Pampas grasses marking the Autumn

Is Autumn here with vibrant blue skies and a dazzling light, that casts sharp shadows throughout the garden. The promise of the year has been fulfilled at last with the grasses and yuccas, erupting into dramatic flowers moving gently in the whispering breeze today throughout the garden at Ednovean Farm.

The ancient banks that line the lanes here in West Cornwall have become flamboyant with swags of gleaming blackberries tantalizingly out of reach of the local berry pickers that patrol the lanes in the hope of making a tasty pie or is it jam?

Perhaps we have time to visit the sea for one last picnic under the shelter of the the cliffs in this vibrant Indian Summer that has made the birds sing and the butterflies dance with renewed energy, who knows but maybe we''l try one day soon!

Charles took a stroll around the garden this evening under the mesmerising blue of the sky to record our garden in September - strangely quiet and still today after the visitors of last Sunday





A rustic flight of steps colonised by ferns leading to a new path that I've made through the shelter belt. The scented hedge make the walk rather special at the moment to find a secret bench looking out over the shipping lanes across the fields.



The different shapes and forms of the palms add a stark symmetry to the sky before unravelling in the breeze


The Italian garden entrance as the sun became lower in the sky allowing the light to fall in enticing slants from the individual lawns along the avenue.





With the foliage of our gravel border mottled by the evening

The tall grass spires against the sky




A glimpse across the garden from between the palms

It has taken years for the foliage to properly frame our urn

The edge of the Apricot rooms special area

Agaves in the lower border - I hope the year is kind to them

The bluest of skies today bespoke to this autumn

A new vacancy

Well, we've just had a new vacancy today,
apologies to all that we have turned away,
perhaps it's not to late??????????????????????

The 18th,19th and 20th of September

and we did keep one night back for tonight so we could offer four days starting from tonight the 17th

any takers?

The Dukes of Hazzard

It's an interesting lighting system but

Well our lengthy search for a "new" vehicle to carry our mountains of shopping has at last been successful and The Cornishman had just the job for us - true the mammoth lighting system to the front and the rear make it resemble something from the Dukes of Hazard but its arrival has been like the relief of a siege. Take for instance our efforts at shopping on like - very efficient and successful apart from my lack of ability to understand metric units - I waited in trepidation for the first shop - would i end up with a case of bananas or................they delivered three. Charles tried the second time - they solemnly delivered one solitary banana. And so it was a a relief this morning for Charles to be able to jump in the landrover and race up to Trevelyan Farm shop and buy a beautiful organic melon for our guest breakfast!

The Landrover herself has seen life, it must be said and in need of ah hum a little light industrial cleaning to say the least. A quick google search brought one number who kindly recommended Automotive Valeting 01736 763308 from Rinsey. Paul Osborne worked miracles on her appearance, working steadily for the morning and she is now ready to tackle Tesco's, the Cash and Carry, the corn merchant, the garden centre.......whoops did I say the garden centre?!

It was an early start this morning for us and i turned Sooty out to mooch about first thing I think his opinion of the Dawn behind him is clear in his face but he was back in his newly cleaned stable in time for breakfast, just in time to put his feet up for an hour or two while we get on with the work!

Sootty up much too early this morning in his opinion

But was that the mares in their stables he heard?

Last nights sunset still amazing after a week of over indulgence in sunsets!

ednovean farm ngs opening

.........the tables were laid for tea on the upper terrace, overlooking the Parterre.......




the parasols were raised to cocoon the tea takers




Terry was laying in wait (wearing a very natty high vis vest if i may say!) to ferry the cars across the field to Charlie.........



who arranged the cars in orderly lines below the lower garden gate





Anne's very professional banner was erected to guide the hungry



the plant sales were laid out in one of the Italian gardens quiet enclosures by Rebbecca

Rebecca's succulents are gorgeous and highly recommended by our garden rabbit collection, accustomed as they are to "fine dining"

The entrance and table were set up by Anne and Peter ready to go...........

half concealed by the palms...................

and never could there be a more charming group of muggers for the £4 entrance fee

Our neighbour Jan in position, on the junction between the Italian garden and the gravel border, armed with a gardeners knowledge and a collection of reference books to give gardening advice.........



and at last the visitors started to arrive!

Well what a day at Ednovean Farm. It started for us early - very early - when I prodded the washing machine and tumble drier into action just after 5.00am because that heap of towels just doesn't wash itself By 6.00 'o clock it just was light enough to start work in the stable yard, feeding the brood mares and turning Sooty out for a retirement munch on the grass while Charles exercised Danni in the early half light of dawn. Meanwhile i mucked out two stables for the boys and made a frantic and not very successful effort to weed the car park and tidy up around our newly delivered porta loo, which at least harvested another barrow full of weeds to salve my conscience. Charles returned and we turned out our family of four brood mares and their foals into their pasture and would you believe Lizzie had the temerity to yawn when she saw me! Then Charles ferried the first of the big yellow marker arrows up to the main road to sign post the route the first of many to be positioned as the morning went on.

We were back to the kitchen in time to prepare our house guests breakfast and see our departing guests off back to London before tackling the bedrooms, with just enough time to click print on the computer for the visitor information leaflets for the gate. Our morning was puctuated be ladies bringing the first of the home made cakes for the afternoon teas, all borne in delightful old cake tins that had seen many years of faithful service I'm sure.

What a relief when Ann and her husband Peter arrive bearing some jolly bunting and set up an impomto Lynch gate into the garden with a very professional looking notice board as well. I added a beautiful white cloth a gift from an Aunt, protected by a vintage cloth of my mothers to the entrance table, together with a pretty bunch of sweet peas in a jug, a gift from my neighbour's Jan's garden before scurrying away again to the important job of going around in circles. By 12.30 I abandoned a heroic attempt to spring clean the garden room, in half an hour and covered the sofa in there with a beautifully faded old quilt, decanting the rest of the wicker chairs in groups across the lawn, for the garden visitors to admire the view. At about this time Olley departed from the Dining room developing wheel spin as he rounded the corner but he did make brief appearance later in the day, before retiring back to "his" stable yard

The church room tea party all arrived looking delicious in pert Rah Rah skirts, to set the tables delivered by Micheal and Amanda the night before, and bounced through the day wearing even bigger smiles which always helps to make the day a really special memory( apologies to the gentlemen who were not wearing skirts of course but equally affable and attentive to our garden guests)

We had a great day and met a super group of people and thanks to Marion Stanley (ngs area rep) for taking the time to visit us again this year - although we did sneak off to see the foals of course!

We raised £350 this Sunday and saw many people enjoying our garden, before at 5,00pm, just as efficiently, the church room brigade broke camp, with Micheal and Amanda stowing the china and attractive wooden furniture back into hatch back cars. In the garden, bunting, table cloths and cushions were gathered in and the garden suddenly becoming empty and serene again and the car park gate clicked shut again for another year. ................now some how I think I wont be doing any gardening at all this week

It was great to see perranlady - do click her blog for a super set of pictures taken when the garden and teas were in full swing

.......................And now the sums

We had 81 paying visitors and 2 free pass users = £324

A donation from a kindly passing gentleman to = £001

Plants sales and donation = £025

Total £350

Private visits through the summer =£090

loose change =£006

Total for 2009 £446

We'd like to thank the ngs for the opportunity to share our garden with so many lovely people but sadly feel that work pressure suggests we take a break from the prestigious yellow book opening. We do hope to be open as usual for Perranuthnoe open gardens in June or July - see you then I hope

Ednovean Farm ngs opening

The front door wreathed in Ivy gently touched by the sunset



Well, all is nearly ready for Ednovean Farms garden opening for the ngs this Sunday ( the 13th of September) if we could garden at night as well, we would, accompanied by our faithful ginger moggie, Olley.


Olley silhouetted in the dusk as he supervises Charles

but as it is as the evenings draw in we retreat thankfully indoors, grateful for the high that has formed over the UK and brought clear blue skies and magical sunset in sharp contrast to Tuesday when we left giant snail trails across the lawns, as we laboured in the fog, gloom and drizzle.


The garden framing the view to St Micheal's Mount with a magical sky

The lights around the Mounts bay from Ednovean farm at Sunset

A view through a pampas at the very end of the garden with the lights of Penzance beyond click to enlarge


Through the courtyard gate

This morning the weather stays settled, please cross all of your fingers for Sunday for us!! ..................and Olley is now sound asleep he's been SO busy.

A gathering high

To live by the coast in Cornwall is to know all of her moods but this morning the temperament was enigmatic as the weather fronts stirred to welcome the promised high with the towns around the bay in sharp relief, below a steely grey sky. Will the promised high materialise? who knows but here we wait in the gathering humidity that spangles the garden foliage in eager anticipation of the grand finale of summer............we hope!

Spiders webs catching the morning dew

And now a little idea -

Tweets for the breakfast table - things that our guest have found in the course of their stay and enjoyed, in no particular order here they are:-

• Watch a play in the garden at Trevarno Gardens http://www.trevarno.co.uk/index.htm
• For a quick pasta supper by Penzance Harbour :- The Olive Farm - above the delicatessen
• For a vintage Cream Tea (take a sense of fun the waitresses will all be in period dress)http://www.kingharryscornwall.co.uk/fooddrink/teahouses/charlottes_victorian_tea_houseand that is rather a nifty web site if you are visiting our shores too

A September morning

What a difference a day makes, as a high builds and Olley abandons his box without a backward glance. The courtyard at Ednovean Farm looked enchanting this morning full of dappled shade cast by the Date palms, with the sea a perfect blue beyond. Perfect or should I say Purrfect enough to temp Charles outside with the camera after Breakfast to try a few shots to record the crisp, bright, morning.

The days have been full for us this week -the idea of opening the garden in September for the ngs seemed a good one at the time - we'd have all Summer to get the garden ready wouldn't we? Well efforts are now becoming frantic to groom the garden into shape for the big day and to my fevered imagination there seems to be several acres left to go ( the garden is not THAT big). Every year we say this is the last time.............until the next of course.

Olley's weather advice today don't stray too far from your cardboard box as he's just seen a cloud across the bay and I've repositioned his box