Did you know that Paignton Zoo is a botanical garden as well as a zoo?

From waterside plantings to champion trees, herbaceous borders to wild flower meadows, there is something for any keen gardener to enjoy.

The indoor growing areas allow us to grow plants from all over the world. From small critically endangered cactus in the desert house, through to the massive Titan arum, giant bamboo and giant water lilies located in the tropical houses; we have plants you’ll struggle to find in your average garden!

Our plant collection plays a role in conservation too; be it growing on rare plants for reintroduction to the wild, swapping material with other botanical gardens, or cultivating plants listed on the IUCN red list, the gardens are more than just a pretty sight!

Plants play a large role in exhibit design, from the animal perspective providing shelter, enrichment and enhanced welfare and from the visitor perspective providing amenity, a sense of immersion, and where possible a link to the animals natural habitat.

As well as being beautiful in their own right, certain plants are also managed as a product for the animals – examples being browse production as part of the animal’s diet, branches for perching, and woodchips.

We also turn 100s of tonnes of poop into well-rotted manure each year….its rocket fuel!