Visitors can see this for themselves on Sunday 2nd September when the garden at the farmhouse is open to the public as part of Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Open Gardens scheme. Admission is from 2.00pm to 5.00pm and is £5 per adult, with under 16s free. Cream teas and beverages will be provided by Roddas and Cornish Coffee and served on the large terrace area outside the farmhouse kitchen. There will be plants for sale. Dogs on leads are allowed and there is limited disabled access.

The farmhouse and about nine acres of land were bought six years ago with plans to develop an interesting garden to attract wildlife, plus a small plant nursery. Running alongside a stream, there is an acre of woodland, which is full of huge shuttlecock ferns in the autumn.

This is very much a garden under development and although there is still a long way to go the owners have planted lots of perennial and annual plants to provide food for insects throughout the year. Fruit trees have been planted creating a reasonable area of soft fruit, most of which feeds the birds, and there are areas left as wilderness.

Four ponds have been created from a very small shallow ‘bird bath’ to a large one, and these provide homes for newts, toads and frogs, as well as attracting a pair of mallards and the passing heron.

Work in progress includes the creation of a wildflower meadow and several mixed herbaceous/shrub borders. There are magnolias, camellias, and rhododendrons.

Chris Betty, Communications Officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, says,

“We love the idea of a garden that is adopted by wildlife and we are sure you will too. This is the penultimate garden in our 2018 season which has just shown how varied gardens in Cornwall can be.”
To find South Bosent from the roundabout where the A390 meets the A38 take the exit into Dobwalls village. After half a mile take a right turn at the double mini roundabout towards Duloe. At the Celtic cross turn right and after 0.2 miles there is a 90’ right bend. Just after that there is a gate on the left into the old farmyard.

This is the eighth year running that the Trust has held their highly successful Open Gardens scheme. The final garden opening for the Trust this year is on September 16, Marsh Villa Gardens in Par.
More details of the South Bosent event and all the other gardens which have opened this year can be found at www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/opengardens