Heligan: Secrets of the Lost Gardens

I thought that this was a really interesting concept. A view of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, set against the background of the gardening year, but through the lives of the animals that live there. I just knew that I had to watch this programme. And of course share my perspective on the blog!

Heligan is a garden that we've been wanting to go to, but always gravitate towards the epic adventure that is the Eden Project. So I'm glad to watch a programme on it and use this to build up plans for our next visit to Cornwall! Heligan has a long history, with the manor being built in the 1200s, lots of building carried on until 1766. Henry Hawkins constructed a network of rides throughout the entire estate along with planting shelterbelts against the UKs regular wind the south-westerly. Development of the gardens continued with up until the First World War, where the grounds were used in the war effort and eventually sold off as flats.

Then in the 1990s the gardens were rediscovered by descendants of Tremayne - the family who owned Heligan until the First World War. Things have moved in double-quick time since then
 becoming a world famous gardens attracting many thousands of visitors. The Lost Gardens also hold the national collection for Rhododendrons and Camellias that were introduced to Heligan before 1920. For more information on the history of the gardens, see here.

For now though, back to the show...


The calming voice of Phillipa Forrester takes us along on this journey, telling us of the way that the gardens are now gardened in the same was as when it was in its Georgian prime.

We begin in winter, with the Blackbirds busy with nest building in mid-February. The Italian garden shows the dubious(!) scenes of Common Toads spawning - the male hugging the female and simultaneously kicking off other males.

We hear Tim Smit's story of finding the gardens. Seeing the vine scissors on the same hook they'd been left on decades before. We hear of the gardeners enlisting and unfortunately two-thirds dying in the First World War. Looking at the gardens now, I think that they'd be happy that the garden's are looked after in very similar ways. We watch Nicola Bradley help out the bees by pollinating the peach blossom with a rabbit tail.

The gardener's friend - the Robin, is a must for a garden. It's a bit of a battle though, with the Robin's taking lots of worms that the gardener's need for the soil. But even so, the Robin's are helpful and appreciated.

By March the Pied Wagtails have begun to nest - in a secret place - right in the middle of the mellon yard! The lambs bring a smile to my face. We watch an industrious Jackdaw building his next in a bit of a tight spot in a tree trunk. Then on to the daff and magnolias before a quick tour of the woodland bulbs. Then on to some woodland operations with a policy to use every part of a tree when it's cut down. Smaller branches for mulch and some left to rot down to create much needed habitats. Horses are used to move the felled trees, which is great as they don't damage the rest of the woodland plants, or damage the seedbank due to compaction.

The Woodpeckers are already feeding chicks by the time we get to them. Then a quick sighting of the Badgers. Such wonderful creatures, who enjoy the Pleasure Gardens after dark! Watching both Badgers and Foxes in the same vacinity is a great sight and a sign that there's a great equilibrium at the gardens. The birds make a good job of cleaning up after visitors - well the food left that is.

Watching a Blackbird hopping around a gardener is a lovely sign that we gardeners are honourary members of nature. And the honour is ours.

June sees in the holiday season. The Rhododendron are now at their peek. I laugh out loud at a cub that is a bit bothered by the birds (swifts, I think) flying around him - ducking and diving to get out of the way! Such playful things our foxes. The magestic Barn Owl is the next feast for our eyes. Showing that the habitat is great for many creatures, even the unfortunate ones that will be caught by the owl.

Now we're in July and the growing of pineapples, and the horse manure that provides the heat it needs. Heligan has many webcams and we see some footage of the ear-piercing sound of the Pied Wagtail chicks nesting in the Pineapple Pit. Unfortunately a fox has been killed by an unknown killer, it's a shame, but the whole lifecycle of the animals at Heligan is played out within the gardens and I feel it was right to show it. On to a more enjoyable scene is that of the woodpecker chicks about to take first flight! A caterpillar does the trick of luring him out of the nest. A quick test flight leads to the floor and an lesson in tree climbing so he's not in danger on the ground.

Back to the peach house in the summer with mouth wateringly ripe peaches, but have to do with experiencing their taste with the expression on Nicola's face as she enjoys one :(
The butterflies and moths bring movement to the mosiac of flowers. It seems that every common bird nests at Heligan and we see a nest of Swallows.
There are some amazing tree ferns, which I really want to see. Helped by a micro climate of +5C the egg laying Grass Snake can hatch its' eggs successfully. The pond has enough Canadian Pondweed to fill my house, so I can see why it needs a bit of clearing! The Dragonflies and Damselflies, of whom I'm still wary of, are beautiful on screen and have a rather interesting courtship. It's now the Barn Owl's turn to entice her chicks out of the nest with food. It goes to show that birds are just like us - just wave our favorite snack and we'll do mostly anything.

With the growing season coming to an end, we hear more of Tim Smit's philosophies on gardening in general. Blown across the Atlantic the Green Heron has the crowds captivated and seems to have decided to stay. Although he may need a way of dealing with the frog inflationary tactics if he's to get a proper meal. It's nice to watch charcoal being traditionally produced.


As we come to the end of the episode, I feel like I've just watched an hour long advert for Heligan. But no, it's more than that. It's a celebration that we can still have gardens and other areas that encourage and appreciate all forms of life. Heligan is definitely on the list of gardens to visit. It'll be good - But will it top Eden?