Dave Inch - Tresco's propagator watering in the glasshouse.

For this month’s blog I thought it would be interesting to give you an idea of what it’s like to work in Tresco Abbey Garden, so I’m documenting a day in the life of Dave Inch, the propagator in the garden.  Dave has worked in Tresco Abbey Garden for the last 25 years, 13 of which he has been the propagator.
Every morning, the gardeners congregate at 7.55 or thereabouts, in the shed, where the day’s work is agreed upon and meted out, any issues are discussed, and the odd bit of gossip is imparted.  The day that I chose for the purpose of this blog, provided a very interesting morning meeting … Dave Hamilton, the vegetable gardener had been, of late, having problems with a seagull who was stealing the duck eggs from the chicken run, and in an effort to eradicate the problem he asked us for any suggestions that we might have to help him do so.  One suggestion was that Dave dress up as a giant seagull in an effort to catch the culprit, to which Dave replied that it would be better for him to dress up as a giant egg, and catch the seagull as he tried to pounce on him!

Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a propagator...?

Anyhow, getting back from this amusing little digression, after the morning meeting Dave Inch usually heads off to the nursery where he opens up the glasshouses and cold frames, weather permitting, to allow some air circulation for the plants therein.  As he goes around opening the various glasshouses, he casts his eyes over the plants, and especially the plugs – tiny units of compost – and seed trays, to see if any of them require water; at the same time he is checking for anything that needs more care than others and if anything needs attention.  He then waters the plants as needed.
Today, having carried out these daily duties, Dave potted on Lampranthus from plugs to larger pots.  For this he used a mixture of potting compost and grit for drainage.  The Lampranthus had been taken as cuttings from the garden in January/February.  These plants will be taken to the Garden Visitor Centre for sale.
Dave’s next task was to take cuttings from Aeonium decorum.  These Aeonium had been grown from seed and were in pots.  They are quite small, the rosettes not growing much bigger than three inches across.  The cuttings will used for planting around the garden and also for plant sales.
Next he took cuttings of Aeonium manriqueorum, which is the largest of the shrub Aeonium.  Its rosettes can grow up to twelve inches across.  These were placed into a mix of fine compost with gravel, and will be put in the Garden Visitor Centre for sale.
In the afternoon, a consignment of plants in plugs arrived at the nursery, and Dave unpacked these in the Sales glasshouse and watered them in.Dave’s final task of the day was to water the plugs in the lower glasshouse before closing up all the glasshouses and putting the cold frame lids back on for the night.

Geranium maderense and Aeonium atropurpureum in flower - sure signs of Spring!

Spring is definitely in the air here at Tresco Abbey Garden!  Last week we had some wonderful warm sunny days, which, back home in Ireland, would be classed as summer weather.
The garden has been open to visitors for the last few weeks, and it’s nice to see you trickling back in again.   Over winter it was very quiet in the garden as we moved from one area to the next clearing the borders and beds, preparing them for planting.  It was great to finally start planting them up last week!
This month will see the start of the cruise ships arriving at Tresco’s shores and simultaneously the resumption of garden tours.  As student gardeners, we will be conducting some of these tours – hopefully my delivery will be stimulating and I won’t lose any of my group on the way around!
Weekend watering duty is looming around the corner, as the three garden students take turns to open glasshouses and water the plants on Saturdays and Sundays.
Elsewhere in the garden, we’re gravelling the footpaths and painting the blue bridge and benches.

Showing graceful technique, the gardeners spruce up the paths with fresh gravel.

  Over the next few weeks we’ll be carrying out a major planting job at the island hotel site.
I caught up with Dave Inch in the nursery and Dave Hamilton in the vegetable garden this week. 

Dave Inch keeping an eye on his precious young plants.

 Dave Inch is busy these days propagating cuttings of Osteospermum, Argyranthemum, Pelargonium and Euryops for plant sales.  Soon he’ll be making up hanging baskets for the garden entrance and the Abbey. 

Dave Hamilton is busy with soil cultivation in the vegetable garden.  The onions, garlic and shallots he planted in February are coming along nicely.  Likewise the beetroot and spring onions are doing well and the carrots have just started germinating.  He planted the first batch of broad beans today and has started hardening off another batch before planting them out too.  He’s preparing to make his ‘Annual Avenue of Climbers’ where he’ll have an avenue of Sweet Peas and Runner Beans climbing up bamboo canes.  In the glasshouse the tomatoes and cucumbers are ready for potting on, the rocket, lettuce and cabbage are all set to be planted in the polytunnel and the annuals Statice, Cosmos and Snap Dragon have been sown.  He’s preparing the other polytunnel for the tomato and cucumber plants.

Watering the seedlings - Dave Hamilton in the Veg Garden's greenhouse.

We look forward to seeing you to the garden this year….

 On the sheltered grassy meadows of Tresco, there stand four beautiful horses that are loved and treasured by the Dorrien-Smith family. Everyday people have the opportunity to walk past their well kept fields and observe these stunning animals. However do they know the stories behind them?
    It may come as a surprise to people that two of these horses (Queops and Romero) were not bought from a loving family that treated them well. They were beaten and branded by their previous Portuguese owners, who forced the horses to perform in the bullring at bullfights. The poor animals had no love, no hope and no happiness in their day to day lives. They were mainly kept in dark and damp confinements, where they were given only the bare essentials to survive.
No-one cared for them, no-one treasured them and no-one gave them a chance of happiness. In the early months of 2004, Lucy and her daughter Marina rescued them from their shocking surroundings and took them to this beautiful island just off the coast of Cornwall. Here they will spend the rest of their lives in peace. These two animals have finally found the light at the end of the tunnel, and all down to the kindness of Lucy and her family.
Alongside these two magnificent creatures, stands Anna (12hh pony). She was dearly loved and cherished in her previous home but unfortunately not by her fellow ponies, who bullied her. A year ago, Lucy took her on as a companion for Queops. On Tresco, Anna immediately became top of the herd and is now very much at home. She will always happily come up and greet people, with a rare fondness that shows how contented this old mare is with her new life.
 The final horse that makes up the Tresco herd is Larkspur, a beautiful Anglo Arab. Though she is actually a retired eventer, Larkspur is a true filly at heart. For well over 12 years now, she has been grazing in the beautiful Tresco pastures and is loved by all .
Very few of the visitors and islanders know the true stories behind these animals and how dramatically their lives have changed. Now you do – now every time you cycle or walk past them you will know their histories, that they are well-cared for and happy.

Romero

Name: Romero Height: 15hh Age: 14 Breed: Lusitano Colour: Dun/Buckskin Gender: Gelding Markings: Dark bay socks on legs.

Queops

Name: Queops Height:  15hh Age: 15 Breed: Lusitano Colour: Dark Bay Markings: N/A Gender: Gelding

Larkspur

Name: Larkspur Height: 15hh Age: 27 Breed: Anglo Arab Colour: Dark bay Markings: White blaze Gender: Mare

Anna

Name: Anna Height: 12hh Age: 22 Breed: Moorland Colour: Bay Markings: White star Gender: Mare

Landlord Robin at the barrel...

2012 promises to be a busy and exciting year for us on Tresco as we prepare for the World Championships followed by a full season of Gig Racing plus Walking & Music Festivals, The Diamond Jubilee and the Tresco Triathlon plus a busy calendar of smaller events for charity.
This year during May we have something to celebrate at the New Inn and we intend to honor this event with as much gaiety and revelry as we can muster.
It’s the New Inn 21st Ale Festival!
In June 2002, in conjunction with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, The New Inn held the islands first ever Beer Festival and it was such a success we’ve been doing it regularly ever since.
As ever there will be much merry making as we commemorate by providing people with a fine selection of Ales from across the United Kingdom accompanied by great live music and a special menu.
Richard Hobbs was working as a part time bar tender at the first Ale festival back in 2002 and remembers very little about the whole thing – it was that good!
Over the years he has pulled many a pint at the festivals as well as supped many a wonderful brew and truly loves his ale with a passion.
We asked if he had a favorite ale to date but we got the impression that he probably adores them all!
“Looking back” Richard told us “the most memorable ale (or not as it turned out to be) was the year they served the great tasting ‘Skull Splitter’ from the ‘Orkney Brewery’” served in a two pint handled glass which was yours to keep (if you could remember to take it home). “At 8.50% ABV two pints of that alone was enough for me and I don’t remember a blooming thing after that!”
I’m not sure how many varieties have been sold and enjoyed over the last 21 festivals but with only a few favorites which do re-appear there must have been a fair few.

Richard Hobbs before the Skull Splitter. Memories...who needs 'em?

This year there will be approximately 30 to choose from and these will be accompanied by a tasty menu which celebrates the good old sausage which was such a great successes at one of the earlier festivals we decided to do it again!
Robin will be ordering in the ale and Alex the grub so all you have to do if you are here in May is relax, sample the goods and enjoy the music, company and surroundings! It’s being held the weekend of the 26th, 27th & 28th of May and will be followed by the 22nd festival starting on the 1st of September.
If you think it sounds like your kind of thing we offer Ale Festival Packages – call us for more information on 01720 422844.

“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with sausages!”

Richard Hobbs and Jon Fisher - Community Responders

It never really occurred to me, or rather, I never spent any time pondering the existence of emergency services, on the Isles of Scilly in general, and on Tresco in particular, until recently, that is, when I had reason to avail of them.  As a holiday maker, visitor, or temporary resident on Tresco, which has no hospital or clinic, and no doctor except for a few hours on a Tuesday morning, it is worth asking the question ‘What procedures, if any, are in place to deal with an emergency?’�
Having been working elsewhere on the island for the previous week and a half, it was pleasant to be back working in Tresco Abbey Garden, but not for long, as I lost my footing in the Mediterranean Garden and landed on my back on some steps.  Afraid to move in case I would damage my spine, I tentatively checked if I could wiggle my toes and move my feet.  I decided to get up (foolishly or not) with the assistance of my co-worker Cora, who then left me holding my back while she went off for help.  She found Dave Hamilton, vegetable gardener, first aider and part time fireman, who contacted Rosie Felton, gardener and Community Responder.  Rosie seemed to materialise out of thin air in jig time.  She contacted 999 Emergency Services which is on the mainland, in case I had done some damage to my back.  Within a few minutes two guys in green overalls were making their way towards us, complete with emergency kit.  When they neared us, we recognised them – Richard Hobbs, Cottage Services Manager, and Jon Fisher, from the Cottage Department, both voluntary Community Responders.  By the time they’d established what had happened, taken my pulse, blood pressure, checked my back and covered me in blankets, Karen Johnson, Ambulance Technician, arrived from St. Marys.  Karen asked me some questions and checked my back.  I was able to stand but unable to raise my right leg, so I was strapped into a chair and carried down to the garden entrance where the Tresco ambulance was waiting to transfer me to the ambulance boat ‘The Star of Life’.  At the quay in St Marys, there was another ambulance waiting to take me to the hospital where I received the appropriate treatment.  Later on that morning, rather ambitiously leaving the hospital on foot, having declined the offer of transport back to St. Marys quay, Cora and I walked at a snail’s pace down the hill to the town where we took the next boat back to Tresco.
Since that day, I wanted to find out more about the service provided by Emergency Services on the Isles of Scilly, and this is what I found out:
When a 999 emergency call is made on the Isles of Scilly, it is connected to Ambulance Control in Exeter.  While the caller is talking to Ambulance Control, emergency services on St Marys and Community Responders on the off-island are already being informed of an incident and its whereabouts.  The Community Responders will get to the caller within 8 minutes.  By the time the Ambulance Technician from St. Marys gets to the scene- usually 15-20 minutes – they know exactly what they’re going to do.  Within 45 minutes to one hour the casualty is being treated in St. Mary’s hospital.  In case of a major trauma or break, there is the option of using the Air Ambulance to transfer the casualty to a hospital on the mainland.
There are 26 off-island Community First Responders who volunteer their services free of charge and are on call around the clock.  On each of the islands there is transport for casualties – on Tresco it is a long wheel base Land Rover fully equipped as per mainland ambulances.  There is a dedicated boat ambulance the ‘Star of Life’, which is under the responsibility of the South West Ambulance Service.  It is a catamaran for stability for working with patients inside, and to facilitate beach landings where a jetty or quay is unavailable.  Its aft deck is big enough to get a winching stretcher down if necessary.  There is a sea beaching area at the back of the boat so that a person in the water can be easily pulled onto the boat.  It has a metre clearance around the cabin should it be necessary to carry or wheel someone on.  The interior of the cabin is the same as a road ambulance so that when mainland crew members are on duty they know exactly where everything is.
Finally, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all the emergency services personnel who helped me recently, and to all the emergency services personnel on the Isles of Scilly, whether paid or volunteers, for the exceptional work they do, in maintaining the highest standards in this vital service.

Star of Life (Photograph by John Stickland, courtesy of The Islander Magazine.)

A lyrical appreciation of the Isles of Scilly:

Scilly – the Gulf Stream caresses and warms your senses as the mild climate weaves it magic and puts in place a memory that keeps bringing you back.

Blackberries, butterflies and plumpscious sparrows and a ‘hello’ from every passerby.

White wispy clouds scudding across blue skies reflected in a turquoise sea – the silence only disturbed by the buzzing of a bumble bee.

The smell of the ocean as waves pound the shoreline and sift the sand scattered with diamonds glistening in the sun.

Pink Thrift swaying in a gentle breeze and cliff paths clad in soft mounds of purple Heather that cushion the footfall with every step.

Golden sunsets illuminating the evening clouds as the red orb of the sun reflected in a dark blue sea, disappears over the horizon.

Standing in awe at flora and fauna that really belong elsewhere, but somehow seem perfectly at home.

Shells of every hue collecting in rocky corners of a deserted beach and wondering where those ‘man-Friday’ footprints may lead.

A stunning coastal walk, quietly remote and there around a corner, a sign, → Teas – surely that can’t be !

Lydia Sheppard

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.

Dave Hamilton feeding the chickens

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

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

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

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'