Saturday, May 29, 2021

May at Alternative Eden

This time  of year is one of my favourites, as the garden wakes up and all the fresh new growth hints at what comes ahead. Spring has been cool, so the garden seems a little behind this year. But regardless of that, I thought it was a good time to share a few photos of whats looking good at the moment. The top patio is a little chaotic at the moment as a result of the new pond project....

Friday, May 28, 2021

Petasites frigidus var. palmatus ‘Golden Palms’

We have grown Petasites frigidus var. palmatus ‘Golden Palms’ in the jungle part of the garden for well over ten years. In recent years it seems to have suffered from drier conditions, but with Covid-19 enforcing working from home rather than the office the garden has benefited from more water as one of us has been about during the day a lot more. As a result we have seen it spread and recover...

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Pond Update

Theres a strange smell in the garden at the moment! We are having the new pond fibreglassed, and whilst we will tackle most jobs in the garden this is one to leave to the professionals. The pond was lined with insulated board, partly to help with heat retention if we cover in winter and also to give a smooth finish to the walls. The slightly unusual shape is more obvious now, This was a...

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Multiheaded Trachycarpus

Whilst exploring at Pinetum Gardens we spotted a rather unusual Trachycarpus fortunei, one with seven (yes Seven!) headsChecking it closely it has a single trunk at ground level before branching into the seven heads, all roughly aligned in a row. As to what has caused this oddity, we dont know, perhaps the growing point was damaged as a young plant and this was the result.What ever caused this...

Saturday, May 22, 2021

The Japanese Garden at Pinetum Gardens

 As we continued our garden visits in Cornwall, we revisted Pinetum Gardens (Previosuly known as Pine Lodge and also Pinetum Park) in St Austell, a garden that is in many ways a series of gardens rather than a single whole, although the combined garden is an enjoyable place to visit. We featured the garden after our last visit in 2013, however for this post we wanted to feature just part of...

Friday, May 21, 2021

Lamorran House Garden

 The next garden from our Cornish trip is Lamorran House Garden.  Close to St Mawes, on a south facing slope overlooking the estuary for the River Fal, the garden has an enviable microclimate. According to their website, the last recorded frost was in 1987!We have visited the garden a few times over the years, although we haven't previously blogged about it. Since our last visit there has...

Thursday, May 20, 2021

St Just in Roseland Church

One unusual "Garden" visit in Cornwall is the church yard at St Just in Roseland. The church dates from the 13th Century and is built by a tidal creek, local legend claims that Joseph of Arimathea brought a young Jesus to Cornwall, and that he landed at St Just in Roseland. Regardless of legends, the location really is stunning, with the graveyard and ancient gravestones hosting a delightful garden. The...

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Trewidden Gardens

 A new garden for us in Cornwall was Trewidden. We had previously visited the Nursery on the site (Now at Penbeth Plants).Trewidden is fairly classic Cornish Estate garden, connected to the large house, with walled gardens and informal pleasure gardens.  On entering the garden, fairly quickly we met a stunning group of tree ferns.The gardens are fairly typical estate gardens, established...

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Tremenheere Sculpture Garden

Just outside Penzance is Tremenheere Sculpture Garden, a garden we last visited in 2013 however after a long delay we recently visited again.A fairly new garden in Cornwall, we have seen some significant changes over the last 8 years, including more facilities for visitors. We were not there for the cafe and gift shop, so the maturing gardens were a delight.Entering the garden over a small stream,...

Monday, May 10, 2021

Jungle Musing

We initially shared this view of the jungle pathway on Facebook recently and was surprised at the number of people asking about the plant on the left (Daphniphyllum macropodum). We have grown this Daphniphyllum macropodum for around four years or so and have others in the garden, fairly unfussy but with large glossy leaves adding to the tropical vibe quite nicely. This part of the...

Tuesday, May 04, 2021

Sending Out to The Universe

Have to say I'm not one to ask out there for opinions, but there is a particular pot in our garden that I was in two minds what to do with, that I had to send it out to the universe for further opinions.This pot was already in the garden when we moved in with a Wisteria growing in it. The plant has been long gone but the pot remained in situ for over a decade as it was in a well hidden spot, away...

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