Stay at home holiday adventures - Enys Garden

It is that time of year where we would normally be on a road trip to our neighboring county of Devon, to meet up with friends. Last year we stayed in a vintage caravan on a hidden farm in Devon and the kids absolutely loved it. We even got to visit RHS Rosemoor, which was wonderful for both my plant fix, but it also had brilliant children’s play areas. 

With concerns over Covid, we've decided to stay at home this year. We are lucky that whilst avoiding the most popular beaches and tourist hotspots on a hot weekend such as this, there are still plenty of things to do. My dad gives me the report on how busy the Falmouth beaches are following his daily bike ride. The general verdict: "bloody packed".

 

Enter this weekend’s entertainment ....A fifteen year old, 3 man music festival tent! After a bit of huffing by Monsieur and myself, re-threading the pinged elastic on one of the poles, then re-threading it AGAIN (just as Monsieur was about to tie a knot in it, it sprung back all the way back to the beginning...butter fingers!!!), the tent was safely erected. As the light started to fade, we lit some candles and toasted marshmallows on the patio before retreating to a pillow padded, surprisingly comfy bed. One quick Peppa Pig story, followed by Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince [ No spoilers please!] and the kids were asleep.

 It is quite appropriate that the title of this night's chapter was called 'The Slug Club'. As usual I had drank too much tea too close to bedtime, and our neighbours' running water feature coerced me to venture out to the toilet. The night stars looks incredible, and I could hear an owl (not the hooting variety) in the trees, but to my horror, as I pointed the torchlight down, I found the lawn to be completely covered by a slow, menacing, march of slugs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I returned to my camp bed, I swear I could hear the sound of slugs munching their way through my struggling sunflower plants, mere centimeters away from my head.  I lay in a hot terror listening to the old town's clock chime eleven, twelve, then one, then two...

 

We were up early Sunday morning, to retreat to the house for hot tea, breakfast and a much needed shower. It took a couple more hours to become absolutely flippin’ baking hot outside.

 

 

The Californian Poppies and succulents are in their element in this weather.

 

I took the short drive to go and drop off my brother’s birthday present - a Burgon and Bell weeder and dibber. We’ve done away with plastic wrapping now, including the actual cellotape. There’s something so lovely about brown paper bags & string.  Yesterday's collected cut flowers, dahlias, fennel and Photinia ‘Red robin’ foliage had been arranged into a zing bomb arrangement, matching the colored tissue paper!

 

When I got home, I cracked on with making a picnic lunch and flask of coffee. The Cornish red currant jelly is really lovely on a cheese and salad sandwich. Last year, my folks brought back Chilli Jam which was being sold in an honesty box somewhere on the Scilly Isles – I need some more of that!!!

These are the last of our supermarket tomatoes and cucumbers being used up, because our home grown greenhouse ones are finally ready for eating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picnic packed, we headed off to nearby Enys Garden. We missed the annual display of bluebells this spring, but we have purchased a season pass, because we love it so much.

Enys really is a magical place and the woodland gardens are a perfect spot to take shelter from the midday sun. Like all gardens at the moment, it is probably a little wilder than usual as volunteers have not been able to help out during lockdown, but it is, as always, beautiful.

 

The area by the handsome house ( or 'ansome' as it is properly pronounced in these parts) has a courtyard with old stables and clock tower on one side and is laid out with formal lawn and beds on the other. As you move outwards from this point, the mystery of Enys unfolds.

 

The house is in a state of renovation. I attended a great Garden Club talk at the end of 2019, by the lovely Wendy Fowler, co-owner of the estate. She showed us photos taken all throughout the year at Enys (the garden is seasonally opened, so it was magical to see it covered in snow). Wendy said the house has had to be completely internally stripped back to its bare bones, as it had every single kind of damp going, including 'cellar rot', which is apparently different to dry and wet rot! Now they have an annual survey and wait to see if it comes back before proceeding with any more work.

There is something so serene in the simplicity of stones and moss. In the picture below, by the banana plant you can see the outer wall of the kitchen garden. This area is closed to the public, but I wonder if this will be restored at some point in the future.

I do love a good stumpery! This is a fairly recent addition - upturned sweet chestnut roots covered in moss and ferns. Enys Gardens is developing all the time and it is really lovely to see.

 

 [Frothy plant... to be identified...]

 

If you are thinking about visiting Enys, I thoroughly recommend it. There is so much more to it than my pictures show- we chose a short walk as the kids were tired following their late camping night.  At the time of writing this, the little cafe is open there.  Please check their website for opening times first -

https://www.enysgardens.org.uk/

 

I hope you manage to have a safe break this summer, be it home or away.

Take care and see you soon,

 

Lulu x

 

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