Visits to Gardens February 2008

[David Nicholson]

It was a beautiful day yesterday and it was also Wednesday, and what do the Nicholson's do on a Wednesday? It's day out day. This time we visited Pine Lodge Gardens on the outskirts of St. Austell in Cornwall, about 1 hours drive from home. The Garden is about 20 minutes drive from The Eden Project.

We had not been to this garden before but we shall certainly go again. It covers about 32 acres is, privately owned, and is open every day apart from three days over the Christmas period. It has an excellent tea shop with plenty of CAKES. See www.pine-lodge.co.uk

The garden has a pinetum, wooded areas, general planting areas, a lake, and my favourite, a winter garden. The winter garden was started in 2005 and includes winter flowering shrubs under planted with huge drifts of Crocuses and Iris reticulata forms. It also has a nursery with a good selection of home grown plants. I was able to buy Maureen a Valentine's Day Gift (I remembered did you?) of a lovely Helleborus x ericsmithii.

A few pictures.

The first six some general views the last two of which show part of the Winter Garden with, in the last one, a flower smelling the flowers! The seventh is iris unguicularis-why can't I get mine to flower like that? The eighth Helleborus Dave's Star-I had to take that! Then one for the Snowies followed by Cyclamen cyprium.

[David Nicholson]

A few more from Pine Lodge Gardens. Camellias were in full flower all through the Gardens and the first four shots show the variety in colour and flower form; followed by three Conifer shots because I like the shapes they make, and finally a couple of shots of Black Swans on the lake.

[Paddy Tobin]

The Davidsons visit very nice places each Wednesday. Great photographs, David, obviously a nice place to visit.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

David the AGS Ulster Group visited there a few years ago and many other gardens in Cornwall

[Brian Ellis]

David it is interesting to see it in the winter, last time we were there was in August 2006 and it was simply wonderful, do go again.

[ashley]

Then one for the Snowies followed by Cyclamen cyprium.

Nice pictures David. 
Iris unguicularis here started last July (due to the warm dry spring followed by cool wet summer?) but finished in December. 
That cyclamen is coum.

[Lvandelft]

Good pictures David! Curious where you take us next Wednesday?

[andré B]

Pine Lodge is a nice garden which we always visit when in Cornwall. Thanks David for showing those pics. I remember when visiting asking the lady owner of the garden about Daphne bholua, which is a rare and difficult plant in the Netherlands, and how it performed as I knew she had several but I had not been able to find it, going round the garden. She took me to it to show and the reason I had missed it was that i had been looking down for it. As it was an enormous plant of several meters high I had missed it because i should have been looking up. In their nursery i bought a seedling from that plant which is now over 2 meters high here and flowering: anice reminder of their beautiful garden!

[David Nicholson]

Andre,I'm pleased the pictures brought back memories. If it is any consolation I didn't see Daphne bholua either!


Luit, next Wednesday may have to be shopping it seems shoes are needed. We have been married for 37 years and by far the greater proportion of those years have been spent in shoe shops!

Ashley, my Iris unguicularis hasn't flowered at all Thanks for correcting the Cyclamen coum I should have known, but once again I believed what it said on the label!

Brian, we were so impressed with the garden that we bought a 'Friends of' ticket and we can now go as many times as we like.

[ashley]

David,

Well when I say my unguicularis flowered July-December, much of the time it was pretty sporadic (enough to keep the slugs from developing habits) 

[Lvandelft]

Luit, next Wednesday may have to be shopping it seems shoes are needed. We have been married for 37 years and by far the greater proportion of those years have been spent in shoe shops!

So David, if you both needed so many shoes during these years, you both must be very fit people!
Or did you collect them before you collected plants?     

[mark smyth]

sorry wrong thread -over excited!

[David Nicholson]

Luit, next Wednesday may have to be shopping it seems shoes are needed. We have been married for 37 years and by far the greater proportion of those years have been spent in shoe shops!

So David, if you both needed so many shoes during these years, you both must be very fit people!
Or did you collect them before you collected plants?     

Luit, we didn't BOTH need shoes, only one us, and the 'one' wasn't me!!

[Lvandelft]

Luit, we didn't BOTH need shoes, only one us, and the 'one' wasn't me!!

Well David, she'll be the fittest of you two?   
But okay, I understand your problem, maybe not with shoes but..... after 42 years. 

[David Nicholson]

Luit, we didn't BOTH need shoes, only one us, and the 'one' wasn't me!!

Well David, she'll be the fittest of you two?   
But okay, I understand your problem, maybe not with shoes but..... after 42 years. 

At 42 years Luit, do you get a medal as a long service award