Neolithic Partridge
Aha!!! from outpost station Long Mizzle,
Jolly good of you to join me for my weekly correspondence. It's been very quiet in the garden, bar the sound of freezing horizontal, non-stop pelting rain!!! To prove the garden's continued existence, I have included a picture of the Camellia in bloom at the bottom of the garden. I've named this one 'Dan'. I heckle him from up t' top. (Above picture: my Alan Partridge stance!)
The weird growth on the Tree Aeonium (Aeonium arboreum) is its very first flower emerging -
A native of the Canary Islands, where is clings to arid hillsides, Tree Aeoniums grow very well in Cornwall, and can be seen in abundance in the hedgerows of the Scilly Isles (the archipelago off the tip of Lands End). I was surprised to read it is considered an invasive specie in Southern Australia.
This particular rosette will die after flowering. Luckily cuttings strike very easily from its sausagey stems. You can see here some stems look like slayed Medussa snakes. This was caused by frost damage from previous years. One stubborn end has grown back -
As cabin fever started to kick in, I dragged the kids out for a picnic adventure to one of my favourite places - Gyllyndune Gardens, attached to the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth.
Regular blog readers may recognise it from last January's post (Emporiums and Pavillions), one in April (Pick A Pit), plus another at the end of July (How to be an Olympic gardener).
Above: Edwardian bandstand and glasshouse
Jumping on the bandstand wagon! (Claire and Vix have both blogged about bandstands this week ;)
From its dragon story telling in the little play area, to the bandstand staged with silver bands in summer, to the enchanting shell caves
and grotto of the quarry garden, there really is something for all
ages.
Oh, and did I say it has a rather fine collection of plants too?! Tremendous fun to explore -
Locke and Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
Gyllyndune looks especially beautiful in winter, with the twinkling lights of the ships at sea and glimpses of St Antony's Lighthouse between the darkening Monterey Pines.
Rainy days are no problem at all with the shelter of shell caves and an Edwardian terraced veranda.
Of course we always have to stop for a pose at the 'Neolithic' Arch.
Welcome to 'Scandi Noir', Cornish style (ignore the half smile) -
Lulu xXx
Are you responsible for that puddle under the monolith???? :-))))))
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll gladly swap veggie seeds. x
DeleteHaha! It does look a bit suspect doesn't it Cherie! I can feel a new range coming on ;) Maybe 'mineral water' this time ;)
Delete(I had to change 'Monolithic' to 'Neolithic' in my title - as on closer inspection the stone was made from three pieces!!! :0 )
Swapsie news coming shortly (I will share my newly setup email)....
Lulu xXx
Dear Lulu
ReplyDeleteWhat a great garden for both children and adults. The planting is great and it is lovely to see all the exotics and succulents thriving. The repair café is a wonderful idea - we need more of them all over the country!
Have a good week
Best wishes
Ellie
Thank you Ellie :) Anywhere that does a good cup of tea always score extra points too ;) It is great that people are thinking about repairing things again. We are bringing back lost skills! Take care chuck xXx
DeleteOne of my favourite words - Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' - just rolls off the tongue (that and supercalafragalisticexpialidosus - but that one is for another day!)
ReplyDeleteGoodly garden visits - especially ones that still provide interest in winter - are brilliant!
Oh yes Kate, that's a goodun' :0 :) ;)
DeleteHmmmm, I wonder what the longest Latin plant name actually is???
I agree, all round seasonal interest = top marks xXx
I loved Locke and Key so would be straight in there to see the little tower and the secret path under the sea. The repair cafe is brilliant - there is a tv series on a similar theme which I enjoy 'The Repair Shop' but if we had one in every town it would be wonderful. Your Alan Partridge picture is worrying, over a puddle with legs crossed? what should the reader draw from this I wonder?
ReplyDeleteHello Betty, oh I like it when I catch The Repair Shop on t' tele. Unfortunately the little Chapel is firmly locked up, so one can only attempt to stare into the windows. It really is very tiny! I would quite like it as my 'beach house'. The sea tunnel and stairs are creepy, and smell of wee. What to deduce... leg crossing does not perhaps work ? :0 ;) xXx
Deletehiya!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE your scandi noir look - fabulous sweater and cool styling!
that garden is a stunner - again and again. it has so much and so much specials..... and now a repair café!
i could work in one actually :-D
here we are in for the next cold snap - temps will go down to -5°C the next two days. but don´t mind - thats mild for a cold snap here - a "good" one has -15° down to -20°C for minimum a week.... then life goes sporty @ the BWH.
xxxxx
Thank you Beate :) My jumper is vintage C& A, but I pretend it's nordic ;) You could indeed work in a Repair Cafe, they'd be absolutely delighted with your skills. I shouldn't really complain about the cold when your temperatures go to -20 °C!!! Hope you stay warm in your Icelandic knit and 'sporty' xXx
DeleteHi Lulu, Gyllyndune is so wonderfully diverse and eccentric isn't it? Lovely bandstand (thanks for the mention) and exotic looking urns. That's a beautiful little chapel beyond the quarry and on the basis of this blog, I think I am going to have to buy the first in the Locke and Key series as a birthday treat to myself - it sounds intriguing! I am envious of your camelia. We're lucky if ours produces two flowers per year. It was planted yonks ago in supposedly the best position in our garden, but at best I can say it's survived. To say it is thriving would be a stretch. I'm wondering whether I should risk moving it. Anyway, enough from me. A very enjoyable read as usual...and that's one very cool Icelandic knit! xxx
ReplyDeleteLocke and Key got me instantly hooked. I haven't read it for some years, so may have to dig it out again. We were lucky to get the first edition individual paper ones from a comic shop in Hull. I thoroughly recommend their postal service -
Deletehttps://thecomicbookshop.co.uk
(and yes, the owner is a typical comic shop nerd, but very nice)
I have successfully moved a camellia before- my dad dug one up from his garden, with hardly any roots :0 but it miraculously survived! A bigger rootball would have been better. The one at the bottom of the garden blooms the best, as it is nice and sheltered ... plus it is by the compost heap :) xXx
How lovely that the entrance is free. I love the giant agavas they have there.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Tree Aeoniums around, it's pretty popular plant, because it is easy to take care of it. I think I had it too once but it died so I will need to get a new one. I didn't know that it was considered an invasive specie in Australia. I think Australians have to be extra careful with different plant species because Australia is a closed eco-system and new species can cause havoc.
Hello Ivana, yes, Cornwall council do a tremendous job of looking after the gardens. The agaves are great aren't they, but are so spiky they could take your eye out! I love aeoniums (and other succulents) in patio pots, as I don't have to water them. (Cornwall has the most expensive water costs in the UK :0 ) xXx
DeleteOne of the best thing about succulents is they don't need much water. The water can be pricey in some parts here as well, especially on the islands. Some Croatian islands still don't have regular water supply, so the locals have to collect water and when they run out, they have to buy the water from the fire department and there's a limit to how much you can buy under a lower price (so it can be pretty expensive).
DeleteHow interesting about the water on the Croatian islands Ivana!
DeleteI am looking forward to Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens tonight on the BBC (3 part series). He is making his way down from Vienna to a 'personal labour of love' garden in Croatia x
Gyllyndune Gardens look absolutely amazing with its weird and wonderful plants and architectural delights. I love a shell grotto and an old-fashioned bandstand, which I'll now be seeking desperately in these parts to join you, Claire and Vix on that bandwagon! You'd be the perfect brooding yet half-smiling detective if there would ever be a Cornish style Scandi noir. If they can do it in Wales (Hinterland), they can definitely do it in Cornwall! xxx
ReplyDeleteJump on the bandstand / bandwagon Ann! I look forward to seeing what you can find. Gyllyngdune Gardens never cease to interest me. There was a TV detective series set in Cornwall in the 90s called Wycliffe, but the detective dressed like a maths teacher and I thought it quite boring at the time! Well, I have the jumpers ready if there are any casting agents reading ;) xXx
DeleteHi Lulu! Welcome to the Bandstand Appreciation Society! I love the look of Gyllyndune Gardens and those marvellously exotic looking plants, how brilliant that they're free, too.
ReplyDeleteThe repair club sounds fantastic, I do love a bit of mindful mending and have just darned a cardi whilst waiting for the tea to brew.
Loving the fluffy beret and the Sarah Lund style jumper. Maybe the BBC could remake Rosemary and Thyme with you as the cool leading lady. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there was a body buried beneath Dan. xxx
Bandstand Appreciation Society ! What a great name Vix! :) :) Well done for whizzing out a repair whilst the tea was brewing. I've just googled Rosemary and Thyme - they look like gardening ladies, so I approve and I am up for it. Where's the script please? (I do actually worry about what's buried at the bottom of the garden... I found a roll of carpet once and half expected a body to be in it :0 ) xXx
DeleteHello and thanks for the amusing post. We have a camellia very nearly in flower, the flowers seem to always arrive too early. Ours is called Toby's Bush - Toby being our all time favourite border collie dog. He's sleeping peacefully under the camellia. Enjoy your week ~ Mike.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mike ;) The camellia at the bottom is always the first to bloom. Unfortunately I don't know any of the real names, as they were either here when we moved in, or purchased as unknowns at car boot sales. I remember your Toby's Bush , good to hear he's about the flower again. Have a great week xXx
DeleteWhat a wonderful garden, to someone who lives in the far Northwest of England it looks positively exotic. I don't think any of those plants grow around here! Thank you for sharing a beautiful spot.
ReplyDeleteWe have a repair cafe once a month round here too, such a good idea. I love that your jumper is vintage C&A loved that shop when it was around.
Thank you m' luverly :) I am always amazed the sub-tropical garden looks so good on a cold winter's day. Good to hear you have a repair cafe too. I grew up in 80s C&A wear - such good quality. In fact, I've had a C&A t-shirt since I was ten - I still wear it (there's a picture of me wearing it France back then... it was massive!) xXx
DeleteI love a bandstand! (Although I have a strong memory associated with them as my Gamelan group had a gig in Hyde Park and the bandstand was our meeting place. I arrived in my colourful, floral Cath Kidston rain poncho and my friend Malcolm told me I should have been the meeting point! How rude! ;0) )
ReplyDeleteThe gardens seem a wonderful place to visit!
Sausagey roots/stems made me giggle!! Your Camelia looks grand and reminds me of my grandparents' garden!
Hahahaaha, that's hilarious Kezzie!!! Naughty of your friend to say that, but funny :) :) :) [your rain poncho sounds fab by the way] A Gamelan Group - you are multi-talented Kezzie. Now I want to go to a Gamelan gig at a bandstand, with a floral Cath Kidson lass centrepiece!... Stay safe and sausagey xXX
DeleteHi Lulu! It's lovely to see you in photos!
ReplyDeleteYour camellia is wonderful to see too - how gorgeous!
A picnic sounds like a great idea. See you next week. X
Thank you Jess! I love how gaudy that camellia is in our cold January. Picnics are always good fun, but I made the mistake of taking soup in my flask instead of tea! I see I have missed some summer blogging so I'm heading down under.... Lulu xXx
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