Head gardener Gary Long at the estate, based between Truro and St Austell, has mixed feelings about this late flush of beautiful blooms as it proves just how mixed up our seasons are becoming.
Spring came early with many plants flowering way ahead of schedule, but the constant rain of summer some of the second blooms of July and August damaging many before they could mature.
For extra confusion a warm September fooled many plants into thinking summer had arrived, albeit a little late and far from dying back in preparation for the winter they are flowering again. Bushes in the new rose garden – still less than a year old – are thick with buds and fully opened flowers, as are many of the garden's Hydrangea and Buddleia.
As Gary explained, that's okay for the flowering bushes and trees but many of the roses are going to need cutting off in their prime – literally.
"For the good of the plants we are going to have to prune the roses hard in the next week or so regardless of buds and flowers," said Gary.
"They'll all be cut back to four inches above ground to help keep them healthy. If we leave them, the relative warmth of winter will mean they don't rest and that will make them weak and prone to disease next year. November will literally be the cut off point for these roses!"
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