It’s been a funny start to 2025 meteorologically…
Within our first week back returning from the new year we had such a heavy frost down in the valley that the tree ferns turned silver (and I’m not talking about Cyathea dealbata!) and one gardener’s eye lashes even froze.
It’s unusual to get frost so far down the garden but thankfully there weren’t any obvious casualties. The fleece wrapped round our tender ferns did a good job in protecting those a bit more tender.
We’ve also suffered what seems like a constant onslaught of storms since being back in January. Luckily with no significant damage other than the odd branch, it has mostly been a prolonged clean up operation of sticks and leaves meaning lots of leaf blowing to keep the paths looking tidy.
Hydrangeas, hydrangeas and more hydrangeas
The volunteer team have been hard at work this month making headway on our annual Hydrangea prune. We spend the next few months covering the two acres of the Hydrangea Valley to reduce some of the old wood, bring down the height and remove any congested or dead stems to promote an excellent summer display later in the year.
The garden team put all the off-cuts through the chipper, mulching the area that has been recently pruned – I like to think of this as the circle of life.
A sad goodbye
During our site closure recently, we had the tree surgeons in the garden doing some necessary work. If you are a regular visitor at Trebah, the first thing you’ll notice is the absence of our lovely Tulip tree by the entrance. You may have seen it looking a little sad in the last year, especially during its most recent flowering display. Unfortunately it was suffering from disease and given its high traffic location and worsening condition it was not possible to keep it standing any longer.
An other major change you will notice is a large Beech tree near Dinky’s Puddle which had to felled due to its unstable nature. The tree was badly damaged last year when a large limb tore off, leaving behind a rotten section of trunk. The remaining tree was deemed safe to keep but sadly over time the damage was worsened and it now poses too much risk to visitors, staff and surrounding mature trees.
The final big change in the garden from the tree surgeons is the huge monkey puzzle just down from the Amphitheatre. It has been pollarded to remove all limbs due to rotting in the trunk. A really sad loss but with one consolation being young specimens are growing up nearby, so the canopy won’t be missing this quirky character for too long.
Blooming early
There seems to be a lot of flowers emerging a little early in the garden this year. Magnolia doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’ along Beach Path is already gracing us with its fabulous perfumed scent, usually not flowering until well into spring.
Amomyrtus luma, another beautiful smelling shrub is just starting to creep out during any milder weather we have had; usually not flowering until late spring.
Aside from the early bloomers there are lots of other signs that spring is arriving here at Trebah. Our champion Magnolia campbelii has hinted its first flashes of pink – let’s just hope they cling on through the ongoing winds!
So overall, a very mixed January in terms of weather, from gale force garden closures, frozen fronds and even glorious sunshine; one thing I think we can all agree on is it’s nice to see some colour back in the garden, with the promise of only more to come… roll on spring!
Wildlife sightings:
- Toad
- Fox
- Lots of robins
- Jays
