Now seems the perfect time to look back over 2021 in the Ednovean Farm Gardens. It has been a year that has seen some tweaks and changes to the gardens.
There have been some successes and some failures and yet it’s a garden that has always held us close throughout the year and welcomed our guests with the joy of each season.
As I emerged from my Christmas hibernation – somewhat reluctantly I might add – I felt the energy of the garden once more. The thrill that only connecting to the earth can bring and with it, anticipation for the year to come.
As I worked with each handful of soggy leaves I gathered, I exposed the bright fresh green shoots, so full of promises for the year ahead. So join me today in just a little homage to our ever ebullient gardens. Click on the links for each month to delve deeper into the garden’s life of that time.
January in the winter gardens. 2021
January saw The Italian Gardens glow with the romantic glitter of an unusual frost for south west Cornwall. So each morning I returned again and again to the same spot to try to capture the moment.
In January, we carved a new woodland walk through the shelter belt.
Elsewhere, the Orchard was expertly pruned by Sid Hill. We were rewarded in the summer with a bumper crop of apples!
“New spring growth is trying to prise open winters’ waxy fingers.”
Winter in the Ednovean Farm Gardens
February – the living garden
By February the extra minutes of daylight had gathered momentum returning the golden hour to the garden once more and highlighting the awakening garden.
“Each day I treasure the extra minute of daylight, as a cherished gift of spring hopes.”
The living garden – the changing season at Ednovean
March & April Lockdown and Happy Easter
The bulbs I eagerly planted ready for our spring visitors shone in drifts through the garden but sadly we were home alone again in lockdown. We exploited the opportunity to make a mess unseen and made a major change to the Italian Garden. A new west facing entrance was cut at the end of a cross aisle to improve the flow through the gardens
“The Ednovean Garden spans the hillside above Mounts Bay takes visitors on a journey that treads from formal space to open lawns; from carefully clipped topiary to ebullient wild drifts of spring bulbs. In doing so I found the sprit of the garden was something to reflect upon and treasure”
A very Happy Easter to you
May
As spring drew to a close our visitors retuned to share our gardens one more. I was thrilled with the changes to the Italian Gardens with reclaimed materials and meticulous workmanship.
“Maybe there’s just a hint of the Secret Garden about the garden at Ednovean Farm now. The trio of entrances into the Italian Garden, offer tantalising glimpses, into the inviting sub tropical greenery beyond. They have made quite a change to our well loved gardens, this year.”
A hint of the Secret Garden
June – Wild flowers and Echiums
June brought the vibrant energy of summer to the garden, with wild flowers and Echiums vying for space in the borders.
“With their restless motion in the slightest breeze, they add a gently rustling soundtrack to the gardens along with harmonious buzzing of the bees satiated on the tall willowy spires of flowers.”
Wild flowers and Echiums – June at Ednovean Farm
July
July and the height of summer brough a brief heat wave and we sank into the shadow of the Date Palms in the courtyard gardens
“On Summer days, I love to hear the courtyards ring to the calls of the flocks of tiny birds that gather around the bird feeders or watch as the sparrows attempt to ferry strands of hay under the eaves.”
The July Garden Diary for Ednovean Farm
August
The pergola was rebuilt in the Italian Garden and the formal paths edged with smart granite sets.
“August is always a tranquil time for our garden. By late summer the garden rests, almost somnolent with contentment for a year well lived.”
Summer turns to Autumn in our garden
September
At last the irascible weather of the 2021 summer settled into balmy sunshine.
“September brought us an Indian summer of delicious sunshine with occasional damp days when spider’s webs hung like flotsam in the air. September is a time when the final grasses stir and a rush of energy shivers through our green world”
Summer turns to Autumn in our garden
October
The garden is alive once more with the untiring energy that the grasses bring. With the optimism of the season, we planted a first net of Daffodils under the apples trees in the orchard ready for next year.
“Early autumn is always a wonderful month for the grasses here at Ednovean – from tasselled Miscanthus to dramatic Pampas. Each grass will gloriously hold court, just for a season, before fading to a golden blonde and finally being cut back in February.”
Summer turns to Autumn in our garden
November
November saw the last of the fig leaves fade into the delicate palette of winter. The first of the winter rains drove us inside to watch broodingly through the windows. As the days shortened, the garden birds grew hungrier and the garden grew still.
He lands with an audible flurry of wings and feathers as I start to replenish his supply very nearly brushing my feet with his enthusiasm to reach the rich seeds.
From the Ebb and flow of autumn into winter
December
December brought the delicate silver light of winter to our short days. Does the garden dream I wonder? Dream of those halcyon days of spring and summer or does it take each moment in its stride, content just to accompany our days.
Yet as autumn fades into winter, so the garden colours have gently faded to the silver light of winter.
The ebb and flow of autumn into winter
Thank you for joining me for this round up of 2021!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed revisiting the Ednovean Farm gardens. One word I seem to use a lot when writing my garden is “hope.” The hope that only a garden can give in the surety of the season- seasons I’ve tracked for new growth and welcomed an the assurance is has given us through Covid and Lockdowns. Our garden has become the precious space that has given joy and solace to our garden loving guests, yet also provided a habitat for so many vertebrate and invertebrate creatures who accompany us through our year.
And you know, I truly believe we must have the fattest wild birds in the hamlet!
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