Well it’s been quite a dramatic start to 2026!
Frozen roads, red weather warnings, and even an appearance from the Aurora borealis; nature has really been flexing its meteorological muscles.
Although storm Goretti has brought wide-spread devastation to lots of mature trees throughout the county, we must try not to dwell on all things negative. Cornwall as a county has a hardworking and cooperative spirit – I’m sure most of you have witnessed the many acts of kindness taking place by our wonderful community over the last month.
Although we as a team and many gardeners and garden lovers are mourning the loss of so many trees, it is important to remember that a trees purpose far surpasses its life whilst it stands, and it continues to play a vital role in the ecosystem long after it has fallen.
We usually think of loss of habitats for small mammals and birds but forget that a fallen tree provides new habitats for equally important but often overlooked insects and organisms such as beetles and fungi. Both of these things play a vital role in breaking down fallen wood and releasing key nutrients back into the soil, helping to sustain that flourishing ecosystem.
We must reflect on the circle of life, recognising the positives of a fallen tree and celebrating those many trees still standing.
Battling Goretti
Much of the blog this month will be explaining the aftermath of the red weather warning level storm (Goretti) which happened in our first week back after returning from Christmas break – good job we had a rest!
With access to the garden blocked and roads too dangerous to drive on Friday morning, the team waited until Monday to assess the damage and make an action plan.
In total there were probably around 20 to 30 mature trees that had fallen, uprooted or lost major limbs; the worst hit areas being the shelter belt either side of the garden that thankfully did its job excellently. Petry’s Path is by far the worst hit with mature trees toppling like dominoes, along with some larger damage along Laurel Lane and Radiata Path. If you were to wander down the centre of the garden, you would barely notice anything more than a breeze had passed through due to the garden’s naturally protected geography which has helped to keep the number of trees lost much lower than many other areas.
Although initially the damage was quite startling, it didn’t take long to step into action to start making the garden safe. With a week long closure and lots of help from amazing volunteers, members of the garden committee, a very skilled local digger driver and even some of the wider Trebah team, we started to notice positive changes fast.
The mix of help from people of all backgrounds, job roles and varying garden knowledge just highlighted the community spirit of Trebah and how important the garden is to so many people.
With endless chainsawing, brash clearing, log carrying and path raking, the garden has really transformed over a fairly short period. The constant hum of the tractors working and the distant sound of sawing wood has become a background melody for a week or two whilst we have been working to reopen, making the garden safe and accessible again.
Thankfully it just so happened that the tree surgeons were booked in for essential maintenance the following week after the storm, so between us all, and a lot of hard work, I can proudly say that most of the garden is firmly back on its feet.
By February we are hoping that around 85% of the garden will be fully accessible, and as for Petry’s Path, we will slowly and methodically continue to work behind the scenes to repair this area to its new normal.
The Annual Prune
You will notice if you are a regular visitor to Trebah that we are a little bit behind on our annual Hydrangea prune this year. With none of the garden team being able to dedicate time to our yearly prune, it has been down to a handful of dedicated volunteers dodging rain showers and battling very slippy conditions to keep this mammoth task ticking away. We hope that as time goes on and we begin to get on top of the lumber removal, we can get back to being a bigger presence in the valley. If you are interested in helping with our annual prune please reach out as I’m sure some extra hands would help!
Winter Maintenance
The court garden has slipped into its seasonal decline where everything looks a little tired of the elements – and that’s aside from a large limb of our favourite Cupressus above falling and smashing some of the wall. This time of year herbaceous beds can look empty and a bit tatty and it is the perfect time to get out there and do some housekeeping to give them a refresh.
We spent a morning this week that was too windy to be in the garden, hard pruning climbers and removing slimy, frosted herbaceous tops. The beds which have been tended to are a reminder of the satisfaction brought by winter maintenance and an encouragement to get out and prepare those beds for spring. We will continue to work through the area over the coming weeks when time allows, to ready a canvas for spring to wow us again.
So after a turbulent month of extreme weather, we are coming out, dare I say just about on top; athough the weather has been a pretty fierce contender after we sustained further damage to the garden by subsequent storms and the onslaught of even more weather warnings. That being said, we will continue to improve and adapt with the ever-changing conditions we are dealt.
Cornwall is, and gardeners as a whole are resilient in the face of adversity; a strong community and a passion for the land will always prevail eventually, even if the clean up takes a little time.
