World garden dreamt up during nine-month captivity

Botanist Tom Hart Dyke's life changed forever on 16 March 2000 when he was kidnapped by Colombian guerrillas while hunting for orchids.

During his nine-month captivity in South America the 24-year-old plant hunter planned a garden which would contain plants "laid out in the shape of a world map according to their continent of origin".

Five years later his vision became a reality when The World Garden opened to the public in the grounds of his family's home, Lullingstone Castle, near Eynsford in Kent.

Mr Hart Dyke said: "Creating the garden to pass the time in captivity kept me sane. It saved my life."

The botanist, who was locked up along with his friend Paul Winder, said: "At one point my captives said 'we are going to kill you. You've got five hours to live'.

"We vanished for nine months. The first thing my family knew was when I was released."

The World Garden, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, continues to grow, with many rare and important botanical plants added to its collection.

It currently contains 8,000 species.

Mr Hart Dyke said: "Colombia made me who I am. It made me realise to live each day to the full.

"In hindsight, I look back and am actually gratefully to our captors as without them I would never have my beautiful garden.

"It means so much to me."

The botanist said he was looking forward to "a season of celebrating and welcoming people and telling them our incredible story".

He said: "The fact that the garden is such a success makes me brim with pride.

"I love getting visitors from all over the world coming to our small corner of Kent.

"We even get Colombians who apologise on behalf of their country for what happened to me."

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