Soil...The Final Frontier P8 Boldly go into the extraordinary world that lies beneath... The Restormel Oak P20 Discover a living ancient monument
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Photograph Howard Sooley
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WELCOME CONTENTS 2 HOUMOUT
“Houmout” was chosen as the motto of the first Duke of Cornwall, Edward, Prince of Wales, also known as the Black Prince. The Duchy was created in 1337 and it was at this time that the Black Prince also took possession of Restormel Castle. High-spirited, courage and magnanimous are all offered as its meaning and the meaning of Houmout derivation seems to be Old German or Flemish.
EDITED BY Alasdair Moore alasdair@duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
SOIL...THE FINAL FRONTIER At the root of life
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LESSED ARE THE CHEESEMAKERS B Whalesborough Cheese
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SCENT FROM THE GARDEN Miller Harris perfumes
PUBLISHED BY Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Cott Road, Lostwithiel Cornwall PL22 0HW ILLUSTRATION Charlotte Humphries Harry Oelmann
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THE RESTORMEL OAK Venerable and vital
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KERNOW'S CASTLE KING Richard, Earl of Cornwall
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HONOURABLE MENTIONS Award of Garden Merit
Nursery clippings
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Wasson'
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Duchy on holiday
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Loyalty rewarded
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Stay in touch
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Beyond those crucial four elements, there is an underlying theme of continuity. By this, I don’t mean simply our aim of continuing to deliver great food, plants and gifts to the highest standard. I refer to an ethos that is at the heart of the Duchy of Cornwall, an institution that celebrates its 680th year in 2017. Continuity is about establishing something lasting, something sustainable. I will be delighted if you find Houmout informative and cock-a-hoop if you find it entertaining as well. I also hope that in its pages you recognise some of our ambitions. Quality, locality and sustainability are our hallmarks, while striving to maintain a reputation for making you, our customer, happy.
DESIGN & ART DIRECTION nixondesign.com
PHOTOGRAPHY Caroline and Peter Bland Howard Sooley Nixon Design Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Toby Weller Steven Haywood
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Welcome to Houmout. We’ve crammed a lot into the second issue of our annual gazette. There are the glories of Cornish tree ferns, sensuous perfumes, a journey into your garden’s inner space (soil of course!), a living ancient monument and one of Cornwall’s finest cheeses. The subjects may be varied but the theme is always the same: beautiful plants, delicious food, tasteful gifts and Cornwall. These things are what we are about.
ALASDAIR MOORE Horticultural Manager and Editor of Houmout COVER IMAGE Rosa 'Madame Hardy' AGM
3 HOUMOUT
4 WHERE THE TREE FERNS ROAM Bosahan beauties
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“ The tree fern has become a signature plant for Cornish gardens.”
WHERE THE
FERNS ROAM
fortunei) during the same period. Like the ferns, these too have spread themselves throughout the garden, contributing to the feeling of exotic nature, green in leaf and bough, which pervades Bosahan. Luxuriant growth is all well and good but it has to be managed, something that present owners, Richard and Christine Graham-Vivian, are sympathetically and steadfastly engaged in. As part of some judicious thinning, the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery was invited to purchase some of Bosahan’s magnificent tree ferns. Always on the lookout for new local growers, we were delighted to accept. We were happy to help harvest this unusual crop, planted in the 19th century. Successive generations of Bosahan tree ferns have gone forth and multiplied with enthusiasm. Nick and Alasdair took a trip down to this beautiful and far-flung corner of Cornwall and returned to Lostwithiel that evening with very broad grins. The harvest involved removing the fronds
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TREE
The garden at Bosahan is one of Cornwall’s glorious secrets. Now confined to a single narrow valley, the garden is a trail of magnificent specimen trees and shrubs that follows a stream down to the banks of the Helford River. Once described in The Garden magazine (1909) as “the most Cornish of all Cornish gardens”, Bosahan retains a quintessential Cornishness that is only enhanced by the pleasing sense of discovery awaiting any visitor. In the 1890s, during the garden’s pomp, owner and horticulturalist Sir Arthur Pendarves Vivian had studded the garden with 200 soft tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) from Australia. One hundred and twenty years on and the tree ferns have not only flourished, they have multiplied. From fivemetre-high centenarians to ankle-biters bearing their first fronds, tree ferns punctuate every corner of the garden. Sir Arthur didn’t stop at tree ferns but planted over 2000 Chusan palms (Trachycarpus
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their longevity in Cornish conditions, but also their girth. Nick is a hearty six feet three inches and, in attempting to give one of Bosahan’s finest an affectionate cuddle, he discovered that he could only get his arms halfway around its trunk. These tree ferns are sturdy beasts and the remarkable thing about the Bosahan tree ferns is their girth as well as their height. Tree ferns are one of our genuine living links back to prehistoric times and the Jurassic period over 200 million years ago. Prior to finding favour with gardeners, their stout fibrous stems and arching delicate fronds have fed dinosaurs and created coal. While Bosahan’s tree ferns have only been in Cornwall since the 1890s, their history, shared with this beautiful Cornish garden, is something to delight in. Bosahan tree ferns are available from the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery from £40-£599. from selected tree ferns and then sawing the ferns down at ground level. The Dicksonia logs were then dragged, carried or rolled to the nearest trailer to be transported back up the valley. Alongside Richard, Christine and their gardener Mike Gilbert, Nick and Alasdair enjoyed one of their more unusual days' work. With its graceful foliage and glorious structural qualities, the tree fern has become something of a signature plant for Cornish gardens and the Bosahan beauties don’t come more Cornish. Hardy down to about -5C, Dicksonia antarctica relishes the milder winters in Cornwall as well as the county’s moist conditions. Tree ferns reproduce through spores and over time they can begin to spread naturally, as happened at Bosahan. The business end of a Dicksonia is the growing tip. They can be cut down at ground level, like a log, and then potted up or planted. They will root happily as long as they are watered and in a stable position. These tree ferns are happy in shade but can cope with direct sunlight too, if wellwatered. The key is adequate moisture, mild conditions and shelter from wind. It is estimated that Dicksonia antarctica grow about an inch a year, which means that our biggest Bosahan specimen is over 60 years old. In terms of quality, what makes Bosahan tree ferns particularly splendid is not just their provenance,
Our Loyalty Card members receive 10% off any Bosahan tree fern valued over £200. Not a Loyalty Card member? Turn to page 31!
The garden at Bosahan is open from 18th April to 14th July. Adults: £6, Seniors: £4, Disabled: £2.50, 8-18: £3, Under 8: free. Opening hours: 10.30am-4.30pm. Bosahan is a magical spot, unspoilt by tea-rooms, gift shops or public toilets.
Newquay
Truro
Penzance
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Bosahan Helston
Nursery over here somewhere!
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“The most Cornish of all Cornish gardens”
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SO I L ...
th e f in al f ront ie r
“Without the bacteria and fungi, these nutrients would be washed out of the soil. They are the soil’s safety deposit boxes, securing future fertility for the plant.”
Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, worms, beetles, bugs and slugs.
Feasting on the “root beer”, bacteria and fungi flourish. They are the prime decomposers of organic matter, transforming and locking up precious nutrients that would otherwise be lost or unavailable to the plant. Without the bacteria and fungi, these nutrients would be washed out of the soil. They are the soil’s safety deposit boxes, securing future fertility for the plant. The bacteria and fungi are in turn food for protozoa and nematodes. Waste produced by these predators releases the nutrients for the plant to take up. Plants can receive up to 80% of their nitrogen requirements from protozoa waste. Nematodes and protozoa are eaten by large organisms such as worms. Worms break down organic matter, help keep the soil aerated and their casts (more waste!) make top-quality topsoil. When it comes to breaking down organic matter, fungi are the kings but their benefits to plants are even more direct. They can actually feed water and nutrients to plants in exchange for the “root beer”. These fungi are called mycorrhizae and over 90% of plants make use of them.
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Don’t let the beauty of a plant, its foliage, flowers and form, distract you from the subterranean world that makes all that loveliness happen. Soil isn’t just there to hold our plants in place. Soil is simply amazing. Yet for most of us gardeners, it is undiscovered territory. Let us boldly go where too few gardeners have gone before: soil, the final frontier. Soil is a very small word for an extraordinary world. Healthy soil is not so much a single entity but more an ecosystem built from organic matter, minerals, air and water. It is a world populated with a myriad of living organisms. All of these elements work together to a relentless and pulsating rhythm of transformation, alchemy, death, decay, predation
and irrepressible, glorious life, providing sustenance and good health for our plants. The relationship between a plant and the soil is not passive but dynamic. Unsurprisingly, the most dynamic element of this involves the living organisms: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, worms, beetles, bugs and slugs. From their roots, plants produce a protein and carbon-rich substance that bacteria and fungi find irresistible… a sort of root beer! Populations of bacteria and fungi grow and gather around the plant’s roots.
“It’s magic that every gardener should not only recognise but treasure.”
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WHAT'S the PROBLEM?
SOIL FOOD
Feed the soil, not the plant.
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As gardeners, we need to support the soil rather than subvert it and provide natural means to encourage and facilitate a healthy soil system.
With all these organisms looking after our plants, what’s the problem? Though the process has been around for millions of years, all of these elements are dependent on a stable environment. Add chemical fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides to the soil and this system of natural plant care is destroyed. The “root beer” dries up, bacteria and fungi numbers shrink and the soil fauna disappears. Nutrients both chemical and organic are leached out of the soil or remain unavailable to the plants. Disturb the soil with regular rotovating and digging and the networks of fungi and mycorrhizae are broken.
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MELCOURT
The application of good compost or mulches is a vital way of keeping the soil system ticking over. If you don’t have your own compost, we have a range of peat-free Melcourt products suited to every garden need. Melcourt is the very best; in fact, Melcourt composts and mulches are the only ones endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society!
CARBON GOLD
This enriched biochar soil improver contains high concentrations of multiple strains of mycorrhizal fungi and plant-loving bacteria. Biochar is an enriched charcoal designed for soil improvement. It provides a perfect environment for our soil organisms and is ideal for adding to compost, such as Melcourt. Good for your soil, good for your plants.
REMIN
Give your soil the volcanic treatment! This amazing product is ground up volcanic rock from Scotland. Its purpose is to replace all the vital minerals that get washed out of soil. Described as a vitamin pill for your soil, Remin also provides the minerals and trace elements required by all the living organisms that keep your soil and plants thriving.
ROOTGROW
These handy pouches contain mycorrhizal fungi to help your plants take up more water and nutrients, while developing better general plant health. The mycorrhizae help to give plants not only better access to food and water but actually encourage root growth, giving you more flowers and fruit!
SEQUENCE RIGHT Whalesborough Cheese is very much a family business and their purpose-built dairy is not far from Bude on the north Cornwall coast.
Sue Proudfoot, cheesemaker
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BLESSED ARE THE CHEESEMAKERS We give thanks for award-winning Cornish cheese and the very best of local produce… Whalesborough Cheese may only have been in existence since 1999 but there is a sense of continuity that belies its relative youth. This could have something to do with the ancient lineage of Whalesborough Farm itself. The cheese-making began here and the farm is first mentioned in the Domesday Book as land gifted to Simon de Whalesborough by King William I. More likely, however, are the traditional elements that are combined to produce their delicious cheeses. At the heart of this is the main cheesemaker and founder herself, Sue Proudfoot. With an HND in Agriculture from Cirencester and married to a farmer, Sue is very much about the land and the locale. “It was all centred around the farm really. I began cheese-making for the simple reason of needing to add value to our milk. At that time we had our own herd of dairy cows and milk prices were appalling.” duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
FAR RIGHT Cornish cow’s milk is the key ingredient at the dairy.
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With an admirable practicality, Sue set about learning the ropes after some initial advice from a local cheesemaker. “I used what there was to hand so my cheese press was made from tractor weights and I had a second-hand bain-marie for a vat. With a starter culture from France, I then began to develop my own recipes.” With this genuine farmhouse approach came traditional methods of production, most evident in one of Sue’s award-winning cheeses, Miss Muffet. Miss Muffet is a curd-washed cheese. Sue explains: “Washing the curds with water during the making process removes the whey so that when the cheese ripens the water has replaced the whey. This results in a supple texture and sweeter flavour, preventing the cheese from becoming acidic.” The washing is not a gentle process, requiring stirring and kneading. It is done entirely by hand. “I am sure that Miss Muffet is the most vigorously hand-washed curd to be found anywhere!” adds Sue.
BAKED MISS MUFFET
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LEFT As well as Miss Muffet, Whalesborough Cheese produces four other awardwinning cheeses, including Trelawny and Cornish Smuggler.
BELOW LEFT The farm was mentioned in the Domesday Book as a gift from King William I. BELOW RIGHT Sue outside the family farmhouse.
Certainly the popularity of the cheese demonstrates that this is time and effort well spent. In 2002, Sue took some samples of Miss Muffet up to the connoisseurs at Fortnum & Mason. So impressed were they that Miss Muffet went into their celebrated hampers. With the income that this brought, Sue was able to buy a proper cheese press and the tractor weights were returned to the tractor shed. The cheeses are now made a mile or two from Whalesborough in a bespoke dairy with two glorious maturing rooms. These maturing rooms are like a pair of Aladdin’s caves for the gourmand, with wheels of ripening cheeses racked up like gold bullion. One room is for Keltic Gold, rind-washed in Cornish cider, while Miss Muffet develops its unique mottled pink and grey rind alongside Trelawny and Cornish Smuggler. A family business, the Whalesborough Cheese team of four now includes Sue’s son Andrew but expansion has not diminished the artisan approach. The cheeses are still made in small batches and the
ABOVE Baked Miss Muffet with Duchy Nursery honey and flaked almonds.
Keltic Gold, for instance, are all still hand-washed in cider three times a week. While this has obvious advantages, it does mean that there is a finite supply and, as Miss Muffet is best enjoyed young, our Chef Richard du Pille is keen to have it on his specials board whenever he can. Richard says: “Miss Muffet is simply delicious and cooks so well. We cook it with a little bit of Cornish honey, which really helps bring out the creamy, nutty flavour of the cheese. The recipe was one that Sue gave me herself. So not only does she provide us with an amazing cheese, she gives us a cracking recipe too! What more could you want from a local producer?”
“These maturing rooms are like a pair of Aladdin’s caves for the gourmand, with wheels of ripening cheeses racked up like gold bullion.”
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WHALESBOROUGHCHEESE.CO.UK
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MILLER HARRIS
Exactly how much fragrance is a part of our appreciation of gardens is hard to say but for Lyn Harris, the founder of that most British of perfumeries, Miller Harris, it has proved to be truly inspirational. Her grandparents’ Highland garden was the very beginning of her obsession with perfume. Lyn went on to train in Paris and then Grasse, the perfumer’s Mecca in the South of France. In 2000, Lyn returned to Britain to found what has become one of the most fashionable perfume houses in Europe. The creation of the celebrated L’Air de Rien for Jane Birkin was a defining moment. Ms Birkin never previously liked to wear scent and challenged Miller Harris to make “a perfume that I can bear to wear”. L’Air de Rien was born: “Conjuring dusty libraries and old books through the dry and papery blend of vanilla and oak moss.” It is now something of a classic.
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Scent from the garden
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MILLERHARRIS.COM
Rose Silence
Fresh rose, mandarin, blackcurrant, musk and sandalwood.
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It is to the garden, however, that Miller Harris’ perfume always returns. In particular to the rose, the flower at the heart of perfumes such as Coeur de Jardin and Rose Silence. For thousands of years, roses have been used for perfume. The earliest mention of roses appears some 5000 years ago, when a Mesopotamian king returned from war with rose bushes as his booty. In a similar martial tradition, the apothecary’s rose, Rosa gallica, was believed to have been brought to France in the 13th century by a knight returning from the Crusades. He had taken the plant from Damascus, thus giving the Damask rose its name. Happily, gardeners no longer have to go to war to secure beautiful roses for their flower beds and richly-scented specimens are readily available.
Traditional varieties like the Damask can be found in that noble group, Old Shrub Roses, which includes such fragrant worthies as Mme. Hardy and Rose de Rescht. For flower, the Gallica varieties boast the heady Charles de Mills, as well as Tuscany Superb and the glorious Versicolor, with a little more for the eye than the nose. If the art of the gardener is to bring unity to a range of different plants, then the art of the perfumer is in bringing unity to a wide array of scents. Citrus, bergamot, vanilla, sandalwood and, of course, the redoubtable rose are all part of the Miller Harris palette. It is a palette distilled by Miller Harris into the essence of the perfect garden: a garden that can be with you always.
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Miller Harris perfumes are available from the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery
Coeur de Jardin
Coeur de Jardin is part of the Jardin d’Enfance collection. It captures the heart of a well-tended English garden in the heat of the day, vibrant blossoms and orchard trees.
This year Geraint and Dr Jeremy Ashbee of English Heritage will be leading a walk around Restormel Castle and woodlands to the nursery for our Loyalty Card members on Thurs 11th May. For more details go to the events page of duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk or call us on 01208 872668. Not a Loyalty Card member? Take a look at page 31!
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THE RESTORM EL OA K duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
LEFT Toby Weller
OVERLEAF Caroline and Peter Bland
The nursery’s men of the trees are Rob and Nick, so if you’re looking to order a specific tree, ornamental or fruit, whether it’s a single sapling or enough for an orchard, pop up to the nursery or give these gents a call (01208 872668) and they’ll be sure to help. We all know that sometimes it’s hard to see the tree for woods…
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On the narrow lane leading up to the historic Restormel Castle there stands another ancient monument. It is not made of stone, nor was it built by the hand of man. It is alive. This venerable oak tree is estimated to have begun life around the middle of the 17th century. While battles were being fought on the fringes of Lostwithiel in the English Civil War, this oak was stretching its limbs as a young tree. The Restormel Oak is most commonly known as the sessile or durmast oak but more locally it is referred to as the Cornish oak. Its botanic name is Quercus petraea and it’s one of the two oak species native to Britain. Somehow trees of this stature and age transcend taxonomy. This oak no longer feels like just another example of a Cornish oak: it has become unique. With Restormel Castle in the background, it is tempting to chart this oak’s life entirely in terms of human activity and years, but perhaps its span so far should really be measured by the ecosystem that it has helped to create. Over the past few hundred years, millions and millions of organisms, from microscopic soil bacteria to caterpillars to birds and bees, have been provided nourishment and shelter by this glorious tree. Geraint Richards is Head Forester for the Duchy of Cornwall and his office is only a few minutes’ walk from the Restormel Oak. “Cornwall, like the rest of the UK, has many fabulous old oaks but this particular tree, growing close to Restormel Castle, is especially significant to me as the Duchy’s Head Forester. It is not as old as the castle but, nevertheless, think what it has witnessed over the hundreds of years it has been growing, what changes it has seen! It still looks so healthy and will be a home to so much wildlife, as well as giving enormous pleasure to people like us.” So if you are planning a visit to Restormel Castle or just fancy a walk, you might like to pause for a moment under the canopy of this ancient oak and pay your respects.
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Across the valley from the nursery is the magnificent Restormel Castle, birthplace of the Duchy of Cornwall in 1337. Its history goes back further and is linked not only with the development of Cornwall’s most iconic fortification, Tintagel, but also with one of Medieval Europe’s most powerful men. Richard, Earl of Cornwall (1209-1272), was the son of one king (John) and the brother of another (Henry III), and from 1258 held an even grander royal title of his own: “King of Germany” or “King of the Romans.” (Richard secured the kingship through bribery, but in the event the pope refused to make him Emperor). Richard’s connections with Cornwall began in 1225, when, aged 16, he received rights over it from his elder brother, Henry III, followed two years later by the title Earl of Cornwall. This gift included the
RICHARD
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Dr Jeremy Ashbee of English Heritage introduces us to Richard, Earl of Cornwall.
stannaries of Cornwall and Devon that produced the best tin in Europe, both in quality and quantity. It is difficult to estimate quite how wealthy Earl Richard was, but Cornish tin accounted for up to a third of his annual income, a fortune equivalent to billions today. From the outset, Richard inherited the town and castle of Launceston and, to consolidate his position, he set about acquiring additional Cornish property. One of his earliest acquisitions was also the oddest: Bossiney in north Cornwall, which he received in two parts, in 1233 and 1236. It made him the lord of Tintagel, the rocky ‘island’ famous through stories of Arthur’s conception and the love of Tristan and Iseult, where he immediately began his own castle. In 1268, aged 59, Richard made another important deal when he received from an aristocratic widow, Isolda de Tracy, a large and complicated property in central Cornwall. She described her grant as “my castle of Restormel, with my lands lying near the castle, east of the royal road that runs from Bodmin to Lostwithiel…, with a park, and all the woodland that I have held there, with the town of Lostwithiel, three mills belonging to the town and castle, and the river Fowey and its fishery.” Clearly, all the main elements of this estate – a castle, its parkland, and the town of Lostwithiel – already existed, and were lucrative enough to attract Richard’s attention. Modern historians have wondered whether Richard forced the widow to surrender Restormel and Lostwithiel to him, as he almost certainly did in other places, such as Trematon, the last Cornish castle he acquired. Immediately on receiving Lostwithiel, at that time a port from which seagoing ships could carry the tin around Britain and abroad, he issued a new charter, securing the rights and liberties of its merchants, and set in motion the process finished by his son Edmund, by which Lostwithiel replaced Launceston as the capital of Cornwall. What kind of man was Richard? Contemporary writers seem to have found him difficult to judge; not a great war-leader, like his nephew Edward I, but probably more astute than his brother, Henry III. He was famed for his skill in negotiation, which his critics portrayed as cunning and bad faith. Perhaps tied to this, he was notoriously successful with women, being married three times to a sequence of wealthy heiresses. Richard’s final months were marked by tragedy – his eldest son and heir, Henry, was murdered in Italy. The earldom of Cornwall thus passed to Richard’s second son, Edmund, and it
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was he who built the Duchy Palace in Lostwithiel, and the present stone castle at Restormel. By the time of Earl Edmund’s death in 1300, Richard’s grandiose plans had been completed. At the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, we are very proud of our links with our ancient neighbour, Restormel Castle, and with English Heritage. In fact, we are offering visitors to the castle two cream teas for the price of one in our wonderful café! Just pick up a card from the castle ticket office. Restormel Castle is open from 1st April 2017.
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Nick Giles NURSERY SUPERVISOR
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Camellia x williamsii ‘Water Lily’ AGM – a strong
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grower with formal double pink flowers which darken towards the centre of the petals. It makes for a good, dense evergreen screen too. (3-4m).
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Rob Crowle SENIOR SALES ASSISTANT
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Malus ‘Evereste’ AGM – a beautiful crab apple tree, perfect for the smaller garden. Glorious show of white flowers with pink buds in the spring with orange/yellow fruit in the corner. Popular with birds and bees, as well as the RHS. (4-8m).
Ria Miles PLANT AREA SUPERVISOR
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Verbena bonariensis AGM – S
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now something of a classic perennial, this is one of the best garden flowers for bees and butterflies and looks gorgeous in large groups. It is likely to seed itself but none the worse for that. (1.5-2m).
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autumn-flowering deciduous climber, quite vigorous with rich, wine-dark crimson flowers. It can tolerate quite exposed spots, south or west facing. (3-4m).
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Clematis 'Ernest Markham' AGM – a summer- to early
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Ann Wendik-Byfield NURSERY SUPERVISOR
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Something akin to a plant knighthood, an Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is an excellent aid for gardeners in choosing a good, all-round performer for their gardens.
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the honours list
Bestowed by the Royal Horticultural Society, an AGM is only awarded following trials, often held at Wisley, the home of the RHS. The plant comes under the scrutiny of the nation’s foremost plant experts and its qualities are debated before it is given the thumbs up or down. The AGM is only made official once the relevant RHS Plant Committee has agreed. The basic criteria given by the RHS are that the plant must be: excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions; available; of good constitution; essentially stable in form and colour and reasonably resistant to pests and diseases. However dry the above list may sound, an AGM can prove invaluable to the inexperienced gardener. We always mention a plant’s AGM on our labels, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for the magic letters! Below are some of the horticultural team’s favourite recipients of an AGM.
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PERFECT GIFT Someone’s wedding, birthday or anniversary? Struggling to find the right gift? We have a range of gorgeous roses from Birthday Girl to Special Anniversary, as well as aptlynamed flowering shrubs like Exochorda ‘The Bride’ and climbers like Clematis ‘Ruby Wedding’. There’s a plant for every occasion!
THE POTTING SHED The finest composts, sustainable fertilisers and eco-friendly bug sprays are all to be found in our splendid potting shed next to the glasshouse. There are open samples of mulches and soil improvers for you to handle as well as an excellent range of the very best garden-friendly products: Melcourt, Carbon Gold, Remin and Rootgrow.
WASSON ' There are going to be loads of events and happenings at the nursery this year and here’s just a taster of what we have in store. For more details and to reserve tickets for events, why not sign up to our newsletters?
MARCH
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Sun 26th The perfect gift for Mum is our special three-course Mother’s Day Lunch (including a Mother’s Day gift), but be sure to book as it’s a popular day! Don’t forget that there’ll be plenty of beautiful plants for her to browse here too.
Castles, Trees and the Duchy. English Heritage expert Dr Jeremy Ashbee will lead a tour of Restormel Castle, followed by a guided walk up through the woodland to the nursery by the Duchy’s Head Forester, Geraint Richards, with a sandwich lunch on arrival. Tickets £20 – limited availability. (Loyalty Cardholders only).
APRIL
PLANTS, DYES AND TEXTILES There’s a different approach to plants this year with a series of workshops looking at the art of natural dyes. In partnership with the stylish folk at Selvedge (check out selvedge.org), local experts will help you explore the world of plants, colour, silks and linens over a three-day course. Hosted by Sian Cornish of Lancaster & Cornish (lancasterandcornish.com) with Falmouth University tutor Irene Griffin, you’ll not only learn about the history and process of natural dyes but you’ll create your own special pieces, using artisan techniques including shibori and natural painting. There are only eight places available on each course, running 17-19 March, 19-21 May and 7-9 July. Contact sian@lancasterandcornish.com or visit the events pages at selvedge.org or duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
JAZZ AT THE DUCHY Be sure to keep your ear to the ground for our jazz evenings with the Lostwithiel Jazz Café – the tickets get snapped up at a very high tempo!
duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
SPECIAL OFFERS If you would like to keep upto-date with all the nursery’s special offers and events, remember to keep an eye on our Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Facebook page where we also run regular competitions with prizes of cream teas, lunches, plants and luxury items from the shop. If you’d like to receive our monthly email newsletter, you can sign up at duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
Sat 1st – Sun 2nd Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show. Come and join us at beautiful Boconnoc for the event that kick-starts the horticultural calendar in Cornwall. Our stand is in the stable yard and we’ll be running a competition with the chance to win £100 worth of plants!
Sat 27th – Sun 28th Lostchelsea. Local garden designers, landscapers and gardeners will be creating minidisplays at the nursery and competing for the coveted Golden Pot Award, all raising money for charity. JUNE
Fri 14th – Mon 17th Easter weekend. There’ll be Easter egg hunts for the kids in the plant area and the café will be a chocoholic’s delight. On Easter Sunday we’ll be offering a delicious three-course lunch for all the family. (Pre-booking required for lunch). Thurs 27th Loyalty Card Highgrove Trip. We’re delighted to be able to offer our Loyalty Cardholders a guided tour around the beautiful gardens at HRH The Prince of Wales’ residence. Tickets are £75 each and include a guided tour of the garden, a two-course lunch in the Highgrove restaurant, and return coach transport to Highgrove from three designated pick-up points in Cornwall. There are very limited numbers available for this wonderful excursion, so please book soon to avoid disappointment. (This offer is for Loyalty Cardholders only).
Thurs 8th – Sat 10th Royal Cornwall Show. Come and see us in the Flower Tent: there’ll be plant prizes to be won! Sat 17th Flaming Fish Barbecue. There’s a treat in store as we welcome flaming June with a fish barbecue hosted by Looe fisherman Julian Clemens. We’ll be serving special chilled wines and champagnes. Come and enjoy, no bookings necessary.
Jazz on a Summer’s Eve. Once again that groovy local institution and musical moveable feast, the Lostwithiel Jazz Café, comes to the nursery for summer evenings of great music and good food. AUGUST Highgrove. This is the month for Loyalty Cardholders to keep their eyes peeled for another Highgrove garden trip…date yet to be confirmed. Trewithen Dairy Day. Our friends up the road at Trewithen Dairy will be our guests for the day so you can meet the farmer, meet the cows and enjoy the very best Cornish cream tea you’ve ever had! SEPTEMBER Magical History Tour with English Heritage. Roll up, roll up! We’re off on the Magical History Tour, a road trip with English Heritage visiting two of Cornwall’s finest castles all in one day… Restormel and Tintagel. Ticket include brunch at the nursery and a cream tea at Tintagel. Price and date to be confirmed. (Loyalty Cardholders only).
JULY OCTOBER Kitchen Garden Banquet. Inspirational veg grower extraordinaire Ross Geach will be hosting an evening celebrating the best fresh delights from his Padstow Kitchen Garden with our Chef Richard du Pille.
Kitchen Garden Harvest. Padstow’s green-fingered maestro Ross Geach will be sharing with us the delicious produce from his market garden and helping to cook a harvest feast with our own Chef Richard du Pille. (Loyalty Cardholders only).
And there’s more to come! Keep an eye on our website for details.
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BREAKFAST The most important meal of the day just got better! Our breakfast menu is served from 9am until 11am Monday to Saturday and from 10am on Sundays. Make it even more leisurely with complimentary orange juice and unlimited cafetiere coffee or teas purchased with every hot dish.
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LOYA LT Y CA R D HOLI DAY COTTAGES
The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Loyalty Card is a way of us saying thank you to our customers. With our loyalty card not only do you have access to exclusive Duchy events, excursions and tickets, you are entitled to: Complimentary plant delivery on orders over £50 within 25 miles of the nursery Complimentary plant advice
GI FT CA R D New and exclusive to the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, the gift to please all! The Duchy Gift Card can be used throughout the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, whether it's the shop, cafe or nursery, or even all three. Your gift can be for any sum over £10 and it doesn't have to be spent all at once, so the card can be used to treat someone to a weekly coffee or for a hearty lunch and a woodland of trees – the choice is yours!
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The Duchy aims to provide unique opportunities to stay in attractive period properties in stunning locations. With beautiful gardens, stylish individual interiors, and all modern conveniences, our cottages are impeccably presented to ensure that your holiday will be a truly enjoyable experience. DUCHYOFCORNWALLHOLIDAYCOTTAGES.CO.UK duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
1&2 RESTORMEL MANOR Spread across the three Manor House properties and the six cottages located in the Manor Courtyard, Restormel Manor is one of the most historic and cherished houses owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. The Manor House properties can be reserved separately or, if your needs require a larger space, the entire house can be reserved.
1 point for every pound spent to be redeemed in multiples of 250 to the value of £25 To find out more or to join, please come and see us at the nursery and pick up a form
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A 10 percent discount on entry to The Lost Gardens of Heligan
A 20 percent discount on entry to Restormel Castle
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Liskeard
Open 7 days a week 9am – 5pm (10am Sun). Café open until 4.30pm.
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B3269 Cott Rd
01208 872668 Cott Road, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 0HW duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk
Lostwithiel
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St Austell