West Cornwall feels like another country to me with its lush ferns, palm trees and brightly coloured camellias which flourish in the coastal gardens. No more so than at this time of year when most of the rest of the country is frozen and brown. Another bright winter’s day took us down to the Fal…
Tag: NT
Shadowland
I am always drawn to the courtyard behind the King’s Room at Godolphin with the the fragile doors full of rusty nails, scarred wood and arched tops and where the light streams through the unglazed mullion windows. All photos were taken in colour at the Godolphin Gardens at the end of January with my Olympus…
let there be light
and shadows. When the sun shines during the winter months it is a good opportunity to go out for a few hours. A National Trust garden that stays open throughout the year is Godolphin¹ which is about 11 miles from where I live. The thing I enjoy about this garden, apart from the fact that…
A Garden in Autumn
Not so long ago a garden had pretty much had its day by the end of summer. Decaying plants would be swept away and beds and borders tidied up for the winter. Now though gardens are being seen as places to visit at any time of the year and particularly in autumn when there are…
Walking
I’ve been rubbish at walking this year. Lockdown, the weather, the G7 summit, a lack of energy and motivation, too many people, illness, whatever the excuse I have preferred to stay at home and spend time pottering in my garden. But we all know that walking is good for us, so I am determined to…
Another Monday Spring Walk
To be truthful this was on a Saturday as this particular garden isn’t open on Mondays. Despite the cold wind blowing down from the Arctic the sun was shining as I headed to the Helford River and Glendurgan Gardens. And yes we’ve been here before. And in Rhododendron time, but I know how much Jo…
A Monday Spring Walk
Making the most of the spring sunshine and dry weather this April we popped over to Trelissick last Monday. Still having to book a slot means that you can’t just visit a garden on a whim. The morning began with a somewhat showery day and a bitterly cold northerly wind, but we decided to go…
cornwall in colours: green
As we approach mid-April the signs of spring are all around us in the UK. Unusually for April there is a shortage of showers and an abundance of blue skies though the temperatures barely reach double figures during the day and a bitterly cold northerly wind has made its presence known. Still, wrap up warm…
Easter Monday Magnolia Walk
Sunny and warm weather last week enticed us to visit Lanhydrock, surely the most beautiful garden for magnificent magnolias? From the whitest of white M. stellata ‘Donna’ to the giant voluptuous deep purple goblets of M. ‘Apollo’, there are blooms with all shades in between. As with most National Trust gardens you have to pre-book…
A Change of Scenery
In England we are still in lockdown mode (our third) which began on 6th January 2021, which means that we are only allowed to leave home for essential reasons. Since then most of my journeys have been to the library to collect books ordered online, or the supermarket(s) – I have a choice of two…
Cornwall in Colours 