Welcome to the most exotic corner of the UK

 

Just 28 miles southwest of the Cornish mainland, a visit to the Isles of Scilly feels like you’ve arrived in a far-flung exotic destination. This is in large part thanks to the gulf stream that favours the Scillies with a mild year-round climate, and also due to the pristine white sand beaches and clear turquoise waters. Tresco is one of only five inhabited islands out of the 200 or so rocky outcrops and landmasses that make up the Isles of Scilly. At just two and a half miles long by a mile wide at its broadest points, Tresco is a mere dot in the ocean, but as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and undoubtedly one of the most popular landmarks in the UK; its sphere of influence is enormous.

The island of Tresco is run like a family business; all of the properties and enterprises on the island are part of The Tresco Estate, and many of the island’s residents make up the estate’s workforce. There is a modest year-round community of around 150 people, some of whose families have resided on Tresco for generations. For the young families in residence, due to the absence of cars on the island, they are blessed with a safe and secure playground to call home.

 

The beginnings of Tresco Abbey Garden and The Tresco Estate

 

Back in 1834, the Duchy of Cornwall leased the Isles of Scilly to Augustus Smith from Hertfordshire, who suddenly found himself the Lord Proprietor of the islands. Augustus built his home on Tresco alongside the ruins of Benedictine Abbey, and began creating a garden sympathetically based around the priory.

“In order to protect his early plantings from the winter gales, he built a series of walls around the garden. The garden then expanded across the south-facing hillside on a series of terraces carved from the granite subsoil.

With so many tender plants being introduced, there was an obvious need for shelter on a grand scale. Monterey Pine and Monterey Cypress trees – both native to the Californian coast – were selected from experimental plantings and they quickly grew and came to protect the expanding garden and its growing collection of exotic plants”.

Augustus helped create a wave of prosperity for the Scillys that thankfully is still enjoyed by residents today, in fact the Abbey Garden has the only scheduled helicopter service in the world.

The Dorrien Smith dynasty

 

Since Augustus Smith, four generations of the Dorrien Smith family have spearheaded evolution in the garden, and contributed in their own unique way. From 1872, Thomas Algernon Dorrien Smith established shelterbelts and introduced new plant species. From 1918, Major Arthur Dorrien Smith, a keen traveller and avid plant hunter, made collecting trips to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. He also built a vast network of horticultural contacts and increased the global reach of the garden, with plants from Chile, Mexico, California, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the Canary Islands. In 1955, Commander Tom Dorrien Smith took the helm and introduced plants from South Africa and Australia, most noteworthy being the stunning Proteaceae family of plants. Today, Robert Dorrien Smith, and his wife Lucy, live in Tresco Abbey, and the plant collections are constantly expanding as the garden’s global reputation continues to grow.

 

Meet Mike Nelhams, Curator of the Abbey Garden

 

After a student internship at Tresco Abbey Gardens in 1976, Mike Nelhams’ meteoric rise saw him return to Tresco in 1984 as Head Gardener of the Abbey Garden – one of the finest jobs in British horticulture. After a few years of settling into his new role, Mike felt as though the garden could do with a revamp, and began planning this enormous task.

“We needn’t have bothered. January 1987 came along and saw the garden completely devastated by icy weather, virtually unheard of on these ‘subtropical islands’. Nearly the entire garden was reduced to a substance that looked much like stewed rhubarb – and smelt like something a lot worse. The proposed revamp took on a whole new meaning.

Three years later – almost to the day – came an event that would be etched in the mind of anybody that lived through it as, in January 1990, a hurricane swept across the south of England. Tresco did not escape, with 127 mph winds decimating the garden’s windbreaks, wiping out hundreds of trees that had provided shelter to the tender floral gems within, for over 100 years. Cue another extensive ‘revamp’. I believe the phrase is triumph over adversity”.

In the wake of such devastation, a huge operation was undertaken to replace the unique collection of plants at the Abbey Garden. The Royal Botanic Garden Kew in particular was incredibly generous, but much of the genetic material was sourced from overseas trips to various Mediterranean climate zones around the world, including New Zealand, South America, California, Australia, and South Africa. However challenging this rebuild was, not everything was lost in the extreme weather events of 1987 and 1990 – the towering Phoenix canariensis palms from the Canary islands which first came to the garden in 1894, are still going strong!

Tresco Abbey Garden today

 

Tresco Abbey Garden is now globally recognised as one of the most impressive gardens in the Northern Hemisphere, and a shining example of sub-tropical flora and fauna collections. The garden is home to 20,000 plants from more than 80 countries, many of which wouldn’t survive outdoors anywhere else in the UK.

The garden features plants from across global temperate climate zones, such as the Mediterranean, California, Brazil and the Canary Islands. Plants are laid out in geographical clusters to suit the climatic characteristics of that part of the garden. The hot and dry top terraces that peer out to sea best suit Australian and South African species, whereas the lower, more humid areas are a better match for plants from New Zealand and South America.

Thousands of the plants in Tresco Abbey Gardens have been selected and planted due to their love of extended hours of sunshine and warmth. This is an exceptional statement for a British garden, and we must pay homage again to the gulf stream that allows this abundance of Palms, Bamboo, Cacti, Echium, Agapanthus, pillar-box red Flame-Trees, Lobster-claws and King Proteas to thrive here.

 

Mike Nelhams’ spring favourites

 

Spring arrives at Tresco far in advance of the Cornish mainland, so it is only right that we celebrate some of the incredible spring highlights that can be found at Tresco Abbey Garden unseasonably early! The following are just some of Mike Nelhams’ spring favourites:

ECHIUM PININIANA: The Canary Island Echium is an iconic spring bloom with over 70 different species. Echium pininiana can grow up to 20 feet tall and produces a stunning blue flower spike that towers above its neighbours.

SPARMANNIA AFRICANUS: Also known as African Hemp, this is a species of flowering evergreen shrub that grows particularly well on Tresco and is much admired in the Abbey Garden for its soft large lime green leaves and white showy flowers. When an insect, or a finger, bumps or brushes the flower the mass of hanging stamens puff out, rather like a hairy caterpillar when threatened. This adaptation helps in pollination.

PROTEA NERIIFOLIA: A native of South Africa, this is certainly one of the most perennially popular and splendid plants in the garden. The fabulous red or pink flowers appear in spring and are unusual in that the centre of the flower looks and feels almost like bird feathers.

OLEARIA X SCILLONIENSIS: This plant “appeared” in the Abbey Garden in 1948 – a natural hybrid between two other Olearia species. It was so named and has since become a firm favourite around the nurseries, plant centres and gardens across the country. Its parents originate from New South Wales and Tasmania, so it is well travelled!

BESCHORNERIA YUCCOIDES: Native of Mexico, Beschorneria is a member of the Asparagus family and is well known for its spectacular red flower spikes that emerge from its architectural foliage each spring. Quite tough, it will resist regular frosts if not too persistent.

ERICA VERSICOLOR: One of the Cape Heathers from South Africa, this is the principal genus of the Cape floral kingdom with over 657 species in the group. A clever little plant, they are very bright in colour, often with more than one hue on the flower which attracts birds and insects to assist pollination.

Red Squirrels

 

The Abbey Garden is a safe haven to a small but growing population of Red Squirrels. Not many people know that the Red Squirrels were introduced to the garden by actress Dame Judi Dench, and her partner David Mills!

Back in 2013 the The Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT) arranged a collaboration between Tresco Island, the British Wildlife Centre (which David Mills runs), and the Royal Naval Air Service at Culdrose, in Cornwall. 20 Red Squirrels were dropped off on Tresco by a Sea King helicopter, saving them the stress of a long sea journey.

The Red Squirrel is one of the most endangered wildlife species in Britain due to habitat loss and the unrelenting advance of the Grey Squirrel – which is more aggressive and which also passes on squirrel pox, an illness almost harmless to greys and fatal to reds. Tresco is a sanctuary for Red Squirrels and has proved to be an important proof of concept for their reintroduction on other islands.

 

Other features in the garden…

 

The garden also features the Valhalla Figurehead Museum, which is a collection of figureheads and relics from the many shipwrecks that have occurred around the island’s rugged, rocky fringes. The majority of the artefacts date from the middle to late 19th century, and add an eerie yet fascinating dimension to the treasures that can be found within the garden.

Gaia, a sculpture of the earth mother by David Wynne (1990), is a popular artwork within the garden. Shaped from thickly veined marble, it has a beautiful faint pink colour which complements the surrounding planting. This block of marble was actually given to the sculptor by George Harrison, of The Beatles fame.

 

Supporting the next generation

 

Garden Curator Mike Nelhams is a passionate supporter of scholarships to make this prestigious botanical site more accessible to a range of students, and also funding horticultural projects in the UK and overseas. This is afterall how Mike himself was first introduced to Tresco back in September 1976, when he arrived on the island as a scholarship student from the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley in Surrey.

Tresco Abbey Garden currently offers The Elizabeth Hess Scholarship, sponsored by the Studley College Trust, which offers a year’s practical training for up to three students who hope for a career in botanic gardens. The Thistledown Horticultural Bursary also provides financial support for a wide range of Horticultural projects both abroad and in the UK.

 

Put a visit to Tresco Abbey Garden on your bucket list

 

The Abbey Garden is a constantly changing canvas, awash with colour throughout the year. Spring comes early here, with flowers blooming weeks ahead of those on the Cornish mainland. In the autumn the red, gold and burnt orange of the seasonal palette contrasts beautifully with the stunning proteas, aloes and camellias. Even in the depths of winter there are usually over 300 species in bloom within the garden walls.

The scents, sights and sounds of Tresco create a rich tapestry of sensations for visitors to enjoy, as they meander around the network of paths, fringed by a verdant display of succulents, towering palms, and the blue spires of Echium.

Tresco serves as a reminder that we don’t need to look long-haul for a slice of the exotic. It lies here, just 28 miles South West of the Cornish mainland, and an easy day trip away. Yes, arriving by helicopter is glamorous and an efficient use of time, but it is beyond the budget of many visitors. The reliable and scenic passage of the Scillonian, which is often marked by the spotting of sea birds and pods of dolphins, is the trusty workhorse that can get you to St Mary’s and back in a day, and from there it’s just a short hop by boat taxi to Tresco.

So if you fancy a horticultural adventure, put Tresco on your list! Feel the wind in your hair as you take a voyage across the ocean, to arrive just a couple of hours later in an island paradise. This will be a memorable garden visit that you will remember for a lifetime. For however beautiful and bountiful Tresco Abbey Garden undoubtedly is, the journey to get there is just as rich and life affirming.