The glorious month of May and nature has woven a silken thread thorough the garden spontaneous reclaiming the carefully planned spaces with flamboyant mischievously places flowers as though she chose to sprinkle a little fairy dust across the landscape. The sea has never glowed as blue as it has this May, to make a perfect backdrop to our days in the garden and we’ve been busy re ordering some of the spaces in the Italian Garden. So join me for this month’s garden diary for the fabulous month of May.
Restoring a hint of order!
With the rapid almost year round growth of Cornwall’s sub tropical climate the gardens at Ednovean farm are maturing rapidly – too rapidly in fact and it was time for a major cull to the hedges so this month we set about .reclaiming the view to the sea and Perranuthnoe from the main lawn before opening up the Italian garden to the gravel border on one flank. In fact Charles found that natty pruning saw I bought him last month a useful weapon, as we reviewed the rampant spring growth but taking great care to check for bird’s nest before we started.
Reclaiming the sea view
Each job has brought its own rewards. On the main lawn restoring the view of village in the valley below against the backdrop of the sea, has reconnected the garden to the outer landscape.
Finding the Olive Trees again
In the Italian garden removing the hedge beside the gravel border has restored the proportions of the lawns there and allowed a little cobbled terrace to fill with sunshine again.
The row of sapling Olive trees behind the Italian Garden that we originally planted to mark our tenth wedding anniversary in 2001, has matured to proper trees in our absence.
The Olive trees were originally suggested by Ian Lowe, who designed much of the garden, to give a feel of the Mediterranean beyond the garden but they had all but vanished behind the high hedge. Well they are about to be restored to centre stage – just a little more pruning to do! (see the album below!)
This month’s garden stars
Echium Pininana
The stars of the border still this May has still to be the magnificent Echiums A native of Tenerife that seeds itself unchecked around the garden and forms a swaying guard around the lawns.
Seedlings are easily found with their spotted leaves that at first form a small shrub before shooting up to flower in tow but most often three years before casting its seeds far and wide at the end of their life cycle. Be sure to have two stages of the growth cycle in the garden to guarantee (frosts aside) seeing them in your garden each summer. Frost tender.
Phlomis fruticosa
Such a handsome Mediterranean shrub grown in gardens for over 400 years and a real highlight of our long border but my goodness those aromatic leaves are “sniffle making” to work near for too long!
Very easy to take cutting from as I discovered and enjoys a fairly limey soil and it is hardy except in the coldest spots
Cordyline Australis
As the month has drawn to a close the palms that form a windbreak by “combing” the winds around our garden have produced their flamboyant white flowers that drifts around the garden and later the birds will feast on the berries before sowing them around the further gardens of Cornwall.
Trachycarpus Fortunei
This month the Chinese hardy, popular, palm sometimes known as the Chusan palm, has produced its strange pendulous flowers this one flanks a path that our Bed and Breakfast guest use from the car park
Ednovean Farm a great spot for garden lovers!
I hope that you have enjoyed this month’s garden round up and already the Agapanthus has started to form buds ready for the next stage of the year as spring slips into summer so on with the show.
Until then I’ll just mention that Ednovean Farm is a great Bed and Breakfast for garden lovers, near to the sea in the far west of Cornwall overlooking St Michael’s Mount and Penzance
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