The "Trachycarpus", is a 49 ft palm tree and grows taller than any other palm", Darren Dickey, Head Gardener at Trebah Gardens, told the ladies and gentlemen who had met for the Christmas party, held at The Royal Duchy Hotel, Falmouth, on Thursday, December 13. Yes, gentlemen are allowed to attend the Christmas party!

Chairman, Monica Smith, welcomed 111 people in total and presented Barry Taylor, the manager and James, the doorman, with their Christmas gratuities for the marvellous way they always look after the ladies. During the meal the Loyal Toast was drunk.

After luncheon, Mrs Smith introduced Darren Dickey whose talk was entitled "Trebah Gardens, Past, Present and Future". Darren had been a gardener at Trebah for 22 years and Head Gardener for ten years. He showed a slide of the Trachycarpus palm tree and said that some trees evolve by growing youngsters at their bases, which, after 40 - 50 years, become as tall as the original trees.

Charles Fox, a Quaker, established Trebah Gardens in the 1840s and imported plants from all over the world. He especially took great care of all the little samplings. Trebah is in a natural valley and descends 200 ft to the now historic beach on the Helford River. Darren showed a photograph of the "Monet" bridge, called The Mallard Bridge. Charles Hawkins Hext bought Trebah in 1907 and on his deat, it was left to his wife, Alice, to whom a summerhouse in the gardens is dedicated. During the Second World War the beach was concreted over and used as a spring board for the embarkation of the American 29th Infantry Division which led to their assault on Omaha Beach during the D Day Normandy landings. The concrete has now been removed and the beach restored to its former glory. A Military Day is held every year with a piped band. Major Hibbert had become very good friends with a German bomber pilot, who on flying over Trebah during the war, had said he wanted to live there when the war was over.

Major Tony Hibbert and his wife had bought Trebah in 1981 as their retirement home but three years on and persuaded by the Cornwall Garden Society, they began the restoration of the gardens, which were opened to the public in 1987. The house, gardens and cottages are now owned by The Trebah Garden Trust, a registered charity, which will preserve them for the future. A very tall bamboo with the biggest diameter known grows there and it will not grow anywhere else in the country. Darren showed many beautiful photographs of the gardens, some looking like patchwork quilts, and gave the Latin names of exotic and beautiful flowers, plants and trees, including the handkerchief and tulip trees, mint bushes and myrtles, century old rhododendrons and magnolias, spring flowers, and many more. He said that petals are sometimes shaken onto the ground from trees on purpose so people would look up to see from whence they fell. The gardens escape all the elements because of the fantastic climate. John Carty gave the Vote of Thanks to Darren on behalf of the ladies and Alan Sanders gave the Vote of Thanks on behalf of the guests.

Next month's speaker is Peter Lavis whose talk is entitled "The Lost GARDENERS of Heligan"