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By Helicopter - Direct to Tresco

By Helicopter - Direct to Tresco

Fly direct to Tresco with Penzance Helicopters - making the flight to the Isles of Scilly as memorable as the destination

Before you Arrive

Before you Arrive

Our pre-arrival checklist - from letting us know your travel plans to ordering your wine and groceries

Tresco Islandshare

Tresco Islandshare

Own a piece of this unique island, with 40 years of holidays on Tresco as more than just a visitor. Discover Islandshares for sale...

Tresco Offers & Breaks

Tresco Offers & Breaks

From seasonal escapes to wellness and creative breaks and last-minute offers, discover our latest offers & breaks on Tresco Island

Eating

Eating

From beachfront dining to our cosy inn, get a taste for island-inspired dining with a Tresco twist

Grocery

Grocery

Place a pre-arrival grocery order and we'll deliver to your accommodation on your arrival

Events & Experiences

Events & Experiences

From the Low Tide Event to live music, Abbey Garden Theatre and more, discover extraordinary events on the Isles of Scilly

Day Trips to Tresco

Day Trips to Tresco

Whether you're coming from elsewhere on Scilly, or further afield in Devon or Cornwall, a day trip to Tresco is the perfect day out

Abbey Garden Diaries Feb 2025

Garden Student Holly Doyle on the beauty of February

Tresco Abbey Gardens is a pilgrimage on most gardeners' bucket lists. Being able to spend a year working here is something I still have to pinch myself about to make sure I’m not dreaming. Thanks to the mild, virtually frost-free climate and Augustus Smith’s foresight in planting tall shelterbelts, we are able to grow plants from across the globe. Boasting plants from Mexico, South Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and more, Tresco Abbey Gardens is truly a Mecca for plant nerds.

February in the garden sees the torch Aloes (Aloe arborescens) continuing to light the way from winter into spring and the Camellias carpeting the ground with their immense showers of petals. Remnants of the island's flower farming industry, dating back to the 1870s, rear their heads in the form of yellow and white Narcissus ‘Soleil d’Or’ and N. ‘Scilly White’. Spring has sprung!

Aloe arborescens
Narcissus

After years of obsessing over sub-tropical plants, I’m constantly amazed by what thrives here—some of which are flowering right now, showcasing the sheer diversity this garden allows.

Hardenbergia violacea, an Australian pea relative, this sprawling purple-flowered climber is endemic to the open forests and woodlands of Eastern Australia. You can find this beautiful species just off the pebble garden, clambering it way up one of the 12th century Abbey walls.

Chasmanthe bicolor, also known as the red and green cobra lily, is native to sheltered ravines and streams in open woodland of the Western Cape. The name Chasmanthe in Latin means ‘gaping mouth’ in reference to its lip-like flowers. Its strappy lime-green leaves have been growing throughout the winter, and its highly anticipated blooms were worth the wait!

Sophora microphylla ‘Sun King’. This species of small-leaved Kōwhai is a native to New Zealand and, surprisingly given the distance, Central and Southern Chile. Its beautiful yellow flowers, contrasting with the glossy, dark green foliage, have been looking particularly lovely.

Chasmanthe bicolor
Sophora microphylla

Some of the bush Echiums, native to the Canaries, have started sending out their vibrant blue flowers. A firm favourite with the bees here, Echium pininana and E. webbii have cross-pollinated, resulting in an entirely unique hybrid. This hybrid, Echium x scillonensis—named after these unique Isles—is available as seed from the Garden Visitor Centre when it opens in March.

There are a few early bloomers in the garden this February that should be particularly interesting to those of you who might not get the chance to see them in their main season. Tucked away by the palm circle is a Madeiran native, Geranium maderense. The largest-flowered geranium whose giant leaves die back, their old leaves acting as a support for the new growth.

A patch of Sonchus congestus and Sonchus canariensis, some of the giant sow thistles from the Canary Islands, are flowering now along the old Aloe walk. Their giant dandelion-like flowers made me do a triple take the first time I saw them. I thought the triffids had taken over!

Canarina canariensis, also known as the Canary Island Bellflower, has a sprawling habit that has draped itself like tinsel over the bones of a dormant Fuchsia just off the Long Walk. These spectacular winter-flowering plants are pollinated by passerine birds in their native habitat.

Echium x scillonensis
Geranium maderense
Sonchus
Canarina canariensis

Tresco Abbey Gardens used to have the National Collection of Acacias, and now is the prime time to see them in all their glory. Acacia longifolia, commonly called the long-leaved wattle, is native to Southeastern Australia. This fast-growing tree is in magnificent full-flower in the Eucalyptus field and is well worth going off the beaten track to see.

Keep an eye out for the quintessentially Scillonian Daffodil, Narcissus ‘Soleil D’or’. The islands have everything they need to be a haven for flower farming—the warm breeze from the Gulf Stream, the sandy soil, and not-too-wet weather, complemented by the wild hedgerows that protect the crops. Their sweet scent and golden hue bring a touch of spring indoors—no wonder they’ve been a Scillonian staple for over a century.

As our New Year Flower Count can attribute (267 species in bloom!) there are many, many more floral delights awaiting you in the gardens should you come and visit. As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer I am looking forward to even more shock and awe as I discover what new treasures this garden contains.

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Stay on Tresco

Winter and Festive breaks are not always available to book online - for cottage stays or New Inn breaks over the winter months please go to Winter on Tresco or call 01720 422849.

Or call +44 (0)1720 422 849