A garden habitat which has been established to attract wildlife is appropriately the finale for Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Open Gardens scheme this year.

The old farmhouse and about nine acres of land at South Bosent, Dobwalls, were bought around six years ago with the express idea of creating an interesting garden which would attract wildlife, alongside a small plant nursery. It was a case of seeing which wildlife would adopt the garden as their home, and already it has attracted birds, insects, butterflies, moths, and bats.

Visitors can see this for themselves on Sunday 1^st September when the garden near Liskeard is open from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. Admission is £5 per adult, with under 16s free. Cream teas and beverages will be provided by Roddas, Berrymans, and Cornish Coffee and served on the large terrace area outside the farmhouse kitchen. There will be plants for sale. Dogs on leads are allowed and there is limited disabled access.

There will be a fascinating moth display and Cornish scything demonstrations on the day.

This is very much a garden under development and although there is still a long way to go the owners have planted lots of perennial and annual plants to provide food for insects throughout the year. Fruit trees have been planted creating a reasonable area of soft fruit, most of which feed the birds, and there are areas left as wilderness.

Four ponds have been created which provide homes for newts, toads and frogs, as well as attracting a pair of mallards and a passing heron.

Work in progress includes the creation of a wild flower meadow and several mixed herbaceous/shrub borders. There are magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons. There is an acre of woodland to explore running alongside a stream which is full of bluebells in the spring and huge shuttlecock ferns in the autumn. 

Isabella Hawkes, Community Fundraising Officer for the Trust, says,

“We love the idea of a garden that is adopted by wildlife and we are sure you will too. This is a very appropriate garden to have as the final garden in our 2019 season and it just shows how varied gardens in Cornwall can be. We are so grateful to all the gardens that have taken part in our Open Gardens Event and the money these have raised will go towards our work with Cornwall’s wildlife.”

To find South Bosent from the roundabout where the A390 meets the A38 take the exit into Dobwalls village. After half a mile take a right turn at the double mini roundabout towards Duloe. At the Celtic cross turn right and after 0.2 miles there is a 90’ right bend. Just after that there is a gate on the left into the old farm yard.