Braving the Rain in Falmouth!

We went to Trago today which is a large ‘sell all’ cheap department store in Falmouth. When we got to our usual parking space it was over subscribed! This is now tourist season! But I made Martin wait while I took photos of these plants. I don’t know what they are but they are very striking. They are on a bank running parallel with the main thoroughfare in Falmouth. As well they were under planted with Agapanthus and Red Hot Pokers which seem to be very popular in this town.

In the end we had to park nearly on the sea front which meant quite a walk to the shops. Most of the gardens had Draceanas which is very common around here.

Lovely bushes of fuchsia. Even though this is a common variety I do like the red and purple.

Then we came to Arwenack Manor which is the oldest example of a dwelling place in Falmouth. It is a lovely old house and has an interesting knot garden. It is hard to do justice to it with a photo as one can’t get a clear view.

Next door was a garden laid out to palms and succulents. Plants for hot, dry climates which Falmouth once was. We weren’t called the Cornish Riviera for nothing!

Tragos on a Sunday afternoon is crowded! In the summer it is mega crowded. I needed some things or I would have avoided it like the plague! It lies on the edge of the harbour where the small yachts and boats are legion. Opposite on the other bank is the village of Flushing.

There is a good garden section in Tragos down in the basement. They also do hot house flowers of which a few are pictured below. The red flowers on the right looked as if they were made out of metal but I touched them and they are real plants! I don’t know the names of any of them and labels were in short supply!

Coming back along the sea front I was impressed with the display of agapanthus and some white and yellow flowers of which I don’t know the name! What a useless gardener I am!

I am so fortunate

to live where I do. This is the first week of the school holidays and already the visitor count has gone up. On hand are lovely safe beaches, good coastal walks, fantastic scenery, interesting historical buildings and wonderful gardens.

This is my nearest beach, just five minutes walk away. It’s downhill on the way there but uphill on the way back which is a shame!

This is one of the satellite dishes at Goonhilly Earth Station. It is not as fully operational as it once was but has a very good visitor centre.

This is Porthleven harbour which is a small fishing village on the south coast. It is a very popular spot with tourists.

Cornwall is full of old engine houses from the tin mining that was all over Cornwall in the last few centuries. Sadly the industry has collapsed and all that remains are these ruins.

A year for foxgloves. I didn’t have any in my garden this year. Usually they are self sown but I have noticed some coming so next year I’ll have some.

The Bio domes at the Eden Project. This is a fascinating place to visit and is one of the most popular visitor places.

Just a few pictures from inside the Eden project. The hut was part of an enclosure representing the far east with its temperature and plants. Below are mangos.

Sailing is very popular here. These are boats on the River Fal. This picture on the left is the Carrick Roads which is a wide part of the estuary leading up to Trelissick House which has great gardens and a craft gallery. The other picture is of the harbour.

These two pictures are from inside Pendennis Castle which Henry VIII built to stop the Spaniards attacking the town. There is another castle on the opposite side of the estuary at St Mawes and these two castles protected the mouth of the river.

Old mining town of Redruth complete with statue of miner!

So it may rain more than the sun shines here but I think I live in a very good spot!

Queen Mary Gardens, Gyllyngvase, Falmouth.

These gardens are right by the beach at Gyllyngvase and were opened in 1912 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Mary who was the wife of George V. There are lots of tropical plants and masses of Gunnera (hope I’ve got the spelling right). Click on all pictures to enlarge!

I can remember playing in the gardens as a child and running and hiding in the Gunnera was the best thing ever! The gardens are laid out quite formally with beds and sweeps of lawn. Some of the plants are quite spectacular. I have to admit right now that I am bad on the names of plants! So I will just insert the pictures and leave you to guess! Well some things I know!

I love these red hot pokers.

I think these are Proteas but I could be wrong!

The Agapanthas weren’t quite out yet but when they are they will make a magnificent statement as there were masses of them.

These Monterey Pines at the edge of the car park were planted by the Victorians and there are lots of them in this part of Cornwall. Sadly being over a hundred years old a lot of them are rotten and are being cut down. What was once a familiar sight is now being lost and none have been planted in the past to take their place.

This is looking across the end of the gardens to the beach and the sea. There are often large ships in the bay as the entrance to Falmouth harbour is to the left of this picture. When I was a child there were beach huts on the beach in semi-circles along the back of the sand. There were five circles in all but now it is just bare sand.