Tresco Flower Count - Isles of Scilly

Back in the day when I was editor-at-large for the Western Morning News I used to fly off to the Isles of Scilly on a regular basis, often just after New Year when my old friend Mike Nelhams would stage his annual flower on in the amazing Tresco Abbey Gardens… Here’s an example of one of the articles I wrote…

Plants have long memories. If you want proof of that go to the island of Tresco 30 miles into the gale tossed Atlantic off Land’s End and admire the 285 species which are out in flower today, despite the fact it’s midwinter. 

It has been the best year in decades for the island’s famous Abbey Gardens where an annual flower count is staged just after New Year - and the reason so many plants are in bloom is twofold…

Tresco looking east

For a start, the sheltered side of Tresco has an amazingly balmy microclimate - but also the unique plant collection is made up of a great many species from the Southern Hemisphere whose genetic memories are stuck with the concept that it’s high summer despite the fact that it is January.

“This is the only garden in UK where the majority of the plants are from Mediterranean Southern Hemisphere climates of the world,” said the Abbey Gardens curator Mike Nelhams. “This means a lot of our plants flower at exactly the same time as they would in New Zealand, or South Africa, and so on…

“Some species do adapt to our summers, but quite a lot - because we never really get cold here in the winter - retain genes in their system which make them flower in what is the UK’s winter. 

“One of the groups, from South Africa, are the showy aloes - they consistently flower with us in the winter and we have over 65 different species of them.”

Tresco Abbey Gardens in winter

However, the amazing count of 285 species in bloom is not a record for the island: “We have had over 300 but that was before we had a freak snowstorm years ago,” Mr Nelhams told me. “In 1987 we lost huge amounts of the garden - around 70 percent of the plants died.

“We’ve hardly ever had a frost since and the great thing about this year’s count is that it shows it’s all building up nicely again,” he added.

Tresco midwinter blooms

Compared to last year, 30 additional flowers were counted including Tibouchina semidecandra and Aloe arborescens - a flowering spectacle unseen anywhere else in the country at this time of year.

The New Year flower count, which was completed by Mr Nelhams alongside head gardener, Andrew Lawson, and garden students, is an annual island tradition that has been taking place for more than 150 years.

Described by some as a ‘Kew with the lid off’, the botanical wonderland boasts a global gathering of plants from over 80 countries. Proteas from South Africa, Acacia from Australia and Passion Flowers (Passiflora) from Peru are just some of the exotic flora that adorn the garden at this time of year, thanks to the island’s mild climate.

Looking south in midwinter from Tresco Abbey Gardens

Mr Nelhams said: “Whilst the annual flower count is a tradition that dates back many years it’s an occasion everyone on the island never tires of. With most other gardens in Britain looking less colourful it’s always a wonderful time of year to tally up just how many plants we have flowering in the garden and this year is no exception.” 

Tresco lichens in midwinter

Abbey Garden has recently bolstered its plant collection after recently acquiring more than 30 new species from Kew Garden. The collection, which was imported to the island in November 2014, included plants from five of the world’s continents including the Bismarck Palm from Madagascar.

For more information about the Abbey Garden visit www.tresco.co.uk