And then we set off on a garden adventure like no other. For very many years…..I’ve wanted to visit Tresco Abbey Garden in the Isles of Scilly, which are not easy to reach (scattered as this archipelago is) off the southernmost tip of the Cornish coast. It was the lure of this seemingly magical and intriguing place that was the catalyst for our sojourn in Cornwall. Rather than up-sticks, we opted to make the trip in a day, and oh what a day it was: up with the sparrows and a drive to Lands End; up, up and away, for about 15 minutes before landing at St. Mary’s, followed by a wee bus journey, then a ferry which decanted us on a promontory…
from where we had a pleasant walk through enchanting wild grasses waving gently in the breeze…..
on the shores of dazzling white sands and turquoise waters…..
before entering the gates that would transport us to another world altogether….of palms and agaves, all manner of succulents and crazy, colourful, rockbound plants.
In some respects, it felt like Sydney’s Botanic Garden (or that pocket handkerchief I spent so much time in as a child, Blackburn Gardens, on the edge of the harbour).
There were great plantings of tree ferns, succulent covered tree trunks, handsome specimens of the giant Tree Echium (so prevalent in Cornwall) as well as crumbling ruins and tales of Benedctine Monks, pirates, shipwrecks and treasure, alongside the extraordinary passion and vision of Augustus Smith, who began pursuing his dream of a garden here in 1834….it’s continuum assured by each generation since to the present day. The whole thing is quite captivating, if mildly bizarre.
I was so taken with this stand of Isoplexis canariensis, I’m determined to try and grow it once again – I just need to find the right spot….
While I doubt there’s anywhere at Glenmore that’s suitable for a shell grotto like the rather splendid one made by Lucy Dcrrien-Smith. I always fall for anything made of shells and this was no exception.
And although there were vegetable gardens and hothouses, orchards and beehives, I want to show you just a little of what we discovered on leaving the garden in order to traipse across the headland to catch the ferry from the other side….
Back out in the real world, we took a long walk, past an exquisite sandy beach and up to a rocky peak with exceptional views over the islands….
and soon found ourselves in vegetation more in keeping with the hills of bonny Scotland. What an incredible land of extraordinary contrasts, clear air, bright skies, romantic notion.
The whole day was captivating….most particularly, the landscape. Absolute heaven. We almost ran down the hill on the other side to be sure to catch the next ferry….the bus….the plane….before the drive….and utterly exhausted….dinner….safely back on the Roseland peninsular! I doubt there’ll ever be another garden adventure quite like this one.