WELCOME TO THE LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN NEWSLETTER

With Christmas and New Year seeming like a distant memory it’s back to keeping the 200 acres of Victorian Productive Gardens, romantic Pleasure Grounds, lush sub-tropical Jungle and Wider Estate in tip-top condition. 

Looking back over the past season the gardening team has certainly had some extreme conditions to work with, moving from ice and snow into a drought and onto floods! Despite all of this, it has been another successful year.

It’s now time to look forward to the forthcoming season.
In the Vegetable Garden the ground is being prepared  with the usual seaweed mulches and large quantities of manure being double dug into the soil.
The Jungle Team continue to create a new winding path which will allow visitors to take a previously unseen route past Second Pond.
Elsewhere at Heligan, our exciting programme of 2012 events is nearing completion and will be posted on Heligan.com within the next few weeks!

With one of the mildest autumn and winters on record, there have been plenty of early blooms throughout the estate. Snowdrops, Daffodils, Anemones, Camellias, Rhododendrons, Hellebores and Azaleas have all been spotted in flower earlier than usual and have added some beautiful bursts of New Year colour.Incredibly there are also some of last year’s Hydrangeas blooming in some areas and only today frog spawn has been spotted in the Jungle.

We would like to welcome back an old friend who has returned to the Vegetable Garden, Diggory the scarecrow is back on duty in the Brassica bed after a complete Heligan makeover.

To keep our friends up to date with the everyday happenings of the Productive Gardens, Annie from the gardening team writes a weekly blog. Please click here to view our blog.

With 2012 now upon us, we decided to compile a collection of highlights from 2011. The video contains various scenes from throughout the gardens over the the past year.

Please click here to view the video on Youtube.

Please keep an eye on Heligan Scenes for our up and coming spring preview video.

Well that year went quickly! It doesn’t quite feel right that we are now into January and it doesn’t feel like we have had a winter yet!

This very mild weather is certainly confusing the plants and wildlife here at Heligan. Even in the middle of December there was still a Cow Parsley in flower with Hoverflies busy collecting pollen; that is certainly something we have not seen here previously.

There have been our regular winter visitors, such as Siskin, Brambling, Redwing and Fieldfare but certainly not the numbers we are used to.

The Pipistrelle bats in the Steward’s House roost are still very active and can be seen emerging from the roof space every evening, proving that there are still plenty of insects around for them to feed on.

Due to the warm, damp weather, the fungus around the Estate has been making the most of it and putting on spectacular displays. For instance a Porcelain fungus found near the Grey Lady was well over 6 inches in diameter, the largest we have recorded here!

The Steward’s House garden has again been a favoured spot for the elusive Firecrest, which can often be seen flitting around the various shrubs collecting insects.
Horsemoor Hide is still under continuing development, in readiness for the start of next season. A new attraction is an updated PTZ (pan, tilt & zoom) camera, where visitors have full control of a camera that is situated overlooking Horsemoor Hide pond. This has proven to be great fun for youngsters and adults alike!

After the success of the Mouse Cam we have decided to try for something slightly larger. We have designed and built an artificial Fox earth, in the hope of attracting our resident foxes and providing our visitors with close, intimate views of these elusive mammals. Of course, we will keep you up to date on this particular project as it develops.

We have finally managed to do some essential work to our Barn Owl box, which is now giving some spectacular footage of our roosting pair of owls and should continue to do so throughout the breeding season. The Heligan Barn Owls are rarely seen during the daylight hours but fortunately I spotted the female hunting on the Wider Estate fields early one morning and managed to get the first photographs of our owls for a couple of years.

For those of you who aren’t aware, Heligan Wild is now on Facebook and Twitter, so do come and have a look and keep up to date with everything wildlife related here at Heligan.

  Saturday 11th - Sunday 19th February This February the Heligan Plant Centre invite you to a rare opportunity to view and purchase an exciting range of exceptional quality and selectively grown Hellebores from well-known grower, Hugh Nunn.Heligan Shop and Plant Centre opening times;Monday – Saturday 10-5pmSunday 11-5pmSaturday 11th - Sunday 19th February Saturday 11th - Sunday 19th February This February the Heligan Plant Centre invite you to a rare opportunity to view and purchase an exciting range of exceptional quality and selectively grown Hellebores from well-known grower, Hugh Nunn. Heligan Shop and Plant Centre opening times;Monday – Saturday 10-5pmSunday 11-5pmThis February the Heligan Plant Centre invite you to a rare opportunity to view and purchase an exciting range of exceptional quality and selectively grown Hellebores from well-known grower, Hugh Nunn.Heligan Shop and Plant Centre opening times;Monday – Saturday 10-5pmSunday 11-5Saturday 11th - Sunday 19th February

This February the Heligan Plant Centre invite you to a rare opportunity to view and purchase an exciting range of exceptional quality and selectively grown Hellebores from well-known grower, Hugh Nunn.

During Hellebore Week, Heligan Nursery staff will be on hand at all times to offer cultivation and selection advice.

Heligan Shop and Plant Centre opening times;

Monday – Saturday 10-5pm

Sunday 11-5pm

As from the 1st February 2012 there will be a small increase in the annual Friends’ membership prices.

With increased communication (regular e-newsletter), unlimited garden access, onsite discounts and our reciprocal arrangement with Kew & Wakehurst Place, Friends will still be getting a great deal.

As from the 1st Feb 2012 Friends’ Pass prices will be as follows

Single (1 adult) - £25 
Joint (2 adults) - £50
Family - £60 (2 adults and up to 3 children)
Child (1 child 5-16 years) - £10

To renew your Friends Membership before the price increase on February 1st please click here to download a renewal form.

Like many of the Heligan Team, Craig has worked in many areas of the business and found his way into the gardens themselves. While looking for work as a painter/decorator, Craig joined the Heligan team in our tea rooms as a seasonal member of staff, helping to cater for our visitors through the busy months of the year.

Seven years after joining the Heligan team Craig was alerted to a full time position in the Productive Gardens.  Although he had not previously had horticultural experience or ever thought about being a gardener, the magic of The Lost Gardens had got to him and he felt that this was where he could see his future.

Now in 2012, Craig has been with the Productive Garden team for three years, has a very varied job and has gained a vast amount of knowledge about productive gardening.

Craig’s main responsibility in the Vegetable Garden is ground works to make sure the ground is at its best for the forthcoming seasons produce to be sown.  Other duties include sowing seeds, pruning, harvesting, keeping the fire in the Head Gardeners Office stoked and also to help out with Heligan events.

“I’m so glad I made the move to the Productive Gardens as I love working outside in the fresh air. Its nice to be asked questions by the visitors as it reminds me how much I have learnt at Heligan. I love the history and the magic of the gardens and being part of a great team makes my job even better."

We hope you have enjoyed our newsletter.

If you have any comments please get in touch via our website contact page.