Digging Deep: May At Trebah

As May rolls around again, it’s fair to say it’s been a very dry start to the summer season

Thankfully so far, the garden is still looking great and hasn’t been suffering too much. The Gunnera has managed to stay magnificent, now towering several metres high and is back forming our much-loved Gunnera Passage.

We have been grateful for the last few days of rain, however I’m not sure the half term holiday-makers would agree! The garden though is bursting with beautiful shades of green everywhere you look, interrupted occasionally by a splash of late spring colour.

We are currently Hydrangea spotting, excitedly awaiting the new season arrival, pointing out the first flowers of 2025. It won’t be long until our green valley is awash with blue and white.

The Pre-flush rush

With the arrival of a valley of blooms imminent, we are working our way through the Hydrangeas, digging out and cutting back large, dominant weeds, as well as untangling naughty Bryony and Bind Weed. We tend to strim the area between the Hydrangeas once the worst of the weeds have been tackled to create a better growing environment, free from competition.

Our volunteers are vital in helping to keep the climbers at bay as without this constant untangling, the plants could be smothered and the flowers crushed.

We can’t wait for summer to see the valley bathed in colour once again.

A champion makeover

Our deputy head gardener and volunteers have been working on tidying the tree ferns in the Fernery. Careful pruning has removed all the dead stubs of long-forgotten fronds on some of our biggest ferns.

Our champion Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica) has also been given some TLC to show it off in all its glory. It was actually housing a large Rhododendron which had self seeded into its trunk and felt comfy enough to grow quite big!

Next time you’re walking down the Zig Zag, take a moment to appreciate our tidy Tree Ferns and try to spot the champion!

Bye bye bamboo

Just over the bridge between Azolla Pool and Dinky’s Puddle you may have noticed a bit of a gap. That’s because our black Bamboo (Phyllostaccys nigra), which was there until recently has flowered; sadly once a Bamboo flowers, the plant dies.

With certain species of Bamboo, flowering can apparently happen en-masse but we are thankful that our other Nigra is still going strong.

Path changes

If you are a regular to the garden, you will have noticed some big changes to some of the paths. Step-free access has been made to access Azolla Pool, as well as joining Petry’s Path to Healey’s Hill. There is also the removal of the old steps to Tarzan’s camp from Camellia Walk, and the closing of the higher section of Petry’s Path between the Amphitheatre and the top of Healey’s Hill.

Changes have also been implemented to the disability route so check out our new maps for all the updates.

Fit for an audience

We have given the Amphitheatre hedges a cut to tidy them up before the season begins and the seats begin to fill. The area quickly transforms from overgrown and out of shape, to crisp corners and lush lines.

If you are cutting a hedge this time of year, be sure to take a peek inside, looking out for nests and baby birds.

A trip to Sissinghurst

I recently undertook a garden exchange to Sissinghurst Castle. Being given the opportunity through a newly developed ‘Gardener X’ programme, I got to experience life as a gardener in another garden.

A truly beautiful garden lovingly crafted by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, Sissinghurst showcases small rooms of beautifully romantic planting, separated by long hedgerows, perfectly clipped to create lengthy vistas. An entirely different garden to Trebah in every sense other than that ‘feeling’. Both gardens, each with their own fascinating history, give that sense of calm, of quiet and of peace that only a very special place lets your feel.

I am extremely grateful for my time there amongst a lovely and passionate team, so if you’re ever in The Garden of England, I strongly urge you to visit this beautifully historic and incredibly poetic landscape.

So after a very busy May in Cornwall and Kent, we look forward to increasingly longer days, more frequent sunshine, and welcoming our summer-flowering plants bursting into colour.