Enchanted trail
Hello m' piskies,
Shhh, not many people know it, but there's a little fairy colony on the outskirts of Truro (spot the Enchanted trail on the map here). High up in the trees a wise owl presides over the comings and goings and all is at peace. Wooden trip trap bridges lead beside a stream and the path is edged with fallen branches. The fairies are shy, but the occasional creature can be found.
Why are owls deemed to be wise?
Although their brains are no bigger than any other birds' (in fact their eyes are so flippin' big, there may not be much room for brains, and they are positively slow compared to the cunning crow) ... they sit silently, watching and listening. Their nocturnal nature and spinning heads make them appear like an omnipresent all seeing eye. The Ancient Greeks believed owls' night vision and stealth flight abilities lent them a mystical inner light. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War adopted the owl and was often depicted with one.
When to be weary of owls -
''Hark! Peace! It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman... He is about it.' - One of only two lines I actually remember from studying Macbeth at school. For Shakespeare, owls were an ill omen.
'The owls are not what they seem' - Twin Peaks (David Lynch)
A magnificent, proud antlered beast made from twigs and leaves-
Just some of the fairy houses we found along the trail -
Whilst we were over Truro way, we popped into Bosvigo Garden's annual open event in aid of Shelterbox.
Bosvigo holds a national collection of Hellebores. Some were on show in the small woodland garden (the inner nerd in me would have liked some slate labeling) -
Hellebores are really very beautiful. They are notoriously expensive though, due to trickier propagation techniques. Here individual plants ranged from £16 - £26, but already most had been snapped up. Many are propagated from tissue culture - to create a clone of the parent plant. Growers may also need to pay a licensing fee to the original hybridizer. As with other perennials, they can be divided, but are slower to recover. (I notice the Alpine Garden Society had hellebore seed on their recent seed swap list - I may try this next year - but would have to wait four years for them to flower.)
Here's the handsome Georgian house standing behind a burnt umber, rustling beech hedge.
We sat in a wooden arbor and listed to the mesmerizing sound of tall bamboo clinking in the wind.
Before I go, aren't gardeners kind folk. Look at this beautiful parcel of treats that arrived from the lovely Cherie (NorthYorkshireCraftGuru and BackGardenVeggiePlot). It really cheered me up :) There is much kindness in this world.
That's all for today folks.
I hope that you are keeping well.
Lulu xXx
Mornin' me little Cornish slate miner. Glad they arrived safely and hope you scatter them around your garden with wild abandon. You can think of me in the summer when you are collecting runner beans from your garden.. :-) And why didn't I think of slate as plant markers.. I'm off out to see if I can pinch some from my friends garden.... she really won't mind.
ReplyDeleteYes I will do the seed scatter dance Cherie. If your neighbour doesn't have any slate in her garden, look for a local roof top. A quick shimmy up and down the drainpipe, sorted xXx
DeleteI bet I shimmy down faster than I shimmy up :-)
DeleteHi there Mrs Fairy finder, looks like you have found a virtual fairy village on your latest travels :) How lovely that you have blogging buddy post, things to plant are always a nice surprise. I will be eyeing up the neighbourhood slate roofing now, any bits that fall off are going to be mine - I like your idea. I saw some rolls of offcut fake grass outside a house the other day, soon snaffled by someone with more vision that me - although it's not my cup of tea, I later realised it would make a wonderful footpath for my future (still on the 100 year waiting list) allotment. I have moaned about the missed wombling opportunity so much that hubby has promised to buy me a strip if and when the need arises!
DeleteHello Betty, fingers crossed there will be lots of fake grass off cuts available between now and getting your allotment, if they're not skipped!. Whilst not a fan of it (a neighbour has their whole garden covered in it, with no plants at all!), it would make a good hard wearing path. I can't remember if I told you that I put my name down for my 2 x preferred, nearest allotments. There are others available, but it would require a big drive, which I can't really justify. With any luck I'll get one just as I retire, in 25+ years time :0 Lulu xXx
DeleteDon't worry, your secret is safe with me, but I'll be sure to search out the Enchanting Trail and fairy colony if I ever make to Cornwall again. How utterly delightful. As are those Hellebores! I'm sure there would have been quite a few drool-worthy varieties out there! I had no idea they were so tricky to propagate, though.
ReplyDeleteI've got the most wonderful memories of Helston, by the way. Jos and I stayed in an idyllic B&B on the outskirts of Helston when we were just married, and before that, I was there with my then boyfriend and a friend, and I remember visiting a pub called The Blue Anchor, which had its own brewery, which the landlord allowed us to have a peak at. xxx
Thank you Ann for keeping the Enchanted trail close to your chest. Ah yes, I know The Blue Anchor in Helston! I went past it just last week and I think I went in many years ago, as I remember an old skittle alley. I shall have to go on an official reconnaissance to sample the in house brewed beer, and report back ;) Lulu xXx
DeleteWhat a sweet and magical place your fairy walk is. Totally can swear I saw the deer and his antlers move, and smile just a bit. Loved this, Sandi
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandi, glad you liked it. The deer winks too ;) xXx
DeleteWhat lovely little fairy houses - we brought home a little fairy door that someone was selling outside their house, when we went to Cornwall last May. Husband has attached it to the hollow in one of the tree trunks in the garden and L purchased a little tin fairy to live inside!
ReplyDeleteI love hellebores - we have a couple in our garden that we inherited. Our Aldi was selling them a few weeks ago for £7 I think it was so I may purchase a couple more.
How lovely to create a little fairy habitat in your garden :) I am sure the tin fairy is very happy in there. You are lucky to inherit some hellebores. They are not a plant I see too often in people's gardens ( I do like having a good nosey at other people's gardens!) xXx
DeleteDear Lulu
ReplyDeleteWhat a magical trail that looks. It's the sort of thing I would have loved as a child. I am very fond of hellebores and am slowly building up my small collection.
Have a happy and magical week
Best wishes
Ellie
Oh the kids loved it Ellie! The only thing that would have made it better would have been a bench to plonk my bottom and drink m' flask of coffee (the ground was very soggy). I have been admiring your hellebore collection! Wishing some magic this week too, amongst all the world chaos xXx
Deletei see the fairies - they wear bright anoraks and cute hats :-D
ReplyDeleteits indeed an enchanting path! and even the sun was shining..... did´t know that helleborous are so expensive - i "inherited" some from a city garden/allotment that was turned into building property - the BW rescued a lot of different plants from there. the hellebourouses were not really happy to be transported around - one has only 2 flowers after 3 years, the others zero.
but - i´m happy like a clam about this two beautiful cream white flowers in the border :-D
<3 xxxx
Haha, yes those particular fairies weren't very camouflaged Beate! The blue sky was very much appreciated after a storm, soggy start to the week. Well done to the BW for rescuing those plants from the city garden. Fingers crossed the hellebores recover, in the same way they do when separated, albeit slowly xXx
DeleteHey Beate, I was thinking of you the other night when I caught a bit of 'The Romantics and Us with Simon Schama' on BBC 4. He was talking of German artists and writers at the time of Napoleon's invasion; how they used the ancestral woods and forests as 'anchorage'. He mentioned Casper David Fredrick, which I remember you saying had settled by the Wachwitz / Dresden vineyard by the Elbe ? -
Deletehttp://bahnwaerterhaeuschen.blogspot.com/2021/11/reich-beschenkt-mit-nachhaltigem-gift.html
love that you´r interested in this!
Deleteour little nook of the world has inspired a many romantic painters, writers and composers!
i.e.: in the paintings of caspar david friedrich, ludwig richter, adrian zingg (lived all in dresden) one can recognize the landscape around BWH, richard wagner (a dresdner too) and carl maria von weber (had a house in pillnitz) got inspired to their operas and hans christian anderson wandered around and wrote a little book about.......
if you like, look up the button "wander werbung/promotion" in my sidebar - there you find a list with posts about the romantic landscape - photos galore :-D
<3 xxx
What a lovely secret (shhhh won't tell anyone) and excellent way to spend an adventure too!
ReplyDeleteI like a labelled plant - not in my own garden though, but in one that is for visiting .
I am always staggered at the price of hellebores - I have one which does not inspire any deep joy in me but I split it every couple of years or so (for it is a large monster) and find it good homes.
Shhhh, thanks Kate :) Plant labels in gardens are so useful for identifying precise hybridizations aren't they! ... otherwise I have no hope :0 And the labels need not be ugly plastic ones. The National Dahlia collection near Camborne has lovely slate tiles with white pen marker. I wish we lived near each other, then I could nab some monster hellebore ;) xXx
DeleteHi Lulu, What an enchanting place! I quite often hear the owls in the woodland behind us and they make some unearthly sounds sometimes. I imagine your girls loved the fairy houses. Hellebores are beautiful aren't they? Ashwood Nurseries have a fantastic selection and I have bought from them in the past. Just had a nosey on their website. Check these out! For the most dedicated of Hellebore enthusiast! https://www.ashwoodnurseries.com/shop/plants/hellebores/helleborus-ashwoodevolution-group-mixed-coll-four.html I knew they were difficult to cultivate but didn't realise they take 4 years to flower from seed. How lovely to receive a parcel of treats through the post! Have a good week. xxx
ReplyDeleteOh yes Claire, Ashwood Nurseries have quite a stash don't they! Maybe a van's worth would be nice for the future woodland garden, once I win the lotto (which I don't actually play :0) The most expensive plant that has tempted me is Aeonium 'Medussa' from Surreal Succulents - £55. However, I break into a sweat once I spend over £10 for a non-essential item :0 The seed treats from good ol' Cherie were spot on. Enjoy the hooting and other unearthly sounds from the woods behind your house xXx
DeleteOooh, how exciting to visit the fairies!!! They have bonny doors!
ReplyDeleteThe Hellebores are beautiful. Much prettier than my dull Hellebores which are a lemony green colour. I cut them right back last year and they seem to have not minded. How nice is that card you received with the seeds!
Thanks Kezzie :) The fairies had bonny little staircases too, and some had gathered little trinket treats! I remember Monty Don saying on Gardeners World that over time his Hellebores (the cross fertilised, self-seeded ones) had become dull, so he gave them a revamp. I can't wait to sow those Cherie seeds! xXx
DeleteWhat a delightful fairy trail. All those wee doors, gorgeous. I don't buying a hellebore would be a good idea for me, I am notorious for killing anything that flowers, that would be a lot to spend on a plant that I am very sure of killing. Thank you for mentioning using slate as a plant label, you have just inspired me to create that very thing, we have loads of slate around here. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a sweet trail. It was apparently made around the first lockdown and has been hugely popular with local families. It is very disheartening when a plant, especially a more expensive one does not take. I get a real kick from growing things from seed, cuttings or division where possible, and my purse appreciates that also ;) Enjoy the slate gathering! (My eldest daughter has some rip off Posca pens, that are very good for the permanent writing) xXx
DeleteGosh, I'm slow getting here but I'm so glad I didn't miss this delightful post. Love stories of the little people mingling almost everywhere in Cornwall - and to think you found their houses on display, very magical. All good wishes Lulu, enjoy the rest of the week - well, as far as you can at this time of unrest. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHello Mike, thank you :) The little people are very mischievous. Hope you are well. Will be popping over shortly for a nosey ... xXx
DeleteDelightful stories and photo's, as with Mike's blog, you promote the Cornish myths and legends well. I enjoyed reading this post with a cup of tea, I'm a big tea drinker too. 😃 🐢 🐕
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear you had a good cup of tea David! I find it always makes the day run more smoothly ;) Watch out for the piskies xXx
DeleteThis fairy walk is absolutely beautiful. Owl are gorgeous birds, I'm always amazed at how graceful they are.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ivana m' luverly. Owls are just beautiful aren't they! xXx
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