Family Marks 100th Birthday with Redwood Adoption at Trebah Garden
Trebah Garden near Falmouth has helped mark a rare milestone as three generations of the Weatherhead family gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of Sylvia Weatherhead.
A Centenary Marked by a Giant
To honour Sylvia’s birthday, the family chose to adopt a coastal redwood, or Sequoia sempervirens, thought to be around 150 years old. During their visit, they measured the tree’s girth and found it to be just over 7 metres in circumference.
Trebah’s Head Gardener Darren Dickey, who oversaw the adoption, said, “We are delighted to celebrate Sylvia’s milestone with the Weatherhead family and are very grateful for their support over many years.”
He added, “The redwood they’ve chosen is one of the most spectacular giants of the garden, and it feels especially fitting that a tree of such age will now be linked with Sylvia’s own remarkable century.”
A Long Love for Trebah
Sylvia and her late husband Tom moved to Mawnan Smith in 1982 and soon developed a strong connection to Trebah. Inspired by the garden, they planted their own space with camellias, magnolias, azaleas and hydrangeas. Sylvia still enjoys the garden they created together.
Over the years they became life members and shared Trebah with friends and family. Their links with the garden grew even deeper as Sylvia adopted a bench near the Koi Pool in memory of Tom after his passing in 1997, and later adopted a tree in 2016 in honour of their daughter Sheila.
Sylvia’s Favourite View
In a recent interview, Sylvia said her favourite place in Trebah is sitting on the wall at the top lawn, looking through the valley garden towards the sea. She also shared that her favourite flower is the camellia, of which the garden has many varieties.
Although she can no longer visit Trebah herself, Sylvia is thrilled about the adoption of the sequoia and has already begun calling it her tree.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
To keep up with the latest cornish news follow us below
Follow CornishStuff on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the discussions in the comments. Click here to give us a like!
Follow us on Twitter - For the latest breaking news in Cornwall and the latest stories, click here to follow CornishStuff on X.
Follow us on Instagram - We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow CornishStuff on Instagram.
You Might Also Be Interested In
Don’t Miss What’s Happening in Cornwall
Join others in Cornwall by receiving the latest daily news in Cornwall, sent direct to your inbox.
