A Lost Cornish Garden

I have a Cornish ‘bucket list’ of things I want to see and do, I have crossed off a good deal of them but  one of those things was to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

We woke up on Sunday and as is our custom, we watched a gardening program as we sipped our tea before getting ready for church. We usually watch Gardeners World but this past week they did not record an episode as they were all at the Hampton Court Flower Show. Instead, BBC screened ‘Heligan: Secrets of the Lost Garden‘. It was the most delightful look at the gardens and the wildlife within them over the period of a year. We decided right there and then that we were going to hop into the car as soon as we were ready and drive down to Cornwall and spend the day at Heligan. We live about an hours drive so it’s not very far.

Those kind of spontaneous trips are just the best don’t you think? There is an air of excitement as you all bundle up into the car and set off on an unplanned trip. We haven’t done one of these in a long time so we were well overdue.

The Woodland Walk was something I’ve always wanted to visit because they have these really interesting features. Above is the Mud Maid, a sculpture of a sleeping woman looming out of the ground. Ivy grows on her head, torso and legs, clothing her in living garments.

Then there is the Giants Head, part of which was originally a fallen tree that was just too hard to dispose of. I thought that these creatures that reside in the Ancient Woodland would be my highlight but you will not be surprised to hear that my favourite part was, in fact, the Kitchen Garden.

No matter which National Trust property we visit or which splendid garden we walk through, it is the kitchen and the kitchen garden that totally captivates me every time.

I love seeing fruit and veg growing because they are the very things needed to nourish and nurture your family, and that’s what I’m all about, my family. I would adore a walled kitchen garden where flowering, medicinal and edible plants all grow happily together.

To harvest not only food but also plants that can ward off ills deeply appeals to me. It’s been a while since I visited such a beautiful garden and while since I have felt so inspired. Visiting Heligans kitchen gardens seriously sparked that old familiar pull to dig in the earth, plant and grow. It awakened the urge to create and explore.

Something as simple as seeing the gardeners potting shed, or a stack of terracotta pots standing against a sunny wall waiting to be used is very comforting to me. I think it’s because when you are in a potting shed, or in the garden, you are usually left alone to your own thoughts. It gives you time to ponder and think. As you fill your earthen pots with life-giving soil and drop a tiny dry seed in, you are connecting yourself with a life-cycle that really is quite marvellous! To grow something from seed and care for it, watching it grow and producing food that is good is a wonderful process to be a part of.

I love that the birds join you in your garden, often it’s a little robin (my favourite) who hops near to see if any worms pop up as you dig over the earth. Look at this sweet little fellow above, it’s a fledgling robin and he was not afraid of us at all – robins are generally known to be the gardener’s friend because they love to be around as you did the earth, hoping for a juicy worm.

Look at these ladders propped up against the wall to make harvesting the fruit easier. I love that they popped boards painted with blackboard paint into the frames to prevent curious little ones from having a climb. Brilliant idea.

Now tell me you wouldn’t want a green/glass house like this to grow your tomatoes or peaches in! I love that the shelves and walls are used to display little posies of sweet peas or a squash or two from the garden. 

I haven’t grown nasturtiums for years! Why I wonder?? It’s too late to grow them this year but they will certainly be a feature in next years garden!

After walking around the kitchen and flower garden we stopped at a tea room for an ice-cream and came across two baskets outside filled with picnic rugs. I LOVE this idea. I have a pin on my Autumn Pinterest board that is quite similar except it is filled with warm blankets. This winter I will definitely have a basket of blankets with a sweet sign as part of my practical decor.

Last little snippet before I sign off, this (above) is the head gardeners office – I mean seriously!!! How adorable, I totally want an office like this. In the eves just before you enter this office look who is living in a carefully constructed mud nest…

A family of Swallows! Mum and dad waited patiently while people popped in and out to have a look at the office, as soon as we were out they rushed to the nest to feed their little ones with insects gathered from the garden. These little babies were so curious about the stream of visitors though, they peered over the side of their nest, standing tall as if craning to watch us. What a delight!

If you would like to see the rest of the pictures from our trip to The Lost Gardens of Heligan then do visit my Flickr page where I have many more pictures from our visit. If you are ever in Cornwall I highly recommend visiting the gardens, they are simply magical.