Since its grand opening in 2007, this playground welcomes guests "every day, even on Sundays", as proudly advertised on the front sign. Most specimens are native to Barbados such as impatiens and golden shrimp plants, in addition to a rare collection of international provenance handpicked by Hunte over the decades. His most prized blooms are his orchids. He believes they are the soul of this earth. Unlike conventional botanical gardens, the plants are not named, but a simple identification panel and an explanatory brochure list them.

A visit to this wonderland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the legend himself. Nestled among the towering royal palms, Hunte lives in a wooden veranda where he hosts parties of visitors and regales them with cakes, secret rum punch and local tales. This is when we discover the garden was a former sugar plantation called Castle Grant where Hunte grew up. In the image of its surroundings, his residence is nothing short of sublime chaos, from the furniture to the wallpapers, all in tropical fashion.

The organic randomness of this place came about deliberately—after all, Hunte’s mission was to introduce people to the magic of nature. For most of us, thinking, looking and reflecting deeply about gardens, or even the activity of gardening, is a new experience stemming from the pandemic. We forget that entire worlds exist outside of our cities. Worlds in which lifeforms are free—free from judgements, norms and social boundaries. Simply put, free to be. Perhaps there is much to be learned from the way a gardener tends his garden to the way we should tend our bodies and minds. Not everything has to make sense, but as long as we allow ourselves to grow, growth will follow.