Pine Lodge Gardens, Cornwall

2009-01-13T11:04:00.003Z

Not long now before all our Snowdrops are fully out. Our "Snowdrop fortnight" starts on Sunday, the 1st February and runs until the 14th.

We have 38 different varieties of Snowdrops throughout our gardens, mainly in the Woodland and the Winter Gardens. One variety that won't be part of this display actually flowers every September!

The Helleborus have recovered from minus -5 degrees. They hung their heads rather but all are coming out now and looking great.

2009-01-12T10:52:00.002Z

The Chimonanthus praecox are in full bloom and the scent is wonderful quite a tiny flower but worth cutting a few sprigs and bringing them in the warmth of the office.
I planted 5 in the new winter garden two years ago and they are already in bloom.

A few of the Quince left over from last year have attracted the squirrels half eaten fruit left about.

The Hamamelis mollis is in full flower and such a sight and so scented. No garden should be without a plant.

2009-01-02T09:15:00.004Z

No mystery the flowers were Jasminium nudiflorum I forgot to name it. I have just toured the garden and the most spectacular flowers in bloom are the five seedling Daphne bholua already 12ft in height the scent prevails all over the Cottage garden. Lovely to see the Bumble Bees working the flowers so I will have seed again this year.

Shirley's Mystery Photo

2008-11-14T08:57:00.002Z

2008-11-12T08:33:00.002Z

2008-11-11T11:13:00.001Z

On my morning stroll around the garden today, a view of the Lapageria rosea that grow on the wall by my office. A lovely bright sunny morning as well !

Diary of Pine Lodge Gardens

2008-10-17T11:02:00.007+01:00

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

2008-10-15T11:05:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-14T08:33:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-10T11:21:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-07T10:59:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-06T16:56:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-06T10:55:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-04T10:39:00.005+01:00

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

2008-10-03T09:26:00.006+01:00

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

2008-10-02T08:49:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-01T09:20:00.003+01:00

!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.

An overview of the garden

2008-09-30T22:34:00.002+01:00

Unlike many Cornish gardens, Pine Lodge is an "all year round" garden including a three acre Winter Garden first planted in 2006 and with ongoing development. Herbaceous borders, a spring garden with over 80 Magnolias and 250 Camellias, thousands of snowdrops and bluebells, an authentic Japanese garden, an Arboretum and Pinetum, a Lake boasting a breeding pair of Black Swans and many breeds of ducks. Water features.

The National Collection of Grevilleas is held here. Seeds from plant hunting expeditions for the nursery of rare and unusual plants.

It's an easy garden to visit for the elderly with plenty of seats and a good tea room with home made cakes and Cornish cream teas.

Pine Lodge Gardens - The Start

2008-09-30T22:31:00.002+01:00

The history of the land goes back to the 1800 when the land was mined for copper and tin. There is a wealth of old trees which have been a wonderful backcloth for the garden. Pine Lodge Garden was developed in 1976 by the present owners, Ray & Shirley Clemo, and now totals 30 acres, having been able to purchase more land over the years.