Well what a month it’s been for weather!
I hate to be all British about it but we can’t avoid the fact it has been a month of completely two halves. Just when you were wondering if that one week in May was all the sun we would get, June pulls it out the bag right on cue for the Summer Solstice and we get a huge heatwave. Thankfully after such a soggy start to the year, the ground has been prepped to keep the plants looking fresh and the garden looking green.
We have been slowly making changes in the garden, both big and small as we continue to grow and develop. This month alone, Darren our Head Gardener, has worked hard alongside our contractor to relandscape the paths of the lower Caroniche, creating a safer alternative to Healey’s Hill. The new path offers a scenic plod from the end of Petry’s, along the Caroniche, finishing up on Davidia Path and has made a real difference to the landscape.
There has also been new planting going in to continue to rebuild the area affected by Storm Goretti. At Trebah we are constantly thinking ahead to how an area can be developed for the future; in gardening, trees are not always planted for one’s self, but instead for future generations to benefit and enjoy.
Lots of new life has been spotted in the garden alongside the plants. Everywhere you look there have been tiny toadlets emerging from the vegetation, making work a little tricky sometimes. Keep your eye out for these tiny amphibians and tread carefully; if you’re lucky you may just spot some. Where there are tiny toads though, there is also Barry, our resident Buzzard. In a slightly sad but wildly fascinating display of the food chain we were lucky enough to get a close encounter watching this magnificent bird of prey feed on some of the toads. You might imagine watching a buzzard hunting would be quite skilful, possibly even graceful, however it is quite hard to take him seriously when he is hopping around in what looks like a set of feathery pantaloons. Despite eating the wildlife, he is still a firm favourite of the garden team and visitors, and remains an iconic resident of Trebah Garden.
There’s Always Weeds
With summer comes sunshine and with Cornish summer comes rain and sunshine; this creates the perfect recipe for unruly weeds. An ongoing job in the garden currently for the team and our volunteers is keeping on top of Cleavers (Galium aperine), Brambles (Rubus fruticosus) and Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). This usually involves working on steep banks behind the scenes to create a more habitable environment for the wild flowers to thrive next spring. Although all of these plants are native to the UK and have their place in creating habitats for wildlife, they can also be quite invasive and can outcompete other beneficial plants, reducing biodiversity.
A Prune With A View
Down at the bottom of the garden, the team have been busy maintaining the view of the much-loved Helford Estuary. Along the boundary behind the Mediterranean border is what is sometimes called a ‘fedge’ or a cross between a fence and a hedge. These are often made using living materials such as weaved Willow (Salix), however they can also refer to, like in our case, a permanent fence structure covered by living material such as climbers; in our case we use Muehlenbeckia also known as Maiden Hair Vine, a fast growing, vigorous climber. It takes its job very seriously, however can become a little unruly and in need of management which is where we come in. We use shears to reduce its height back down to the top of the fence and also to prune it back away from the nearby Eleagnus hedging. It tends to creep out and up anything within reach so it needs to be well controlled.
Whilst pruning in the area, we also worked up at the Eirie to protect the beautiful river views. For this area we use a hedge trimmer to reduce and maintain the height of the shrubs growing here.
A Splash of Colour
With limited opportunity outside of the court garden for herbaceous planting, we thought it would be nice to take advantage of the empty beds in front of the house and add in some extra colour. After creating a plant list of what we thought would work well, we selected a mix of annuals and perennials to work together for the summer season, which can be adapted and changed as time goes on. After placing them out and a bit of swapping and changing, we planted the border giving them a good water in. The border is a good reflection of our nursery stock, and the colours are a bright contrast against the white of the house. It has been well received by humans but even more so by the pollinators! We have definitely noticed more bees and butterflies in the area which helps build on our biodiversity here at Trebah. Have a look over the wall towards the house next time you’re passing to see what you think.
Tarzan in Wonderland
Here in the garden, we pride ourselves on being an informal valley garden. We prioritise nature and wildness because we know the benefits it can bring. There isn’t much room for formality so when a few jobs come around each season we look forward to a brief change of gardening style and to flex our inner creatives. Topiary isn’t a word you would associate with Trebah as a whole, however in small pockets of the garden it has its place. We have been enjoying the novelty of using shears to shape some Camellias just up from Tarzan’s camp. This path is much less travelled but definitely worth the walk. These magnificent pillows of Camellia tower either side of you as you meander down an almost Alice in Wonderland style path. It is arm-aching work to shape these shrubs with shears but the outcome is magical. Where everything else wild and rambling is celebrated, this small nook of formal gardening is a real hidden gem.
So against a long-awaited blue sky, the colours of the valley look almost unnatural in the best possible way. Everywhere you look there is a new shade of green, and the Hydrangeas are bursting with colour. With a dominant acidic PH, the pops of different blues are astounding but we cannot forget the others. Where soil has been excavated and moved around in the past, it has create small pockets of opportunity for purples and pinks too. The vibrancy of the beautiful blooms is something not to be missed and each one is unique. Keep and eye out, especially along Beach Path for some of the most enormous flower heads – these are the product of 2-3 months of dedicated pruning by our wonderful volunteers.
With sunshine and colour lighting up the garden, summer really feels as though it has arrived. There are butterflies and bumblebees buzzing around every available flower, and ducklings are hopping across waterlillies (Nymphaea) on Mallard Pond. Everywhere you look is flooded with life and bursting with beauty.
A new feature we’re adding in this month and hoping to continue is ‘Trebah Watch’. This will show video footage of Trebah’s natural world residents, taking a closer look at what they get up to after the garden is closed. Almost all the footage is taken on a battery-operated trail camera placed in different discreet locations around the garden. Take a look to see what our local residents get up to behind closed doors for a real insight into Trebah Garden.
