Report on visit to Trenarth Gardens
21st September 2023
Only six members had signed up for this visit. All I can say is that the others missed a treat. The owner Lucy Nottingham was away and, of course, we missed meeting the woman behind the vision for this beautiful garden. However, we had a very informative 90 minutes guided tour in beautiful sunshine by her very enthusiastic gardener Jeremy.
Lucy bought the property in 1992 and what remains of the previous owners’ work are the important bone structure of hedges, shelter belts and walls. The gardens have been planted over the last 30 years and extended inevitably and continually; they now cover 3 or 4 acres. Garden making has been organic. Very varied gardens have been created from the little 16th century sheltered courtyard to the formal walled gardens, from the vegetable patch to the orchard and attempts made to harness the shelter and mild climate to push the boundaries of hardiness. This together with a deliberate attempt to ensure variety, colour and interest through the year have been drivers. Encouraging conservation of wildlife, bats, birds, bees and birds is also a high priority. The important breeding brood roost of lesser horseshoe bats in the cellar (60 plus) was filmed by Chris Packham presenting and shown on the BBC in April 2021. Doctoral research projects have been undertaken on the maternity roost and the effects of street lighting on bats feeding habits.
Several new areas have been incorporated in the last ten years: a gravel garden with granite and palms; a beech walk and a little parkland area (the “Wolery”), interesting seats and wood carvings everywhere and a hint of quirkiness. We did not expect to see a telephone box cum lavatory, nor a Welsh bus stop sign linked to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust publicity campaign where photos of Trenarth appear on bus shelters with the strapline “My Wildlife My Legacy”.
A new initiative for 2023 is Patrick’s patch. Patrick’s Patch is a local grower making use of a field lain to rest for several years. Patrick grows vegetables, cutting flowers and edible flowers for his family and friends, local chefs as well as local shops and eateries.
Jeremy's wife served refreshments in the conservatory and we enjoyed going through the year calendars that are produced for Lucy every year, using photographs of the garden taken by Jeremy and his wife. The photos were stunning.
We enjoyed our morning in this wonderful garden, determined to come back and visit again in the spring. Four of us had noticed a road sign for the Potager Garden and we decided that, since the weather was warm and sunny, we would carry on exploring! Potager has emerged from the bramble choked wilderness of an abandoned plant nursery and is now a relaxing and beautiful haven to rest a while, learn, eat, meet friends or just relax. Potager is a project with social and environmental aims. All the profits go back into the garden which is looked after by volunteers. Any donations to the project allow them to maintain and share the garden with a variety of groups who would not otherwise have the opportunity.
We enjoyed a light lunch in the sunny and sheltered courtyard before making our way back home to a rather wet Lostwithiel.
Report of visit to Treglyn on Sunday 23 July
Fifteen of the Garden Visit Group met up at Treglyn Gardens which is a nursery, open garden and woodland up at the top of the Gover Valley in St Austell. We visited on one of their open days but private visits for groups can also be arranged. The weather was uncertain but we mostly managed to stay dry during the visit to this lovely garden with many colourful plants and woodland paths to explore. The cream tea or tea and cake was taken by many whilst listening to a duo playing and singing across the lawn.
Report on visit to Lethytep on Sunday 4 June
This month for our Group visit we went to Lethytep Garden at Penadlake. It was hosted by Cornwall Wildlife Trust. What a wonderful day to enjoy the wildflower meadows at their best, full of daises and southern marsh orchids.
There are also two lakes featuring beautiful waterlilies where emperor dragonflies and damsel flies were flitting around the lily pads.
Paths take you through the meadows and ancient woodland and in wild areas foxgloves abound.
Although it was perfect weather it was hot with little breeze and tea and cake were very welcome at the end of our visit.
Report on Visit to Enys Garden 3 May 2023
On Wednesday 3rd May with our number depleted by car trouble and Covid, nine of us visited Enys Garden in Penryn which was open for the annual bluebell week. The garden is still being restored.
Enys is reputed to be one of the oldest gardens in Cornwall. It was designed by the architect who built the house after a fire destroyed the previous one in the 1830’s. Although the garden is described long before that and the estate has belonged to the Enys family since the 1200’s.
We walked down the slope to the main bluebell field. It is difficult to describe the blue haze rolling into the distance. There is nothing like the dark, delicate blue of English bluebells. This is certainly the largest collection in Cornwall.
Having taken plenty of photos, we then walked through the more formal flower garden. On one wall an ancient, twisted wisteria was flowering. We wandered among the flower beds naming the plants we could and wandering about the ones we couldn’t. From the flower garden we reached the side of the house where there is another smaller field of bluebells and along its edge a magnificent shocking- pink rhododendron. Nearer the house were beautiful azaleas.
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We walked round the front of the house to the café where we all met in the café garden for tea and very delicious cake.
After this some of us continued in the garden and others into the house for the art show which was in the ground floor rooms. We made comments on our likes and dislikes and looked at the state of the house which will take a great deal of time and money to restore.
It was an enjoyable trip.
The next Garden Visit is to Lethytep on Sunday 4th June.
Report of visit to Bottalick on 13th April 2023
Thirteen members of our Garden Visits group took part in this third visit of the year. We had first visited the garden 7 years ago the day but only two of us had been part of this original group! The Bucknell family had opened their private garden to our group for £6.00 including tea and cake to support their fund-raising efforts for St Veep Church.
We had had two days of strong winds and heavy rain and it was touch and go whether we would need to cancel. Thankfully, the Spring showers that the weather forecast had predicted did not materialise (well one short one did!) and our visit was blessed with glorious sunshine.
Our hosts were very generous with their time. Pat and Jo, her daughter led a group each and took us for a guided walk lasting a good hour around their four-acre garden.
Peter and Pat moved to Botallick in 1993, when they bought the Farmhouse, Barns and 14 acres of land. It had been a working farm with very little garden. The main plants were two large Cornish Red Rhododendrons and some Hydrangeas. They were very keen to establish "A Cornish Garden" with Rhododendrons, Camellias and Magnolias but they also wanted other trees and shrubs to give colour all year round. They started planting around the house and as their interest grew more areas were planted. They purchased another three acres in 1996 and now the garden extends to about four acres. There is also an orchard with over fifty varieties of Cornish and Tamar Valley apples together with cherries, pears, plums and damsons. We also stepped into a 12 acre field which is being turned into an arboretum with a huge variety of trees, including flowering ones like magnolias.
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Their daughter Jo, husband Ian and two grandsons moved from Tunbridge Wells to Cornwall three years ago and now live in the main farmhouse while Peter and Pat have converted a small barn for themselves. They share the garden and maintain it together as a family. The views from the higher parts of the garden over the surrounding countryside are stunning!
We were truly inspired by this beautiful Cornish garden which contains over 300 varieties of camellia, at least 100 magnolias and a huge number of rhododendrons. There were also many interesting trees to admire, including a huge variety of acers, wedding tier cake trees, birches, cornus and a very old sycamore.
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What was impressive was that Pat and Jo knew all their names! We loved the fact that there was something exciting to see at every bend in the garden, especially the “mini gardens” within the garden, for example the walled summer garden with its water feature, the millpond, the wild flowers meadow with its daffodils, primroses, fritillaries and bluebells, the orchard to name but a few. What is impressive is that Peter and Pat had had the vison to see what could be created in this garden and that they have achieved it on their own without the help of professional gardeners. In fact, professional gardeners from the National Trust and other organisations visit the garden for advice and no doubt for inspiration too.
Pat and Peter used to go on frequent holidays to New Zealand, so for their 60th wedding anniversary they planted 3 tree ferns in their gardens.
The family exhibits under the name Bottalick at many shows, including the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at Wadebridge and RHS shows. This year at Wadebridge, and not for the first time, the family won three trophies.
Despite the very recent storms and rain, the garden was looking wonderful and we all left truly inspired.
A huge thank you to Irene Elliott and Ben Purser for taking so many beautiful photos.
March Visit to Caerhays
Despite unavoidable delays caused by driver illness and roadworks en route most of the u3a visit assembled in the Caerhays café by 11am.
The group started going up behind the House on the main route, but fragmented rather when a couple found the going a little too steep for their liking. The magnolias and rhododendrons were stunning, but some have yet to come into full bloom, so there’ll be plenty to see for a few weeks yet.
After an hour or so the rains came in quite heavily, and most retired for lunch; and when the rains continued an early finish to the day was agreed.
February Visit to The Garden House and Buckland Monochoram
On Friday 24th February ten members set out for the first garden visit of the year. We went to The Garden House at Buckland Monochoram and Buckland Abbey next door.
The object of the visit was to see the snowdrops. The Garden House has a great variety of unusual ones. It also had drifts of lilac crocuses. Several members had not visited The Garden House before and were impressed with a beautiful and well-kept garden.
We had lunch at Buckland Abbey which also had plenty of crocuses and snowdrops in the grounds and rhododendrons coming into bud.
We shall be returning to The Garden House in the summer.
The next visit is to Caerhays castle on Thursday 23rd March.
