March Garden Update
- 5th Mar 2020
An abundance of camellias continue to embellish the Gardens, our Magnolia campbellii is erupting to life with candyfloss pink flowers and a magnificent daffodil carpet is sweeping across the Gardens which can only mean one thing: spring has arrived at The Lost Gardens. The season is not only celebrated for the beauty it brings, but so too, the sense of renewal and rejuvenation the age-old tradition of spring cleaning allows for.
Most of the work around the Gardens over the coming weeks involves dealing with the sheer amount of water we have seen in February. As the Gardeners dig trenches to divert water, clear pathways and mow the lawns, we look forward to what we hope will be a much drier month.
With the spring also comes anticipation. Tomato and chilli seeds are sown and peaches are pollinated. Though, as we are still rather early in the year, bees, for the most part, are not yet braving the cool breeze. This means that the Gardeners themselves lovingly pollinate the peaches with rabbit tails. Seedlings currently residing in the warmth and protection of the glass houses, begin to germinate with the hope that they will soon be planted out into the Gardens to flourish to their full extent.
The Sundial Garden is already looking rather spectacular as the deep, electric blue hyacinths dazzle in the early spring sunshine, whilst the eager blooms on the rhododendron begin to appear. The Garden will continue to be spruced and pruned and soon, the natural pea stick supports will be placed into the herbaceous borders ready for the green shoots bursting from the beds.
The spring preparations are always a Team effort and the pigs are also doing their bit to help out. They are currently occupying West Lawn as they turn the field, breaking up the ground ready for us to sow wildflower seeds. Come June, the ever popular 15-acre wildflower meadow will once again be a Heligan summer highlight.
Down in the Jungle, the Team are maintaining Treseder Steps by covering them with chipped wood that has been cleared from around the Gardens. It is only the second year that this pathway down through the tree ferns and between Second and Third Pond has been open. To venture deep into the Jungle, with towering trees above you, sunshine glistening through the ferns, allows you to see the Jungle from a new perspective, feeling truly engulfed by the vast climate and at one with nature. If you haven’t already, make sure you head down to the Jungle to experience this part of the Gardens in this unique way.
It really is a time of excitement and beauty at The Lost Gardens and it cannot go unmentioned that lambing season is also around the corner. From the 28th March, come and visit our ‘barn come maternity ward’ and expect to see plenty of adorable, fluffy, new-born lambs bouncing around.
We look forward to sharing and celebrating this season with you.
“Spring is here and we are so excited we wet our plants!”
