National Trust Gardens Hit by the Weather

As I look out of the window the sun shines and its reasonably warm, well compared to what its been like!

The National Trust is reporting that the unusually harsh winter has had an impact on the plants in its garden. South West England has a mild climate and this allows many mediterannean plans to be grown, the cold winter has had an adverse affect on these plants imparticular.

Volunteers examined 14 estates and found that frost and snow had also delayed the early blooming of spring flowers.

Glendurgan gardens (Cornwall) - a third of the plants have been lost or damaged. Succulents, tree ferns and fuschias were worst hit.

Knightshayes (Devon), about 60% of the garden has been affected by the weight of snow on the plants, this includes a magnolia tree which split in half.

The Trust reports that the number of plants flowering now is less than half what it was at the same time last year, the trust says it is optimistic that the gardens will recover over time.