As winter draws to a close, I can sum it up in one word: soggy. Dreams of bracing walks along the beach beneath clear, blue skies have been denied, replaced by nightmare navigations along muddy paths and through swampy fields.
I promise myself every year that I will visit more gardens during the winter (Anglesey Abbey is high on my list), but the dismal weather and a bevy of bugs has put paid to that idea for another nine months. Instead, I kicked off the season in fine style, with a trip to the West Country for Bosvigo Hellebore Day. I was greeted at Truro station by comfortingly Cornish mizzle, which accompanied me (as has an gluttonous appetite for Cornish pasties) for the entire 36 hours of my trip.
In Cornwall the spring is already well advanced: orderly rows of golden daffodils straddle the fields; brightly coloured camellias adorn garden boundaries like corsages on a greatcoat, and buxom magnolia buds stand proudly atop naked branches, waving their bawdy greetings to the advancing year. Yet the sky is still leaden and the ground is still sodden; not the best conditions for anything growing at ground level. So this year I will skip Wendy Perry’s superlative hellebores, which were as lovely as ever (if a little past their peak), and look upwards for inspiration instead.
One of Bosvigo’s finest trees, and an evergreen one at that, is Drimys winteri (above), otherwise known as Winter’s bark. The name derives from one Captain John Winter, compatriot of Sir Francis Drake, who discovered that the Chillean tree’s bark was a useful source of vitamin C during a voyage around Cape Horn. Since its discovery in the 16th Century, Drimys winteri has been presented an Award of Garden Merit by the RHS and has found its way into the gardens of many discerning collectors. In the UK it makes a big, bushy tree with glossy, laurel-like leaves borne right down to the ground. Mature plants display smooth, mahogany-coloured trunks and branches. Jasmine-scented, white flowers, which usually appear in late spring, are the main event. They are presented in generous corymbs at the centre of each leaf rosette, rendering a large specimen in full bloom a sight to behold. It’s the one tree I hanker after for my garden, and one day I hope to have a plot big enough to offer Winter’s bark a home-from-home.
Bosvigo’s woodland garden is beautifully structured, with scented shrubs and small trees forming an elegant understorey beneath towering beeches. Most of the witch hazels (Hamamelis spp.), were long over, but one lingered on. I fancy it might have been a variety called ‘Orange Beauty’. Whatever the name, it was a splendid specimen with a low, spreading structure covered in fragrant, coral-orange flowers. Witch hazels are no good for me as they hate both waterlogged (London) and chalky (Broadstairs) soils, but I am happy to admire them in gardens where they are truly happy.
Tonight I am back on the Night Riviera Sleeper to the bright lights of London and, no doubt, more soggy weather. Regular readers will be glad to know that I have discovered a cure for my cough – Cornish pasties. I have been coughing less since I started eating them so, naturally, I will have to complete the full course of treatment, just to be on the safe side.
Wishing you all a good week ahead.
Other posts about Drimys winteri: 2013
Other posts about Bosvigo: 2015, 2014
Categories: Cornish Gardens, Cornwall, Flowers, Foliage, Photography, Plants, Trees and Shrubs
I love this orange peel flower!
Great photos Dan and glad to hear that the pasties have sorted out the cough!! I hope you have a take away box for the train journey home!
Well, I did take a sneaky half on the train in case of emergencies, but I didn’t need it in the end. Perhaps I can have it for breakfast …..?
oh no cold cornish pasty first thing in the morning – thats horrible!!
Don’t worry, I saved it for lunch and had a croissant instead. Similar shape but that’s where the similarity ends!
Actually I think that’s worse…! Don’t go down with food poisoning!!
Witch Hazel is one of my favorites . . . a customer was just in our shop last week announcing that she was heading out on a hike specifically to seek out the reddish/yellow beauties . . . . the day was wonderfully warm and sunny . . . I should have jumped over the counter and joined her for an afternoon escape . . . alas I did not. Thanks for the delightfully written description of your travels and the photos. You really have a way with words that I enjoy.
Really enjoyed your post, and had not heard Bosvigo Hellebore Day..Sounds like a good one to keep in mind for another year. Never really paid attention to D. winteri before, but shall take note now…Lovely flowers, and with a Jasmine scent…looks very appealing… Have seen the red-stemmed D. lanceolata in a local plantswomans’ garden, but not in bloom. Hope things dry up a little in London soon. Glad you’ve found just the right medicine for your cold : )
Few things are worse than lingering coughs – glad to hear you’re on the mend! That Orange Beauty witch hazel blew me away – so very beautiful. And I learned about a new (for me) tree. I had never heard of a Drimys winteri before, but now I’m intrigued…
I’m pleased! It’s a classy tree, but it requires space and shelter to look its best. Have a great week.
Glad Cornwall has worked its magic on you once again. Lovely photos, the drimys is magnificent. 🙂
It’s amazing what sea air can do for you …. just ask my hair stylist 😉
I hope that you get to enjoy more garden walks soon.
I’m intrigued by Anglesey Abbey as well – it seems to be widely recommended as a winter garden, but it’s a bit of a drive, while Dunham Massey, another good one, is nearby. I love your shots of the witch hazels and the comparison between the close up and the one showing the effect of all the flowers on the branches – they’re not at all easy to photograph.
‘Orange Beauty’ lives up to her name. And if it isn’t called that well, it should be. The Drimys is a new one on me too, it’s now pinned to my wish list.
Good choice! There is an Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Peel’ too, an equally appropriate name 😀
Informational as ever, but the thing that was complete news to me was that the sleeper train’s back.
I spent the first night of my honeymoon on the sleeper going the other way (we spent our honeymoon on the Scillies) and I thought the service had ceased. Did I imagine that?
What a beautiful post – thank you for sharing your trip to Cornwall’s botanical beauties! I love the witch hazel looking ‘truly happy’ and had wondered about growing it in our garden, although might check whether the soil is suitable now.
I gather they can be a little particular. Good, well drained, humusy soil is a start, and if your soil tends to get waterlogged then it helps to plant them on a shallow mound.
We’ve got a shallow walled bed, I may try it there. Thanks for the tip.