Probably the UK's largest garden opening...

Following the success of this Springs charity garden weekend, Tregothnan announced that its 2010 event would take place on the 10th & 11th of April. With in excess of £20,000 raised at this years event, next years nominated charity the 'Precious Lives' appeal is hoping to enjoy the same level of support as the 'Seafarers'. For full details of the event and how to book a ticket please click here.

Reevesia -
A very rare tree and the first time in decades that it has flowered at Tregothnan- possibly the only one in UK?

Herbal tea sales take buzz out of coffee

The following article appeared in the Financial Times on July 12 2009 regarding the growth of tea sales:

Tea sales are rising after decades of decline as people abandon pricey cappuccinos and buy more green and herbal teas for their alleged health benefits.

“The decline has stopped,” said William Gorman, chairman of the UK Tea Council, adding that the tea market was expected to grow by 3 per cent this year, with speciality teas likely to boost sales by as much as 25 per cent. “[People] are waking up to the fact that tea is mostly water and antioxidants.”

“There’s no reason to think demand won’t keep on growing,” said Katy Tubb, director of tea buying and blending at Tetley. “The question is whether supply will keep up with that ... We’re not seeing a lot more land planted out for tea.”

Peter Unsworth, chief executive of Tetley, said rising global tea consumption, particularly in Asia, was pushing up global demand. “This is having an impact on the short-term supply-demand balance and is driving up tea prices.”

Mr Unsworth said he was not worried if price increases became permanent since tea was still cheap relative to other drinks.

Jonathan Jones, garden director at Tregothnan Estate, which has launched a range of what it says are the first teas grown in England, said people once again saw good quality tea as an “affordable luxury”. When the Cornwall estate launched its English Estate Teas at the Chelsea Flower Show in May, “our entire week’s stock sold out in the first day”, Mr Jones said.

Rising demand for green and herbal teas is encouraging producers of black tea – the industry term for the commonplace brew – to diversify. Unilever, which buys 12 per cent of the world’s black tea, last year expanded the green tea range in PG tips and launched a range of fruit and herbal teas under the Lipton brand.

Dr Stuart’s, an independent group with £2m in annual sales, said Tesco stocked four lines of its herbal teas in about 700 stores and was considering distributing them in its Tesco Express stores.

Tesco, which confirmed it was expanding distribution of Dr Stuart’s, said overall tea sales were rising by 3 per cent year-on-year, with green tea the fastest-growing.

Darren Williams, tea buyer at Fortnum & Mason, said while the retailer’s green and white teas accounted for less than 5 per cent of total tea sales, it was selling twice as much of these teas today as a year ago. Overall, tea sales are up 20 per cent on last year.

To read the full article or to subscribe to the FT - please click here...

Chelsea 2009

Tregothnan enjoyed a very busy show, enjoying an amazing amount of publicity with our Manuka honey. Interest from the media was intense with radio interviews with BBC Radio 2 and 4, all major national newspapers and New Zealand television.

Picasa Web Albums - JonB

Picasa Web Albums - JonB

TREGOTHNAN CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW GARDEN
SHOWCASES AT THE AT THE OXO TOWER RESTAURANT


Not able to get a ticket to Chelsea Flower Show? Then don’t fear, the garden from Tregothnan - home to the UK’s first English tea plantation, will be exclusively showcased on the OXO Tower Restaurant balcony from 23 May until the end of June.

Taking inspiration from newsworthy issues the Tregothnan garden will, over the installation period, focus on three different themes: Bees, Teas and Trees.

23 May – 12 June Bees, the extraordinary ‘hive’
Bees: Such a topical subject and important on so many levels, the health of the honey bee is something we should all be considering. Tregothnan is committed to sustaining and developing crucially important natural habitats for bees, the plight of which is well documented. For this garden installation the Tregothnan team have created massive hives, standing over 6ft tall, specially designed for the Tregothnan Chelsea Flower Show garden by Robert Myers, the Chelsea Gold Medallist.
Honey from the Tregothnan gardens set on the Lizard, Cornwall, England’s most southerly point, has long been prized for its heather flavours, and now Manuka Honey, which is reputed for its anti-bacterial, health and healing properties is also being produced on site form Tregothnan’s own Manuka flowers.

THE REST OF THE STORY about the GARDEN IN THE SKY coming soon...