulate naturally."