February / March

FEBRUARY/MARCH

Firstly apologies to anyone hanging around waiting for the latest blog from Trevarno.
January has been a very busy month here, and the blogs priority had moved to the bottom for a while as other matters have had to take president?
However spring is springing so a quick round of events and goings on around the garden/estate flora and fauna.

Mothers Day

The Fountain Conservatory Cafe has prepared a scrumptious menu for Mothers Day Lunch so those of you wanting to treat their Mothers, now fully booked!


National Daffodil Collection

Trevarno is establishing the National Daffodil Collection with nearly a 1000 different varities it will be one of the most extensive and comprehensive collections of narcissi to date and right now they are all in flower!

Plants of Interest
We shall update this list, but for now we can give a list of flowers that are blooming or looking at their best. Starting of course with one of the first spring flowers the Snowdrops(Galanthus nivalis) which are still looking good, and just starting to bloom are the Bluebells(Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in the Valley and down the old main drive. As mentioned before Daffodils of many different varieties are now out in force as are are many different camellias looking particularly good in and around the the Italian Garden. Also Rhododendron grande (Rhododendron argenteum), in the Serpentine Garden and Erica Arborea on the main lawn one of the tallest Heathers.

Animals and Birds

Bird wise this time of year is frenetic with the annual migration of species to and from Britain and the start of the breeding season. It also a great time to spot woodland species before all the leaves come out and the branches are bare. Showing and calling well at the moment are all the usual suspects including the beautiful Nuthatch which is much harder to spot later in the year, Song Thrush, Long Tailed Tits, Goldcrest, Drumming of Greater Spotted Woodpecker (mornings usually). Any sightings of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker would be most appreciated. You should also be on the look out for Reeves Pheasants which were released earlier this year.

Helston Railway

Work continues a pace on the Helston Line (click for more info) with the boys starting to lay more track and the likelihood of great deal more before the end of the spring season. Plus the construction of a platform

November/December

Christmas Fair

As we blog the marquees and tents for Trevarno's biggest ever Christmas Fair are up and tables being laid. Dominating the front lawn the two huge marquees are housing over 70 stalls and upwards of a 1000 visitors are expected for the two day event. With cornucopia of items on sale and free entry plus Santa Sleigh ride, we hope to see you here.

Folly

You will also get the chance to see the newly installed folly which you may have seen in the West Briton. If haven't been here before this is your chance to come here for free!

The Magic Winter

Saturdays and Sundays ( up until the 23rd December2007)Trevarno will host the Magical Ice Cave of Fun. Where you can meet Santa and the mischievous Piskies and hear tales of Cornish Christmas. See the Events page for more detail

12 Days of Christmas

Lasting from the 10th to 21st of December 2007 the Fountain Cafe hosts the special day time (12am - 2pm) menu. Offering three courses of local and organic food specially cooked for the festive season. See sample
menu here

Soapbox

Plans have been finalised for the soapbox derby occurring on the 3rd and 4th of May 2008. Applicants are particularly welcome from schools, so if your reading this and you are connected with a school in the area then we would be more than welcome to hear from you. All details can be found on the website ( www.trevarno.co.uk) in a downloadable( PDF and WORD) form but packs can be sent out by phoning 01326 574274.

and Finally...

We wish you very Merry Christmas and hope to see you soon in the New Year!

October/ November

A quick round up of things happening in the Gardens.
We are now in to one of the visual best times of year in the garden( weather dependent, sun shinning ), in my opinion. When the sun shines the gardens are quite stunning and the Autumn colours are fantastic.

Xmas Fair
Our Christmas Fair is set to be one of the biggest ever with over 70 stalls and entry is free, so come one come all.

Fountain Conservatory
The Cornish High Teas a huge success by the way, are coming to an end on the 31st of the month, so only a few days until they end.
Due to start next are the 12 Days of Christmas from the 10th to the 21st December. Where special Xmas lunch menus will be available.

Rex(the Black Necked Swan)
A new mate for Rex has been further delayed from moving to Trevarno from Suffolk due to the Foot and Mouth Restrictions imposed in other parts of the country and not as reported anything to do with Bluetongue.

Plants

Currently flowering in the Fountain Conservatory is a Banana Tree complete with little fruits( see picture). Also just on the turn and perfect in sunshine(quite stunning) is the Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum) on the lake(latin). You can also see the last of this seasons Roses in the Italian Garden.



Dragonflies and Butterflies

It has been a poor year for sightings of Dragonflies( for myself, anyway), due I suppose to the poor weather, especially the smaller Damselflies. However you can still see some species near the lake on the warmer and sunnier autumn days. Recent sightings were Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) and Emperor (Anax imperator) and Common Darters (Sympetrum striolatum).
The same goes for butterflies with Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)and Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) showing well.

September Happenings at Trevarno Gardens

Plants of Interest

As we go into Autumn there are number of notable plants to mention that are showing well in the garden or are in out of season flowering. In the Italian Garden there are the roses that are showing well of particular interest is the Heritage Rose, which white a and has a wonderful scent. Flowering out of season at the moment is the Chilean Firebush (Embothryium coccineum lanceolatium) which is supposed to flower feb/march. finally a mention of Acacia baileyana 'purpurea' which looks very fine from the main lawn and Schima Khosiana, a member of the camellia family just coming into flower.


Helston Railway

Helston Railway Preservation Society have been coming on leaps and bounds and the recent arrival of one shunting loco and a Diesiel Multiple Unit on the Estate, have caused quite a stir. It is the first time in 40 years there has been a loco on the rails of Helston Branch line. The Locos can be seen at the railway bridge at the top of the Estate Walk. More information can be found on their website www.helstonrailway.co.uk



Other Happenings

A delegation from Trevarno Organic Skincare has gone up to Harrogate for the annual trade fair there. Catch them at the Harrogate International Centre.

Trevarno catering team start a celebration of Cornish food, though out October with their Cornish High Tea.We will be serving the meal between 2.30pm and 4pm every day throughout October, at £6.50 per person.