Winter at The Lost Gardens
- 2nd Dec 2019
As winter sets in, our gardeners prepare the Gardens and Estate for everything that the season might bring to Cornwall this year. In 2018 we saw the heaviest snow the county had seen in decades and it was truly stunning to see The Lost Gardens covered in a blanket of fluffy icing. Whether the Jungle is dusted with a layer of glistening frost or the rain falls hard on Flora’s Green, our Gardens will be ready for the winter, whatever the weather.
The main priority during this time is tidying up the beds amongst the ornamental gardens and gathering the fallen leaves for mulch. As well as this, the Garden Team continue to double dig amongst the Productive Gardens, using lots of manure, which they continue to collect. The bananas in The Jungle are also currently being fitted with a coat of armour made of bamboo and straw to ensure they stay warm during this chilly season.
Some exciting news is that we have a very unexpected, early crop of potatoes growing! They are taking shelter in the Melon House and will be ready for harvest in the New Year. Our saved seeds are also taking cover in the drying shed where they are being stored now they have been podded for next year.
Looking into the New Year, we are preparing for our Dahlia Giveaway at the end of January. Now that the Dahlia blooms have subsided and the tubers have gone to sleep, we have removed them from the soil ready to rest for the winter before being restored once again to full bloom in the warmer months of next year. We are thrilled to be able to offer some of these beautiful plants to our visitors to take away and grow in your own gardens. More information on this event to follow in the January e-newsletter.
‘Heligan by Night’ is taking hold in the Gardens too as the Apple Arch is pruned and lined with lights. Soon installations will be popping up throughout the Gardens ready for the grand opening of our spectacular light show, ‘Art of Illumination’, by internationally renowned light artist, Ulf Pedersen.
