• Goretti

    From Jeff Layman@Jeff@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Jan 9 08:14:30 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many
    evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!
    --
    Jeff

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From N_Cook@diverse@tcp.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Jan 9 09:18:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 09/01/2026 08:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many
    evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!


    I use a realtime synoptics generator site for proxy monitoring marine
    surges for local flooding purposes. First time I've seen a 50knot
    "pennant" triangle as the wind arrow barb, for average wind, anywhere in
    the south of England
    --
    Global sea level rise to 2100 from curve-fitted existing altimetry data <http://diverse.4mg.com/slr.htm>
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David Entwistle@qnivq.ragjvfgyr@ogvagrearg.pbz to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Jan 9 09:53:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Fri, 9 Jan 2026 08:14:30 +0000, Jeff Layman wrote:

    The weather station on St Michael's Mount went offline at 6.20pm just
    after reporting a wind speed of 139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    Electricity supply to that area reported off at moment. Estimated
    restoration time/date 10:00pm, Saturday, 10th January 2026.

    https://powercuts.nationalgrid.co.uk/SWE/INCD-79558-l

    Supply problems across the area.
    --
    David Entwistle
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jeff Layman@Jeff@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Fri Jan 9 10:25:37 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 09/01/2026 09:53, David Entwistle wrote:
    On Fri, 9 Jan 2026 08:14:30 +0000, Jeff Layman wrote:

    The weather station on St Michael's Mount went offline at 6.20pm just
    after reporting a wind speed of 139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    Electricity supply to that area reported off at moment. Estimated
    restoration time/date 10:00pm, Saturday, 10th January 2026.

    https://powercuts.nationalgrid.co.uk/SWE/INCD-79558-l

    Supply problems across the area.

    I see from the older updates on the link you gave:

    18:36 Thu 08 Jan 26
    Properties off supply: 1,065

    Elsewhere, it looks like Charlie might be affected from <https://powercuts.nationalgrid.co.uk/power-cut-map/> Power cut incident INCD-79816-l. There are 12 properties in Chacewater without power.
    --
    Jeff
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 09:08:58 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Fri, 9 Jan 2026 08:14:30 +0000, Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid>
    wrote:

    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system >(Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be >interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many >evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!

    Power in St.Ives went off in the early evening, and looking out of the
    window over to Hayle and Camborne beyond, it included a significant
    part of West Cornwall, as there wasn't a light to be seen anywhere as
    far as the eye could see (up as far as St. Agnes beacon on the
    horizon). It was off for about ten hours. I feared for the contents of
    the freezer, but it's OK.

    Damage in this area was mostly trees blown down blocking roads, and
    early after daylight the sound of chain-saws could be heard as council
    workers set about clearing up. All credit to them for turning out
    early in very unfavorable conditions.

    Very little damage in my garden or to the roof of the property,
    although I did see a chap up a ladder a few doors away looking as
    though he was doing some repairs. My roof was 'wet-laid' (cemented)
    with slate when it was built some sixty years ago, so perhaps more
    resistant to gale damage than modern properties that may not be
    wet-laid or perhaps just tiled. Even the greenhouse survived!

    I did lose one fence panel, but I've lost four panels in the last
    twelve months, and I suspect the existing panels were cheap and are
    reaching the ends of their lives (only seven years!) as they are all
    showing signs of rot. They're being gradually replaced as the need
    arises by sturdier panels that are treated and that are guaranteed
    fifteen years, which should last me out!
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 09:23:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jeff Layman@Jeff@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 09:58:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/01/2026 09:23, Chris Hogg wrote:
    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!

    Possibly, but if something's got to give and you've got concrete posts,
    it'll be the fence panels. They're more expensive to replace than
    treated posts!
    --
    Jeff
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From RJH@patchmoney@gmx.com to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 10:13:13 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10 Jan 2026 at 09:23:09 GMT, Chris Hogg wrote:

    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!

    If you haven't already, maybe consider fencing that lets the wind through to some extent -

    https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/the-edit/a-fence-exposed-to-strong-winds

    The vertical slats type all the rage round here.

    Agreed on the concrete post - not the prettiest but sturdy.
    --
    Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From N_Cook@diverse@tcp.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 10:47:49 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/01/2026 10:13, RJH wrote:
    On 10 Jan 2026 at 09:23:09 GMT, Chris Hogg wrote:

    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!

    If you haven't already, maybe consider fencing that lets the wind through to some extent -

    https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/the-edit/a-fence-exposed-to-strong-winds

    The vertical slats type all the rage round here.

    Agreed on the concrete post - not the prettiest but sturdy.


    Another tip.
    The failure mode of panels tends to be bowing to the extend of breaking
    the top rail and pulling away from posts.
    Reinforce the top rail with some extra timber, diagonally nailed in or clenched over longer nails.
    --
    Global sea level rise to 2100 from curve-fitted existing altimetry data <http://diverse.4mg.com/slr.htm>
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 12:53:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 09:58:21 +0000, Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid>
    wrote:

    On 10/01/2026 09:23, Chris Hogg wrote:
    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!

    Possibly, but if something's got to give and you've got concrete posts, >it'll be the fence panels. They're more expensive to replace than
    treated posts!

    You're assuming the panels are reusable. I'm thinking they're probably
    not, and much of the time, the whole fence, posts and panels, will
    need replacing.
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Sat Jan 10 12:57:25 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 10:47:49 +0000, N_Cook <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote:

    On 10/01/2026 10:13, RJH wrote:
    On 10 Jan 2026 at 09:23:09 GMT, Chris Hogg wrote:

    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!

    If you haven't already, maybe consider fencing that lets the wind through to >> some extent -

    https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/the-edit/a-fence-exposed-to-strong-winds >>
    The vertical slats type all the rage round here.

    Agreed on the concrete post - not the prettiest but sturdy.


    Another tip.
    The failure mode of panels tends to be bowing to the extend of breaking
    the top rail and pulling away from posts.

    That is my experience too. The top rail breaks at a weakness, often a
    knot in the wood, and then the whole panel comes flying out.
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Charlie Pridham@charlie@roselandhouse.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Sun Jan 11 22:48:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 10/01/2026 10:13, RJH wrote:
    On 10 Jan 2026 at 09:23:09 GMT, Chris Hogg wrote:

    PS: I've just noticed that my neighbour has had about thirty feet of
    fencing blown flat in one continuous length, the wooden posts just
    snapped off at ground level. Not my boundary, fortunately. I suspect
    they were 'treated' posts (i.e. dipped rapidly into a tank of
    preservative or some-such process). It shows the advantage of concrete
    posts!

    If you haven't already, maybe consider fencing that lets the wind through to some extent -

    https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/the-edit/a-fence-exposed-to-strong-winds

    The vertical slats type all the rage round here.

    Agreed on the concrete post - not the prettiest but sturdy.

    Indeed - I did my daughters with hit and miss 10 years ago and it has
    survived without damage
    --
    Charlie Pridham
    Gardening in Cornwall
    www.roselandhouse.co.uk
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Charlie Pridham@charlie@roselandhouse.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Sun Jan 11 22:46:47 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 09/01/2026 08:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!


    Not too bad here, few broken glass panes all now fixed but some
    gardening friends are facing devastating damage with some well known
    gardens likely to be closed for the foreseeable future Trewithen,
    Tremenheer, st Michaels Mount and Tresco. It was some blow we are miles
    inland but still have loads of salt on our windows. For us this was a
    lot worse than 1987!
    --
    Charlie Pridham
    Gardening in Cornwall
    www.roselandhouse.co.uk
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jeff Layman@Jeff@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Mon Jan 12 08:49:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 11/01/2026 22:46, Charlie Pridham wrote:
    On 09/01/2026 08:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system
    (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be
    interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many
    evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!


    Not too bad here, few broken glass panes all now fixed but some
    gardening friends are facing devastating damage with some well known
    gardens likely to be closed for the foreseeable future Trewithen,
    Tremenheer, st Michaels Mount and Tresco. It was some blow we are miles inland but still have loads of salt on our windows. For us this was a
    lot worse than 1987!

    Good to hear that you weren't too badly hit. Hopefully any salt damage
    will go when new leaves appear.

    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here: <https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>, with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here: <https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.
    --
    Jeff
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Mon Jan 12 12:05:34 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:49:02 +0000, Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid>
    wrote:

    On 11/01/2026 22:46, Charlie Pridham wrote:
    On 09/01/2026 08:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system
    (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be
    interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many
    evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!


    Not too bad here, few broken glass panes all now fixed but some
    gardening friends are facing devastating damage with some well known
    gardens likely to be closed for the foreseeable future Trewithen,
    Tremenheer, st Michaels Mount and Tresco. It was some blow we are miles
    inland but still have loads of salt on our windows. For us this was a
    lot worse than 1987!

    Good to hear that you weren't too badly hit. Hopefully any salt damage
    will go when new leaves appear.

    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here: ><https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>,
    with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here: ><https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.


    Mike Nelham's book on Tresco Abbey Gardens (published by Dyllansow
    Truran, 2000) has a chapter (p.93) on the destruction to the garden by
    the hurricane of 1990. He says that wind speeds of 127mph were
    recorded, easily comparable to Goretti. An entire shelter-belt of
    ancient Monterey pines was flattened, opening up the rest of the
    garden to the devastating force of the hurricane. They lost 800 trees!

    But to their credit, after all the damage had been cleared away, they
    took advantage of all the gaps that appeared, and replanted with new
    species and varieties. No doubt they will again after Goretti.

    See https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9781850221371/Tresco-Abbey-Garden-Personal-Pictorial-1850221375/plp
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From N_Cook@diverse@tcp.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Mon Jan 12 14:52:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 12/01/2026 12:05, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:49:02 +0000, Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid>
    wrote:

    On 11/01/2026 22:46, Charlie Pridham wrote:
    On 09/01/2026 08:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't
    get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system >>>> (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported
    since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be >>>> interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many
    evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!


    Not too bad here, few broken glass panes all now fixed but some
    gardening friends are facing devastating damage with some well known
    gardens likely to be closed for the foreseeable future Trewithen,
    Tremenheer, st Michaels Mount and Tresco. It was some blow we are miles
    inland but still have loads of salt on our windows. For us this was a
    lot worse than 1987!

    Good to hear that you weren't too badly hit. Hopefully any salt damage
    will go when new leaves appear.

    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here:
    <https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>,
    with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here:
    <https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.


    Mike Nelham's book on Tresco Abbey Gardens (published by Dyllansow
    Truran, 2000) has a chapter (p.93) on the destruction to the garden by
    the hurricane of 1990. He says that wind speeds of 127mph were
    recorded, easily comparable to Goretti. An entire shelter-belt of
    ancient Monterey pines was flattened, opening up the rest of the
    garden to the devastating force of the hurricane. They lost 800 trees!

    But to their credit, after all the damage had been cleared away, they
    took advantage of all the gaps that appeared, and replanted with new
    species and varieties. No doubt they will again after Goretti.

    See https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9781850221371/Tresco-Abbey-Garden-Personal-Pictorial-1850221375/plp


    Considering deep inside an ex-quarry, the Eden Project, central
    Cornwall, had a number of downed trees. Apparently the
    Buckminster-Fuller domes survived
    --
    Global sea level rise to 2100 from curve-fitted existing altimetry data <http://diverse.4mg.com/slr.htm>
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Mon Jan 12 16:08:14 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:52:08 +0000, N_Cook <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote:

    On 12/01/2026 12:05, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:49:02 +0000, Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid>
    wrote:

    On 11/01/2026 22:46, Charlie Pridham wrote:
    On 09/01/2026 08:14, Jeff Layman wrote:
    No particular problems here, but I hope that Chris and Charlie didn't >>>>> get hit too badly. I have access to an amateur weather reporting system >>>>> (Ecowitt) and see that quite a few Cornwall stations haven't reported >>>>> since midnight or even earlier. The weather station on St Michael's
    Mount went offline at 6.20pm just after reporting a wind speed of
    139kph, with a gust peaking at 156kph!

    I guess with that strength of wind from the south-west, it'll have
    brought sea spray further inland than on many other occasions. It'll be >>>>> interesting to see if there is a problem with saltburn on the many
    evergreens in the area, particularly those with thinner, non-waxy
    leaves. That's if the wind left any of them on the plants!


    Not too bad here, few broken glass panes all now fixed but some
    gardening friends are facing devastating damage with some well known
    gardens likely to be closed for the foreseeable future Trewithen,
    Tremenheer, st Michaels Mount and Tresco. It was some blow we are miles >>>> inland but still have loads of salt on our windows. For us this was a
    lot worse than 1987!

    Good to hear that you weren't too badly hit. Hopefully any salt damage
    will go when new leaves appear.

    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here:
    <https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>,
    with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here: >>> <https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.


    Mike Nelham's book on Tresco Abbey Gardens (published by Dyllansow
    Truran, 2000) has a chapter (p.93) on the destruction to the garden by
    the hurricane of 1990. He says that wind speeds of 127mph were
    recorded, easily comparable to Goretti. An entire shelter-belt of
    ancient Monterey pines was flattened, opening up the rest of the
    garden to the devastating force of the hurricane. They lost 800 trees!

    But to their credit, after all the damage had been cleared away, they
    took advantage of all the gaps that appeared, and replanted with new
    species and varieties. No doubt they will again after Goretti.

    See
    https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9781850221371/Tresco-Abbey-Garden-Personal-Pictorial-1850221375/plp


    Considering deep inside an ex-quarry, the Eden Project, central
    Cornwall, had a number of downed trees. Apparently the
    Buckminster-Fuller domes survived

    Years ago I used to live within a mile of the Eden Project and watched
    it being built. I could see the top of the main crane from my sitting
    room window. In the beginning it was just an empty and barren china
    clay pit. They had to bring in hundreds of tons of topsoil for all the
    plants, but it can't be very deep. The site is well established now,
    with lush growth both inside and outside the domes, and I assume the
    trees that fell were outside the domes.
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From N_Cook@diverse@tcp.co.uk to uk.rec.gardening on Mon Jan 12 16:38:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 12/01/2026 16:08, Chris Hogg wrote:
    Years ago I used to live within a mile of the Eden Project and watched
    it being built. I could see the top of the main crane from my sitting
    room window. In the beginning it was just an empty and barren china
    clay pit. They had to bring in hundreds of tons of topsoil for all the plants, but it can't be very deep. The site is well established now,
    with lush growth both inside and outside the domes, and I assume the
    trees that fell were outside the domes.

    -- Chris Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered from the West,
    but open to the North and East.

    When I visited I had to ask about how they drain the site, in a monsoon cloudburst situation, as down in a large hole in the ground .
    They have multiple very large capacity pumps , only one is used to pump
    the water up for the large waterfall, also pumping for geothermal
    heating from a bore hole, grey water routine recycling (I noted the
    ironstone staining of the toilet pans) , bulk water storage underground
    etc. The general ground level of the site, I think they said, was 3
    metres below the surrounding watertable so more pumping for that. All
    going on unobserved by the visitors, except the waterfall.
    --
    Global sea level rise to 2100 from curve-fitted existing altimetry data <http://diverse.4mg.com/slr.htm>
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The Natural Philosopher@tnp@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Mon Jan 12 20:52:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 12/01/2026 16:38, N_Cook wrote:
    On 12/01/2026 16:08, Chris Hogg wrote:
    Years ago I used to live within a mile of the Eden Project and watched
    it being built. I could see the top of the main crane from my sitting
    room window. In the beginning it was just an empty and barren china
    clay pit. They had to bring in hundreds of tons of topsoil for all the
    plants, but it can't be very deep. The site is well established now,
    with lush growth both inside and outside the domes, and I assume the
    trees that fell were outside the domes.

    -- Chris Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered from the West,
    but open to the North and East.

    When I visited I had to ask about how they drain the site, in a monsoon cloudburst situation, as down in a large hole in the ground .
    They have multiple very large capacity pumps , only one is used to pump
    the water up for the large waterfall, also pumping for geothermal
    heating from a bore hole, grey water routine recycling (I noted the ironstone staining of the toilet pans) , bulk water storage underground
    etc. The general ground level of the site, I think they said, was 3
    metres below the surrounding watertable so more pumping for that. All going-a on unobserved by the visitors, except the waterfall.


    How frightfully 'natural'
    --
    I would rather have questions that cannot be answered...
    ...than to have answers that cannot be questioned

    Richard Feynman



    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Janet@nobody@home.com to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Jan 13 09:53:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    In article <10k2chu$26966$1@dont-email.me>,
    Jeff@invalid.invalid says...


    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here: <https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>,
    with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here: <https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.

    Following Goretti, BBC ha a program showing the
    damage of the 1987 storm. Alan Titchmarsh did an segment
    on the trees damaged at Kew. The Turner Oak One huge
    old tree had blown flat with its whole root plate heaved
    vertical out of the ground leaving a big hole. Because it
    was so precious they decided to turn it right way up
    (leaving branches on) and wait and see. The tree not
    only lived, it has greatly thrived and is in far better
    health than before the storm.

    Vhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-51282656

    https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/stories-from-the-
    storm

    As a very old garden with many years of human an
    machine pressure, the ground at Kew has become very
    compacted. The blown-over tree loosened the ground deep
    below its roots, letting in more air /water and
    stimulating bacterial activity and new root growth.

    A lot of Tresco species must have great resilience
    as they come from areas home to extreme natural events,
    drought, fire and pestilence.

    Janet
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Hogg@me@privacy.net to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Jan 13 20:40:18 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:53:05 -0000, Janet <nobody@home.com> wrote:

    In article <10k2chu$26966$1@dont-email.me>,
    Jeff@invalid.invalid says...


    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here:
    <https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>,
    with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here:
    <https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.

    Following Goretti, BBC ha a program showing the
    damage of the 1987 storm. Alan Titchmarsh did an segment
    on the trees damaged at Kew. The Turner Oak One huge
    old tree had blown flat with its whole root plate heaved
    vertical out of the ground leaving a big hole. Because it
    was so precious they decided to turn it right way up
    (leaving branches on) and wait and see. The tree not
    only lived, it has greatly thrived and is in far better
    health than before the storm.

    Vhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-51282656

    https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/stories-from-the-
    storm

    As a very old garden with many years of human an
    machine pressure, the ground at Kew has become very
    compacted. The blown-over tree loosened the ground deep
    below its roots, letting in more air /water and
    stimulating bacterial activity and new root growth.

    A lot of Tresco species must have great resilience
    as they come from areas home to extreme natural events,
    drought, fire and pestilence.

    Janet

    1987 was the year that weather-forecaster Michael Fish got his
    forecast horribly wrong, predicting that the storm would pass to the
    south of the UK, through northern France.

    It didn't!
    --

    Chris

    Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
    from the West, but open to the North and East.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jeff Layman@Jeff@invalid.invalid to uk.rec.gardening on Tue Jan 13 22:06:25 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

    On 13/01/2026 20:40, Chris Hogg wrote:
    On Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:53:05 -0000, Janet <nobody@home.com> wrote:

    In article <10k2chu$26966$1@dont-email.me>,
    Jeff@invalid.invalid says...


    The damage at Tresco is terrible. There are a few photos here:
    <https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906880922277759&set=pcb.906881792277672>,
    with a general discussion of what happened to some Cornwall gardens here: >>> <https://gardenrant.com/2026/01/storm-goretti-carnage-in-the-gardens-of-cornwall.html>

    It's going to take more than a few years to get those gardens back to
    even a semblance of what they were. And then you've got the issue of
    whether or not these storms will be more frequent. If they are, then
    most evergreen tall trees won't be an option.

    Following Goretti, BBC ha a program showing the
    damage of the 1987 storm. Alan Titchmarsh did an segment
    on the trees damaged at Kew. The Turner Oak One huge
    old tree had blown flat with its whole root plate heaved
    vertical out of the ground leaving a big hole. Because it
    was so precious they decided to turn it right way up
    (leaving branches on) and wait and see. The tree not
    only lived, it has greatly thrived and is in far better
    health than before the storm.

    Vhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-51282656

    https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/stories-from-the-
    storm

    As a very old garden with many years of human an
    machine pressure, the ground at Kew has become very
    compacted. The blown-over tree loosened the ground deep
    below its roots, letting in more air /water and
    stimulating bacterial activity and new root growth.

    A lot of Tresco species must have great resilience
    as they come from areas home to extreme natural events,
    drought, fire and pestilence.

    Janet

    1987 was the year that weather-forecaster Michael Fish got his
    forecast horribly wrong, predicting that the storm would pass to the
    south of the UK, through northern France.

    It didn't!

    I was living in West Sussex and remember driving down the M23 from
    Crawley to Pease Pottage. Nearly all the trees on view south-east of the motorway in Worth Forest were down. There were probably several thousand.
    --
    Jeff
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2