The weekend of March 14^th saw a very special group of visitors to Caerhays Gardens this year when we were pleased to welcome some of the most knowledgeable gardeners in the UK, and what a fantastic weekend it turned out to be.

While only a week before there were no magnolias flowering they all seemed to know that the professionals were coming to inspect them and the magnolias certainly did not let us down. There was and still is a fantastic display.

Among the group of visitors for this special weekend were Roy Lancaster OBE., John Hillier and Mark Flanagan – Keeper of the Gardens for The Crown Estate, Great Park Windsor and a great time was enjoyed by all.

It was certainly a full day with everyone admiring the old faithfuls and inspecting the new plants that are continually being added to the collection. We even had a few to identify which had everyone scratching their heads

The group was joined for the garden tours by Philip Tregunna (retired Head Gardener at Caerhays) and a great time was had catching up with old friends and discussing past times and plants old and new, including admiring the photograph of Roy and Philip taken here 25 years ago.

Below are a few excerpts from the lovely comments we received.

John Hillier - .... “also the fantastic display of magnolias  - the star of the day being ‘Caerhays Belle’".

Mark Flanagan - .... “particularly magnolias, have provided you with the same opportunities that the estate had in the early part of the 20^th century. The key difference is however, that the earlier plantings now in stunning maturity, provide the framework and backdrop to your work."

Roy Lancaster OBE .....”We saw plenty of evidence that Caerhays will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time to come.....”

Philip Tregunna, Frank Knight and Roy Lancaster in 1984