Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

Good news today.

We have been awarded a Bronze in the 'Small Visitor Attraction of the Year' by the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2008 . It was a good evening at the Headland Hotel, Newquay.
Lots of awards being given out by the special guest, Ruby Wax.

Raymond accepted the award and is seen here on the left-hand side with Ruby.

Good to meet old friends again but I'm not much for night life these days!

Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

One of my gardeners called me as she had seen several Galanthus in bloom. It was of course Galanthus reginae-olgae sweetly scented flowering during October and November. It hails from Greece, likes to be in well drained sunny situation although mine are planted in dapple shade, it has silver striped leaves.

Diary Pine lodge Gardens

A lovely weekend brought lots of visitors to the garden and all were able to sit and enjoy the sunshire.

Last Friday one of our Muscovey ducks who has been sitting on the island produced 2 ducklings they were shivering so I took them home and after a few hours in the warm started to cheep away merrily now 5 days old they are really doing well .

It has been a bad year for ducklings as the wet is not good for them they suffer with pneumonia.

Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

A bar headed goose arrived today down the lake they live in Bhuttan in the winter but this one must be from someones collection and it has gone fly about, last year we had one arrive and I researched them and it seems they travel from India to the Himalaya to winter and climbers hear them overhead as they travel a thousand miles a day by night and they call to one another to keep in touch.

Our first Primrose out in the garden this morning the spring like weather has roused them from slumber.

Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

Canada Geese arrived in there hundreds today but only stayed for a couple of hours and now gone again they cleared the grain bin. Quite a sight!!

The 3 new Begonias planted in the Japanese garden have done so well B. grandis evansiana 'Alba' has grown to 3 ft and has been in flower for weeks B. g. e. 'Sappora ' is much smaller but is such a pretty shade of pink. I notice they have seeded down so look forward to next year.

An early view of the Winter Garden

Our Winter Garden has been in preparation over the last three years. I thought that you'd be interested to see some 'progress' views.

The view seen here was taken much earlier this year and there's been a tremendous amount of growth during the summer - lots of damp weather, encouraging the extra growth!

It's a little far away but you should be able to make out the centre-piece statue of the stag, I hope?

I'll get some new photographs of the Winter Garden in the next few days so that you can see how much it's matured.

Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

Strong winds over the weekend has caused some damage in the Winter Garden a Cestrum x cultum 'Cretan Purple' in full bloom had its head broken off the weight of the flowers full of rain was too much for it to take.

My bulb order arrived a few weeks ago and a 100 Sternbergia lutea were sent in error of Scilla tubergeniana the company Gee Tee very kindly allowed me to keep the wrong bulbs and they have flowered and were quite a sight.

Pine Lodge Gardens

We planted a three acre winter garden in the Spring of 2007 and managed to collect over 600 different plants to either give enjoyment of the flowers, coloured leaves or berries; white, yellow, red, orange and trees with good bark colouring.

The flowers are mostly from Australia and New Zealand; Correas, Grevillea, although the Asters stay for many weeks until our late frosts finish them off.

Pine Lodge Gardens & Nursery

The Eden Project today asked if we had some conkers and we were able to supply a box full which they are using for a children game, the tree was planted in memory of our friends son and it has grown really well and this year a wealth of fruit although earlier the fruits were very small.

The Lapageria rosea and L. 'Flesh Pink' are looking magnificent, fifty or more waxy bells hanging this morning they usually last through to February if the winter is not too hard.

Pine Lodge Gardens & Nursery

October 2nd 2008

Trouble this year with blanket weed we had cleaned the pond out. A visitor suggested we put in a couple of grass carp as last year the otter from nearby Luxylan Valley had taken all our 25 year old Koi.

Sadly the otter remembered us and yesterday he had them as well.

Frog and toad spawn and newts have done well nothing to eat them this year.

Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

!st October
A very windy night lots of leaves down big clear up as we do every day.Had to cut down crocosmias as the wet during the summer had caused them to rot long before there time. The fruits from the Diospyros lotus all over the ground quite pungent to eat , we grow D.kaki and D wilsonii makes a pretty small tree we grow clematis over all three. Canada geese have arrived down the lake I counted 45 this morning they are always trying to dominate so lots of small disagreement and feathers fly.