Bats, blooms and cuttings: Trevince’s August at Gwennap

A corsage to pin on, the ultrasonic chatter of bats overhead, and the trick of coaxing a whole new plant from a single stem. The country estate at Trevince, in Gwennap at the heart of Cornwall’s old mining district, has lined up three very different afternoons and evenings this August. Each one sends visitors home with something to keep, whether that is a bowl of flowers, a rooted cutting, or a new way of looking at a creature most people only ever see as a shadow at dusk.

📷Joi Werndly

📷Floral Arrangement - Image Credit Joi Werndly

Flower art with Joi Werndly

On Sunday 9 August at 2pm, florist Joi Werndly will demonstrate how to build a corsage and a bowl arrangement from seasonal flowers and foliage, with participants taking their creations home to enjoy.

Joi began her floristry career with Dutch flower grower and wholesaler Zwetsloots in Bedfordshire, setting up and running their retail outlets everywhere from Charing Cross Hospital in North London to Nottinghamshire. She went on to run her own business, supplying arrangements for corporate clients including Alexandra Palace, Suzuki and Unilever, along with bespoke flowers for weddings.

After relocating to Cornwall, Joi became Head Florist at a local nursery, where she was asked to provide posies for the late Queen Elizabeth and the then Sophie, Duchess of Wessex, now Duchess of Edinburgh. She now works as a Team Leader for the National Trust and is called on to arrange floral decorations for the estate house at Godolphin.

Tickets are £25 including garden entry, or £15 for season ticket holders, available through Eventbrite.

📷Ashley Dale

📷Soprano pipistrelle bat - Image Credit Ashley Dale

A night walk with the bats

On Saturday 15 August from 7.30pm to 9pm, visitors are invited to explore the estate’s gardens from a bat’s eye view with ecologist Ashley Dale.

Ashley has more than ten years of studying and conserving bats, and helped set up two bat rescue organisations, in Bristol and Wales. She is passionate about changing how people see these fascinating nocturnal creatures.

Using bat detectors kindly loaned by the Cornwall Bat Group, for which she volunteers, the group will be able to listen to the ultrasonic calls of different species and, with a bit of luck, spot them flying overhead as they emerge to forage. Along the way, Ashley will share what she knows about these extraordinary mammals, their ecology and the part they play in the wider environment.

Tickets are £15 and places are limited to 20, so early booking through Eventbrite is essential.

📷Colin Skelly - Image Credit Trish Stone

Cuttings with the Head Gardener

On Saturday 22 August at 2pm, Head Gardener Colin Skelly will show how to propagate plants from semi-ripe cuttings during a one-hour workshop. It is included in the £10 general garden entry, available on arrival from the Cart Shed Café.

“Trevince not only offers an outdoor sanctuary to connect with nature and boost wellbeing, but also provides opportunities to learn from experts through our programme of talks, walks and workshops,” says owner Richard Stone. “We warmly welcome people from across Cornwall who are interested in the natural world to join us at these three distinctive events, as well as experience the colours, scents and sounds of our gardens as they change throughout the season.”

Trevince Gardens are open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays until 27 September, from 10am to 4pm, to plant lovers, curious souls and well-behaved dogs on leads. Adult entry is £10 per visit or £30 for the season, and £2 per visit for under 16s. The Cart Shed Café serves home-made treats made with produce from the Walled Garden.

The woodland that visitors walk through was planted on the industrial waste of old tin and copper workings. The Trevince and Beauchamp families were mine and mineral owners here from at least the Tudor period, and the name Trevince itself first appears in the records in 1281. More at www.trevince.co.uk.