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Sunday 2 August 2015

The Lost Gardens of Heligan in high summer ...

The last time we visited the Lost Gardens was in the springtime. They were divine. The apple trees, the bluebells and the wild garlic were blooming and the rhododendrons had just passed their best and were dropping great carpets of cerise petals on the ground.  Last week we returned to see them at the height of their summer glory. And, whilst they were very different from how they'd looked in the springtime, they delighted us with displays of ripening fruit, larder-filling vegetable drills and happy farmyard animals hanging out down by the orchards.

I've got nothing against the great Renaissance gardens or the celebrated English Landscape Movement that set out with the single objective of being pretty. All of that stuff rocks, but what really makes my heart sing is a beautiful, practical garden that's full of things I could feed my family with. And that is where these gardens come into their own. Yes, they're pretty. Yes, they please the eye. Yes, they tick all the boxes on the aesthetic check list that add up to good design. But the highest compliment that I can pay them is to say that they, quite literally, look good enough to eat.


The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall




My favourite part is (predictably) the kitchen garden. The central walkway framed by apple trees, bent across the path to create a fruit-laden tunnel is a thing of wonder. On our last visit these lovely trees were covered with sweet-smelling apple blossom. Now they are laden with ripening fruit. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Part of the secret to their successful crop no doubt lies in the stealthy use of the odd drill of snapdragons and zinnias that they grow to attract the bees, who in turn buzz around and help with the whole process of pollination.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

The kitchen garden is so very neat and tidy. There's not a weed in sight, and it's all been laid out with super straight drills that are now bursting with food. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

And for me there's a special type of beauty to be found in those lines of plenty. 


The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall


With all those protective nets and neatly written labels there's a professionalism here that shouts of generations of knowledge and past seasons of trial and error that have perfected the very best way to grow everything.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

The citrus fruit trees have been moved out of the greenhouses, which have been given over for the summer to growing tomatoes.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

In another greenhouse peaches ripen in the sun. They looked amazing to me, and I'm someone who can pop down to the supermarket and buy peaches with ease. Imagine how they must have looked to someone  from the village a hundred years ago who'd never seen them sold in the local shops that us ordinary folk bought our provisions in ... .

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

There were a number or ornamental gourds growing around the garden, which were difficult to photograph in situ. When they were massed together on a shelf in one of the greenhouses, however, they looked like movie props.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

I was also very taken with the globe artichokes, a personal favourite. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

And just look at these old rhubarb forcers: pretty and functional all at the same time.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Large trees, and a thick hedge around the edge of the kitchen garden give shelter.


The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

The story of these gardens will, forever, be entwined with the story of that last generation of gardeners who downed tools to go off and serve their country at the outset of the First World War. And in one of the outbuildings in the melon yard, there's just about the strangest war memorial I've ever set my eyes on. It's their outdoor loo, where the gardeners, who went off to the Great War, signed their names in August 1914 before they left service. Nine of them were never to return.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

In 2013 the Imperial War Museum recorded this Thunderbox room as a Living Memorial to the gardeners of Heligan in its inventory of War Memorials across the country. And maybe I'm just being fanciful but it felt to me as thought the presence of that lost generation was still in evidence throughout the garden: from the empty chair by the window in their tea room ...

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

... and to the frugal way in which a number of the beds were home to plants that were being kept to harvest their seed for next year ...

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

... to the old gardening tools still in evidence as part of the displays ...

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

... and to the rather straggly sunflowers growing politely against the garden wall that seemed so much more genteel and Edwardian than our robust modern hybrids. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

There were times when it felt as though we'd just stepped into a seed catalogue for the cutting garden of our dreams. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

There were bees everywhere, and their efforts were clearly helping to turn the gardens into the triumph that they are today.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall


After the flower garden we followed the woodland trail in the direction of the jungle. We even met a few old friends that we'd seen last time. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

We said Hi to our old friend the Giant, who looked as chipper as ever. And then we tip-toed past the Mud Maid, lest we wake her from our slumbers.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

And this time my eagle-eyed parents spotted the Grey Lady. I'd missed her last time. We'd looked for her, but she can be a bit hard to spot. I think we must have looked straight through her without actually noticing she was there. Both Mr B and I are a bit optically challenged!

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

They say that she looks different in different lights and at different times of the year. I'm wondering whether she really looks totally invisible in early spring. The statue was inspired by sightings of a mysterious lady clad in grey who used to set out on the Georgian Ride ... . 

Next we wandered down into the jungle valley. Last time we were here there was a lot more colour thanks to the rhododendrons. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall


The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall


We wandered back up the hill ... 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

... to the most divine wild flower meadow. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

And these little fellows were living in the open air, snuffling around in the grass for tasty tidbits and generally enjoying the view.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Emi was very taken with this fine lady, who didn't mind in the least if he wanted to have a photo with her. I don't think I've ever met such a calm, friendly ewe. She was very happy to allow the children to stroke her long, matted wool. She's a Devon and Cornwall Long Wool, an old heritage breed.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

The folk here at Heligan are (quite rightly) very proud of her and her chums. They sell their washed fleece in the gift shop. People use their wool for plant insulation, craft projects or leave it in their gardens for their little feathered friends to make nests with. Her wool is very strong, and they've used some of it to spin into a hardwearing, cream-coloured garden twine, which you can also buy in the gift shop. 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

And in the orchard we found a happy flock of hens, geese and ducks who were having a lovely time hoovering up all the windfalls.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Meanwhile, back in the gardens, these little white doves were just hanging out and watching the people as they walked past. There were rather a lot of us, so I think they had an entertaining afternoon to themselves. 


The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall



The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

There's a lot to see, and quite a mileage to cover in the process, so by the end of our day we were all a bit snookered.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

If you happen to be in Cornwall I can think of few better places to visit than these lovely gardens at Heligan. You can find their website here: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, and you can read about our springtime visit here: The Lost Gardens in the springtime.

All the best,

Bonny x

















1 comment:

  1. How simply delightful, Bonny! I really enjoyed your exquisite pics and the virtua tour of lovely gardens at Heligan. Thanks! Have a wonderful August. :)

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