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Press Reviews

 
  Aislinn Simpson - Weekend, Western Morning News, 16th Apr 2005


Janet Lee The Post10th March 2005


Western Morning News - Westcountry Leisure
Matt Knight visits some of the breathtaking attractions of Cornwall


Jacqui Price - Northants News
 
 
   
   
 
   

Aislinn Simpson - Weekend, Western Morning News, 16th Apr 2005

 
 

"Watching a garden grow"

Aislinn Simpson - Weekend, WMN, 16th Apr 2005

I took a deep breath, crossed the Tamar Bridge and booked into Trenython Manor Hotel, a stone's throw from all three gardens and a pleasant resting place into the bargain. Pine Lodge was first on my list and perhaps my favourite for all Eden's glory and Heligan's history.

he 30-acre landscape outside St Austell has been brought up from a tangle of weeds and dead wood to a magical place, stuffed full of 6,000 species of plants, trees and flowers gathered by globetrotting owners, Ray & Shirley Clemo.

A keen gardener would be entirely foxed by the array of Latin names and bizarre offerings on show, so a novice such as myself could only gaze in baffled wonder. Ray was our guide and had us all stunned by what they have managed to nurture in the heart of Cornwall - the Asian rice paper plant; the shrubby Australian kangaroo apple and the giant rhubarb are not, I am told, the most obvious choices but made for an entertaining visit.

Pine Lodge also has an arboretum, a pinetum and a Japanese garden which the Clemos were inspired to build after a trip to the gardens in Kyoto, Japan.

A piece of advice for visiting gardens though - don't try to do too much at once. There are only so many plants that you can get enthusiastic about for only so long. We returned to Trenython for an artistic meal of red mullet with leeks and truffle oil, a rack of lamb with red wine reduction and local cheeses.

 
       
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The Post, 10th March 2005

 
 

Worth the journey to savour the delights

It all seems like a distant dream. Only 2 weeks ago I escaped the snow and migrated to Cornwall where my partner and I were spoilt rotten.

If ever you want a get-away-from-it-all, here's the ideal pacakge

Our accommodation was at the picturesque, luxurious Trenython Manor, near the stunning coastal scenery of Fowey (promounced 'Foy')

. . . . The following day our senses were treated again: this time at Pine Lodge Gardens and Nursery.

Even a useless gardener like me can appreciate the splendour of over 6,000 labelled plants from all over the world in more than 30 acres. Privately owned by Raymond & Shirley Clemo since 1976, the couple have poured their hearts and souls into the garden and have placed it in Trust for future generations to enjoy.

Features include a Japanese garden, a water garden, 'slave' garden (complete with statue), an arboretum and a 'pinetum' - a 4-acre amphitheatre of 80 different conifers.

One visit is not enough. The garden is there to be enjoyed in all seasons to experience the different scents and explosions of colour.

 
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Matt Knight visits some of the breathtaking attractions of Cornwall

 
 

"Cornish cream of crop"

Last week, I travelled to Cornwall and visited the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Pine Lodge Gardens as well as the pictureque port of Charlestown.

. . . . . . . In complete contrast to Heligan,the final trip is to Pine Lodge Gardens which is basically the backgarden of Raymond & Shirley Clemo who bought Pine Lodge in 1976.

Pine Lodge has over 30 acres of gardens and is much more intimate than Heligan. And as very much a novice gardener, I would recommend this as a good place to start you Cornwall gardening tour. Although it must be said, Pine Lodge is no lessimpressive than Eden or Heligan - it'sjust different.

After holidaying in Cornwall as a child,it wes great to go back and who knows - after seeing these gardens - perhaps I'll be inspired to get out my trowel and start planting !

 
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Jacqui Price - Northants News

 
 

Cornwall - only a few hours away

The pretty coastal resorts of Cornwall may be onlya few hours away but it might as well be another country when it comes to climate.

Warmed by the balmy air of the North Atlantic (Gulf) stream, it was like jumping forward a season when we escaped Northampton's snow for a 3-day break at Trenython Manor on the south coast - no wonder they call this part of the world the Cornish Riviera.

Set in a secluded estate with stunning views over St Austell Bay, Trenython glories in its proximity to such attractions as the world-renowned Eden Project, the charming Lost Gardens of Heligan, as well as picturesque fishing villages such as Charlestown and Fowey.

. . . . . In the afternoon, we decided to visit a hidden gem of a garden which has been a labour of love for owners Ray and Shirley Clemo for more than 30 years. The Pine Lodge Gardens and Nursery, near St Austell, boasts more than 6,000 hand-labelled plants over 30 acres but it still feels like a peek into the secret garden of a private home.

A formal terrace and sunken garden in front of the house leads into an informal area of lawns and winding paths, full of rare and unusual trees and shrubs from all over the world, whilean arboretum and pinetum create a natural amphitheatre.

With so much beauty and natural wonder in just one small corner of the county, we left Cornwall with a silent vow tobe back soon - a with more than a few gardening ideas!

 
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Westcountry Leisure - Western Morning News
 
 

Terry Underhill meets Raymond & Shirley Clemo

 
 

Plant-lover's paradise

 
 

Pine Lodge, Cuddra, on the A390 east of St Austell is a remarkable garden created over the last 21 years by Raymond & Shirley Clemo, now retired from the fruit and vegetable industry, although they have lived at Pine Lodge since the mid-1950's.

The original garden, mainly lawn and over 30 peach, plum, cherry and apple trees, had a deep, heavy acid soil and was partly surrounded by narrow belts of pine trees.

When I first visited the garden in 1985, they had already created a garden that was the talk of many gardeners in the South West (of England Ed.) and I persuaded them to allow TSW's cameras and the Gardens For All team to make a half-hour programme about their garden that Spring, so that the exciting layout and collection of good garden plants, tastefully arranged by Shirley, could be enjoyed by viewers.

At that time, Raymond was president of the St Austell Lions and the garden would be open in aid of various Lions' charities a days after transmission. To coincide with the Open Day, Shirley, with the help of her sister Meg Wicks, produced a 40-page brochure, divided into sections, each illustrated by lovely line drawings and listing most of the plants for each area. So many people visited the gardens that day that the booklet, now probably a collector's item, quickly sold out and the police had to help with parking. I was very pleased to find out that everybody's behaviour was exemplary.

Twelve years on, it is difficult to recognise the original layout, as the garden has been considerably extended into a 30-acre site with a large pinetum, arboretum, meadow and pond with Australian Black Swans. These were introduced as a non-breeding pair, only to like their new home so much that within 48 hours they were nesting; today six swans, along with visiting wildfowl, enjoy the lake.

Raymond & Shirley design each feature, Raymond generally being responsible for the actual hard landscaping, at times with professional help, while Shirley looks after the planting. She scours many catalogues, visits lots of gardens, corresponds with a number of the world's botanical gardens and also supports seed collecting expeditions. She has a passion for plants, and her greenhouses are packed with top quality, often rare plants, many grown from seed. However, they must fit into her idea of design and colour combinations, and she is prepared to move plants around until they achieve the effect she wants, or even dump them if they do not come up to her high expectations.

Virtually every plant in the garden is labelled and recorded on index cards (now computerised Ed.), along with information on its source, habitat, cultivation, place in the garden, how it has done, and also in which album to look for a photograph taken of the plant in the garden by Shirley

This garden-lover's paradise, with a beautiful terrace, large pools, and curved bridge by the house reached by a path winding among plants, beds, borders, sunken garden, pergola, wild garden, formal herbaceous garden, as well as the pinetum and arboretum, provides colour and interest all the year.

Terry Underhill

 
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