Tresco Blog | All the latest from Tresco, Isles of Scilly

Run Chicken Run

By Tresco | Published: January 26, 2012

It’s said that one of the most stressful things a person can do in their lifetime is to move house, but not so for the chickens and ducks in Tresco Abbey Garden! As Abbey Garden student Brenda Bracken discovers…

The new Chicken Run at Tresco Abbey Gardens

Some months ago, the Piante Faro nursery in Sicily kindly donated thirty seven olive trees to Tresco Abbey Garden. Speaking to Dave Hamilton, who is responsible for the Vegetable Garden, he mentioned that he was keen to extend productivity, and so it was decided to create an olive grove in his area of the garden. The chicken run had to be moved, as it was the most suitable site for the olives, being protected from the wind by Olearia and Monterey Cypress trees.
This was the perfect opportunity to improve the chicken run – firstly by moving it to a nearby area where there were trees for shelter and shading, providing a nesting spot for ducks laying their eggs; and secondly by replacing the chicken wire fence with picket fencing, which was visually more ornamental. “One of the problems with ducks in the summer – they like to lay outside and before I arrive in the mornings, already seagulls swoop down and get the eggs. What one seagull does is it flies over my shed and drops the egg in flight on to the hard surface of the shed roof to break the egg and then comes down to eat the contents…. now with the Eucalyptus trees in there, they can hide away and hopefully hide the eggs.”

Chickens and ducks under the eucalyptus.

So what was the process for making the new chicken run? Originally they considered making the fence themselves, but in the end opted to buy ready-made fencing online. “ The biggest challenge was setting up the fencing on the slope, and because the panels came in 6’ lengths, the only way to get them truly level was to step them going up the hill”. So Dave had to saw the ends of the panels, and by doing that he slightly lowered the height of the fencing.

“We’re already finding that there’s one or two chickens coming out (over the fence), which is not a problem, as they’re used to being out, but now they’ve got this new run it would be nice to keep them within that area. But it’s not the end of the world. I think visually it looks quite nice now. Hopefully for young children that visit the gardens, it’s a nice little area for them to come and see the birds and they’re more than welcome to come and feed them”.

Dave Hamilton feeding the chickens

There are two breeds of chicken in the run, and Dave told me a little bit about them “The white ones are light Sussex, of which we’ve got four, and the brown ones are a hybrid, a cross between Rhode Island Red and a breed called Warren which is a hybridised breed purely for egg laying, short lived, but while living, they lay quite prolifically. The majority of the chickens are in their second year now, the Light Sussex have been here 2 years and most of the brown ones are 2 years old now. What we like to do is replace them every 2 years. Their main laying period is the first 12 months, beyond that the egg production goes down”. And as for the ducks, “They have been in the garden longer than me! I’ve been here 6 years; the ducks are a good 7 or 8 years old”.
Enquiring about what they eat, Dave informed me “I feed them a mixture of poultry corn, which is a mixture of wheat and maize; and layer pellets, which help with egg formation, 50% of each, plus kitchen waste, and they pick over the compost heap for earthworms as well”.
As well as a new run, the chickens also benefited from the building of two new nest boxes and the provision of two automated feeders. “The majority of them use the nest box but I’ve got one laying by the Myrtle tree behind the hedge. I can tell when I come to feed them in the morning, you get the odd chicken that’s singing almost, and she’s got that urge to lay an egg and sometimes you see one walking up and down along the fence looking to get out, I just keep my eye on that one to see where she goes. I don’t take all the eggs away, because if I did that, the chicken would just go and lay somewhere else, so what I tend to do is leave one egg there, to encourage the chicken to keep laying there, and I also do the same in the chicken house, just leave one or 2 eggs in the box to encourage them to keep on laying in the box”. On occasion, instead of leaving an egg in the nest, Dave has used a white golf ball which the chicken thinks is an egg. “It’s just a way of making sure they lay in the same place.”

Brand new chicken feeders

Although the chickens now have two houses, they all crowd into one of them at night time to roost. “The other house is not being slept in, but there are 1 or 2 eggs being laid in there, so they are using that house for laying but not for roosting”.
Altogether it took between two to three weeks to build the new chicken run. There were forty posts to be placed which meant digging forty holes, each one eighteen inches deep, and then they had to be filled with concrete. “Every post had to be the right distance apart and also upright. Once I’d done that and the concrete had set, then it was a pretty quick process of actually screwing the panels to the posts….it was certainly a nice project to be involved with”.
Asking Dave how well they adapted to their new home, “I think they’re very happy now, they’ve got the new feeders, so they can feed whenever they desire now, they’ve got shading which is beneficial, and I think for the chickens being in amongst the branches, it’s a bit more interesting for them as well. I like to think they’re more contented birds now”.

Looks like the chickens and the olives will live happily side by side…..

Cuddling up under the eucalyptus

Other news from around the garden….
For the last three weeks two volunteers, Larissa and Emma, have been working with us in the garden. It’s been great working them, but sadly Larissa is leaving for the mainland tomorrow morning. We shall miss her…safe travelling Larissa. The good news is that Emma is still with us for another week or so.

Larissa and Emma

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A winter week on Tresco with artist Nicola Hancox

By Tresco | Published: December 29, 2011

The winter months see Tresco at its quietest, and what better time for Gallery Tresco’s bank of artists to visits, stay and gather inspiration for the season ahead. Tresco is home to two artists’ chalets, and the gallery organise week long residencies from the end of October through to January. These stays provide the basis for each artist’s catalogue of Tresco works, which will then be featured in exhibitions and collections at Gallery Tresco throughout the following season. Nicola Hancox reflects on her recent stay on Tresco this winter.

“Thanks to Lucy and Robert Dorrien Smith’s generosity, I have just returned from a wonderful week’s artist residency in one of the artist chalets.
This year my husband came with me, so whilst he was searching the shoreline for cowrie shells and reading the final book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy, I was out gathering as much information as I could to bring home with me to my studio to paint for my next exhibition at Gallery Tresco.
The location of the chalet is idyllic. It is hidden away at Borough Farm in such a peaceful spot with marvellous views over to St Martins. I have been coming to Scilly for over 40 years and have only discovered this area since staying at the Chalets. I love the path from the chalet that leads all the way to Old Grimsby and I love the veg stall just below. One day I must paint this view.
On a typical day, I will leave early and make my way down to the beach, because what I love to paint more than anything else is the sea lapping onto Tresco’s white sparkling sand and the different stages of the tide. Here I sketch, make notes and take photo’s to bring home to my studio to then work up into a painting.

The day flies by so quickly, with just a short break in the New Inn for lunch. At the end of the day, just before the light fades, early in November, I like to head for Appletree Bay, always hoping to see a beautiful sunset over Tresco and Bryher. Then back to the chalet for a cuppa before returning to the New Inn by torchlight for supper.
Although I find Tresco wonderful at all times of the year, as each season brings different moods and colours, winter is particularly lovely. The weather can be as beautiful and sunny as any summer’s day or, may be very dramatic with fast moving clouds or peaceful and quiet with soft grey winter light. The sea too can be amazing. I really enjoy walking up the north end of the island and watching the big sea’s rolling in between Tresco and St Martin’s and the waves crashing into Piper’s Hole. Another scene I must paint!
Several years before I went to Art School in 1974, I was lucky to discover the Isles of Scilly as a child with my Parents. I feel very privileged I am now able to spend my days painting all its beauty.”
You can view Nicola’s work along with that of many others on the gallery’s website: http://www.tresco.co.uk/what-to-do/gallery/default.aspx

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Aloe Heaven on Tresco by Brenda Bracken, Garden Student.

By Tresco | Published: December 23, 2011

A bank of aloes flowering in December, Abbey Gardens, Tresco.

In November the Aloes at Tresco Abbey Garden began to show signs of blossoming as the flowerheads started to burst forth from their rosettes. While some are now in full flower, others are lagging behind, not quite ready to open up to the cold and wind of recent days.
Aloes are a member of the Xanthorrhoeaceae family of plants. They have succulent leaves that are arranged in rosettes and tall inflorescences that resemble candles. They range in size from small plants no more than a few cm high to large tree-like aloes 20 metres tall. The leaves are typically armed with marginal and terminal prickles. The flowers are tubular and borne on simple or branched inflorescences.
There are ten groups of aloes: Tree; Single-stemmed; Multi-stemmed; Rambling; Creeping; Stemless; Speckled; Spotted; Dwarf; Grass aloes.
The name aloe comes from a Greek word ‘alsos’ referring to the bitter juice from the leaves. The juice has been used medicinally for centuries, particularly as a first aid treatment for burns. Because of the bitterness of the juice, it can also be used to prevent children from biting their fingernails!
We have many different aloes here at Tresco Abbey Garden –here are some of them:
Aloe arborescens, or krantz aloe, as it is commonly called, is abundant in Tresco Abbey Garden. This multi-stemmed aloe is widely distributed along the eastern coast of South Africa, all the way up to Malawi. It has adapted to many habitats, but is usually found in mountainous areas on exposed ridges. The common name krantz which means a rocky ridge or cliff, refers to its habitat. Because it branches out, Aloe arborescens forms a dense bush with many rosettes and it can grow to a height of 2 to 3 metres. The inflorescence is simple and the tubular raceme bears scarlet, orange, pink or yellow flowers.

Aloe arborescens - the Krantz aloe

One of the tree aloes growing here in Tresco Abbey Garden is Aloe plicatilis. It is native to a particular area of South Africa, that is, the Western Cape Mountains. Aloe plicatilis can reach a height of 3 to 5 metres. The bluish-grey green strap-shaped leaves are arranged in such a way that they resemble an open fan, hence the common name fan aloe – plicatilis meaning ‘fan-like’. Each leaf cluster bears only one inflorescence of up to thirty tubular scarlet flowers.

Aloe plicatilis - one of the smaller tree aloes

Aloe barberae is Africa’s largest aloe reaching a height of 15 to 20 metres. Aloe barberae was first discovered by Mary Elizabeth Barber, a plant collector, who sent specimens to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, where it was named, hence the name barberae. The Aloe barberae situated in the Middle Terrace of Tresco Abbey Garden has a grey bark and 2-forked branching. The long, narrow, dark green leaves are deeply grooved and recurved, and the leaf margins are toothed. The salmon pink flowers of Aloe barberae are borne on branched inflorescences.

Aloe barberae can grow up to 20m high.

The rarest aloe that we have here in the garden is Aloe polyphylla, a stemless aloe, commonly called spiral aloe. It occurs naturally in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho and is now listed as endangered. ‘Poly’ meaning many and ‘phylla’ meaning leaves, this aloe has approximately 150 leaves which are formed in a spiral either clockwise or anti-clockwise. The inflorescence is branched into between 3 and 8 racemes which bear tubular pale red to salmon coloured flowers.

Aloe polyphylla, an endangered species from the mountains of Lesotho

My favourite aloe at the garden is the rambling Aloe ciliaris which I discovered on the South Africa Cliff border while exploring the garden recently. The semi-woody stems can grow to a length of 6 metres, the leaves and flowers growing at the terminal part of the stem. The leaves are dark green and the margins have white hair-like prickles. These are larger where the leaf meets the stem. The tubular flowers of Aloe ciliaris are bright red with yellow tips, and are borne in short racemes on simple inflorescences.

Aloe ciliaris

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Under Gaia’s gaze – View of the Abbey Garden by Brenda Bracken

By Tresco | Published: December 9, 2011

Tibouchina semidecandra

Winter, a time for hibernation, going within, retreating, slowing down, dark days…. but not here at Tresco Abbey Garden, where, under the watchful eye of Gaia, the Earth Goddess, many plants are bursting into flower, keeping the garden alive with colour. Gaia, Earth Goddess – once elusive, as I tried to find her during my first days here, while I roamed the myriad of paths leading off the Long Walk – was sculpted by David Wynne from a block of South African marble gifted to him by George Harrison. As she sits in her power, this formidable deity bears witness to nature’s winter spectacle at Tresco.

Gaia, the statue of the Earth Goddess sculpted by David Wynne.

Passiflora antioquiensis, commonly known as Red Banana Passion fruit because of its banana-shaped fruit. All the way from Antioquio in its native Columbia, this vigorous climber has been in bloom on the Middle Terrace of Tresco Abbey Garden since July and continues to give pleasure to the now infrequent visitor to the garden. The reddish-pink flowers have orange anthers and lime-green stigmas.

Passiflora antioquiensis, Banana Passion Fruit

Nearby on the Middle Terrace, Tibouchina semidecandra, also known as Glory Bush or Spider Flower because its dark hooked stamens resemble a spider. This Brazilian beauty is positively stunning, its royal purple petals unfailingly catching the eye as one approaches from the distance. (See above.)

Tecomaria capensis is a fast growing shrub native to South Africa – evergreen in warm climates but loses its leaves in colder areas. Cape Honeysuckle, as it is commonly known, has vibrant orange flowers which are bird pollinated. Its yellow form is also in flower on the Middle Terrace. The powdered bark of this plant is used as a traditional medicine to relieve pain and sleeplessness.

Tecomaria capensis, Cape Honeysuckle

Coronilla glauca, a member of the pea family from Southern Europe, is a remarkably hardy plant, its glaucous pinnate leaves and striking yellow pea-like fragrant flowers shouting out ‘Here I am!’

Cornilla glauca

Clianthus puniceus, hidden away, yet ever made conspicuous by its attractive red flower. Also known as Lobster claw, Parrot’s Beak, and Kaka Beak, this evergreen shrub with climbing shoots and dark green leaves, is a native of New Zealand. Normally flowering from spring to early summer, it has been flowering here at Tresco near the Pebble Garden for the last couple of months.

Clianthus puniceus, the Lobster Claw

Brugmansia sanguinea, otherwise known as Angels’ Trumpets. Belonging to the Solanaceae family, this Peruvian plant bears tubular pendulous orange-red yellow flowers. All parts of this plant are toxic, the seeds in particular being deadly poisonous. It can be seen on the Long Walk and on the way up to Gaia.

Brugmansia sanguinea, the Angel's Trumpet

Delphinium elatum ‘Magic Fountain’ – I hear you cry out ‘Impossible at this time of year!’ Yet here it is flowering in the third week of November in the herbaceous border of the vegetable garden!

Delphinium elatum 'Magic Fountain'

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Brand New Team on Tresco

By Tresco | Published: November 8, 2011

: Ellen Marshall, the new Housekeeping Manager of Tresco’s Holiday Cottages, and Richard Hobbs, the Cottage Services Manager.

Tresco’s Cottage Department has seen an exciting development as Ellen Marshall has joined the team. Until very recently Ellen was Head Housekeeper at the Island Hotel but with the increase in holiday cottages and the renewal of the hotel, Ellen has now become Housekeeping Manager of the Cottage Department. Ellen will lead a team of 15 staff at the height of the season, looking after over 90 properties.
“After five and a half years as Head Housekeeper at the Island Hotel, it’s quite nice to have a change. The work will be very similar, of course, but on a rather larger scale!” said Ellen.
Richard Hobbs, Holiday Cottage Services Manager, will be working alongside Ellen and management duties will be split between them.
“With 95 cottages between us, it’s going to be brilliant to be able to concentrate on the things that we specialise in – Ellen will be in charge of all aspects of housekeeping, while I will be focused on the services and maintenance issues.”
Richard explained further: “In simple terms, Ellen will be doing all the girly stuff, while I will be doing the manly things!” This was followed by loud laughter from Richard and a raised eyebrow from Ellen. She remarked:
“I might not have put it quite like that but we have been working together for a month now and it has been fantastic – we’re getting lots done and enjoying ourselves too.”
Sounds like the perfect team!

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The island’s big draw – University College Falmouth students come to Tresco

By Tresco | Published: October 31, 2011

Outside Dolphin House, U.C. Falmouth BA Hons Drawing students with Lucy Dorrien Smith

The UC Falmouth Drawing BA Hons. students with Lucy Dorrien Smith, outside Dolphin House, Tresco.

Last week saw Tresco play host to twenty-six first-year students from the B.A. (Hons) Drawing degree course at University College Falmouth. Accompanied by Award Leader Phil Naylor and Senior Lecturer Isolde Pullum, the students enjoyed five days on the island staying in accommodation provided by the Dorrien Smiths.

Not only are the students enjoying their first term but the course itself has only just started. It is the only degree course in the country which offers pure drawing and it is one that has at its heart an exciting mix of both traditional and modern. Phil Naylor commented: “We are very much riding on a resurgent interest in drawing. We aim to help students learn drawing much like a language; what use they then put it to is up to them. Students could go on to operate in a number of fields, from architecture to fine art. We are about understanding and testing the basics, mixing skills and self-expression.”

The importance of the basics was something very much in the mind of painter Hugo Grenville, who was a guest lecturer and also showed the students around the Dorrien Smith’s extensive art collection on public display at the Flying Boat Club, Tresco and Hell Bay, Bryher on their second day. The following day saw the party complete an extraordinary panoramic drawing of the view from the Blockhouse, above New Grimsby, while being sketched themselves by Senior Lecturer, Isolde Pullum, who described the process: “We divided the 360 degree view around us up into 26 sections, assigning one slice per student, with each person interpreting the land and seascape in their own way. We hope to exhibit the whole collection of drawings as one in Falmouth.”

Up at Blockhouse, the students draw 360 degree landscape of Tresco.

The week was not simply about interacting with the landscape. “We went down to Tresco & Bryher School and got involved in what we might call a collaborative transcription project. We took an image of the wonderful painting by Harold Harvey, The Donkey Meadow, which hangs above the fireplace in the Flying Boat Club. Isolde and I then divided the picture up into 45 matchbox-sized portions. Each student and each child were given an individual part of the image not knowing what it was and taught how to scale it up to A4 and interpret the painting using just graphite. All of their drawings were then rejoined, forming a creative transcription of the painting as a whole.”

The students also spent much of their time practising analytical drawing, making use of close observation of everything from aeoniums in the garden to shells on the beach. One of the students, Dan, remarked “What a place! Everywhere you look, there’s something to draw.” Amy from Oxford spoke of her particular delight in drawing the crab shells and claws but added: “For me, Tresco is also about the wider landscape, sometimes hidden by mist, only to be revealed unexpectedly – from no view to a beautiful one, from close-up to distant.”

From detail to grand land and seascape, Tresco provided no shortage of subjects and staying here was an opportunity that the entire group treasured. Mancunian John Kyrycz said: “I am in awe of this incredibly beautiful place. Tresco’s unique and we are all really, really grateful to Robert and Lucy Dorrien Smith for inviting us here and looking after us so well.”

Lucy Dorrien Smith’s links with University College Falmouth are particularly strong as she is on the Board of Governors. Not only is she instrumental in building links between UCF and Tresco but she has been very supportive of the Drawing BA (Hons) course. Isolde echoed the thoughts of both teaching staff and students: “For us all this has been a wonderful five days. We are all so grateful to Robert and Lucy for their kindness and generosity. Without the Dorrien Smiths, this would have been impossible and we hope that this is the beginning of a lasting friendship between ourselves and the island of Tresco.”

For more information about the Drawing BA Hons. and other courses at University College Falmouth: http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/

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First Impressions from A Garden Student.

By Tresco | Published: October 27, 2011

Welcome to the Abbey Garden, Tresco.

Tresco Abbey Gardens, My First Impressions – Brenda Bracken – Scholarship Student 2011-2012

It was with great excitement and anticipation that I arrived by helicopter on Tresco Island on a gloriously sunny September day, eager to embark on a twelve month horticulture scholarship, run by Tresco Abbey Gardens in conjunction with the HBGBS. Up until then my impression of Tresco Abbey Gardens was gleaned from the website, which, while being extremely inviting, did not, in my opinion, convey the striking beauty of this unique garden.

My first view of the garden was of the Long Walk, which extends the whole length of the garden, from the old garden entrance to the ancient Roman altar, the rich foliage arching overhead, the Cyathea medullaris with its black bark, particularly catching my eye, sunlight flickering through into the shady undergrowth – what a sight this was!

Walking down this long avenue, I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed to see the path to the right, guarded on either side by thirty foot tall Quercus Ilex hedges, flanked by Coleonema pulchrum – South African Confetti bush – leading, via the Neptune Steps, to the Top Terrace and the statue of Neptune, an imposing ship’s figurehead from the SS Thames, which was shipwrecked upon the Western Rocks. I couldn’t wait to explore this beautiful garden further!

A summer shot up towards Neptune's Steps.

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The New Inn’s Rachel Young muses on the arrival of The Meter Man.

By Tresco | Published: October 27, 2011

There are worse places to come and read the meters...

We just had our electricity meter read at the New Inn by a chap who had trekked down from Exeter! Not a bad job on a sunny day …. Well, it was sunny when he was here earlier but he is probably at Borough Farm by now and the heavens have just well and truly opened….oh dear!
He seemed like a very happy man with his assignment to Scilly! He has been in the same profession for over 2 years and this was his first visit to the islands. He has to stay on St Mary’s for a couple of nights while he travels around the five inhabited islands recording the meter readings.
Today with only 17 meters to read on Tresco he was looking forward to a gentle stroll. Up to Townshill then down to Dolphin Town, up to Borough Farm and back down to the village to the engineers work shop and finally Vane Hill!
He commented, as many do, on the difference in attitudes between the customers on the mainland to those on the islands saying he had been greeted with warmth and generosity.
“In two years on the job I have been offered a cup of tea probably 5 times! On St Mary’s yesterday I was offered a cup of tea 5 times in one day! Unbelievable!”
He’s received lifts from one meter reading to the next and then back into town and the loan of a golf buggy but the foreign part for him has been that he’s able to walk into houses and read meters where there’s nobody home – the joy of not having to lock your door! I should imagine this seems like a world away from some of his usual haunts!

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A Flurry of Ecclesiastics – an ecumenical moment on Tresco.

By Tresco | Published: October 14, 2011

This week saw a righteous gathering of local Christian luminaries on Scilly, as the Anglican Bishop of Truro, the Methodist Chair of the Cornwall District and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Plymouth crossed the divide and visited the Isles of Scilly together. Not since the days of the 12th century Benedictine priory have there been so many holy men on Tresco. The party visited St Nicholas’ Church, the Parsonage and Tresco and Bryher Schoo before lunching at the New Inn.

Below is a photograph taken at the Flying Boat Club, where the party had stopped for coffee and were joined by the Dorrien Smiths. From left to right – Rev. Steve Wild, Methodist Chair of the Cornwall District, Mrs Lucy Dorrien Smith, Mr Robert Dorrien Smith, The Right Rev. Christopher Budd, Roman Catholic Bishop of Plymouth, Mrs Eve Cooper of Tresco, Rev. Charlie Gibbs, Methodist Minister of the Isles of Scilly, Mrs Kristine Taylor of Bryher, the Right Rev. Tim Thornton, Anglican Bishop of Truro, Canon Peter Walker, Chaplain of the Isles of Scilly, and Mr David Pender of St Mary’s.

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Seeds…the new flowers?

By Tresco | Published: September 16, 2011

Everybody loves a flower. At this time of year, the latecomers to the party get to show off a bit and none more so than Amaryllis belladonna . A bruise-dark stem topped with pink, trumpet-shaped, scented flowers. Lovely. By now, they have given up with leaves altogether with leaves, having ditched them at the beginning of summer. The glossy green, strap-like foliage will come back in the winter but for now it’s all mighty bulb and glorious flower.

And what a flower it is. The petal tips of the amaryllis flowers curl back, encouraging an appreciation of their sweet fragrance. Six or more individual flowers are held in a cluster or umbel on top of a stem, up to 75cms tall. Stout and smooth, the stem is coloured a deep bronzy-purple, offseting the gaiety of the flowers.

For me though, the amaryllis belladonna has become all about the seeds. Held tightly in their ripening pods, they are pearls. Fleshy and ephemeral, these seeds are not designed to hang around for decades, waiting for the right conditions. The amaryllis seed is all about now, seizing the moment. In their natural South African habitat, that perfect moment is a post-fire flowering. Nothing is left but the amaryllis blooming above the ashes. There is no competition from pollinators, plants or from other seeds.

The seeds can germinate swiftly and get established before the rest of the flora can catch up. In a few years the surrounding plants may have overtaken the amaryllis, which may then have to wait years for another fire before being able to spread their seed once again. Beautiful though the flowers are, ultimately they are not really the point. The point is the seeds and I think that my point is that they are just as pleasing to the eye as the flowers.