Tresco Abbey Gardens

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Today we had a tour around the Tresco Abbey Gardens with Mike Nelhams the curator, which was fascinating.  The Abbey Gardens are really quite amazing - due to the unique climate (it doesn't freeze, or at least it's not supposed to, and it doesn't get too hot) they are able to grow all sorts of plants from all over the world.  So sitting next to each other are plants and trees from South Africa, New Zealand, Chile and Burma.  There are all sorts of weird and quite wonderful things - and it does feel very tropical, there are palm trees galore.  In 1987, and in 1991 the weather was unkind to the garden and they lost a lot of trees and plants and have been replanting since then - it is a 'heavy planting' so the beds are full of all sorts - a camellia next to a giant dandelion, surrounded by many aeomiums, under a Norfolk Island Pine.The puya was in flower which is the most amazing dark turquoise, I have never seen flowers quite like them.  The sparrows are quite taken with the pollen of these flowers, and sometimes you see a sparrow with an orange head, having got a little bit too intimate with the pollen of the puya flower.Thank you for showing us the garden Mike!Alice xxx