December 14, 2006

RHS Meeting 6th March 05

'Y GWYLLT' Portmeirion Gardens
Y Gwyllt literally translated from the Welsh means 'The Wild Place' and that is what it is today, a magical wilderness, a myriad of intertwining paths leading through exotic plantings and jungle like vegetation down to windswept beaches with white sands and rocky promontories. Isolated, luminous and above all 'Wild' - all this with the majestic mountain ranges of Eryri as a back drop to the north and in an amphitheatre the Moelwyns, the Arrenigs and the Rhinogau beyond Harlech. This is what Sir Clough must have fallen in love with when he chose this place- his lost mythical land of Aberia.
While eating an exotic and beautifully prepared meal in the restaurant, cast your eyes over the mural on the back wall. It depicts a wind swept shore of white sands on some tropical uninhabited island. One can dream of being a Robinson Crusoe cast away on some far away place and that is the essence of what the Gwyllt is today - Sir Clough’s dream come true.

Spring comes early to the Gwyllt, almost as if winter had never existed. With the mild prevailing south westerlies blowing, frosts are very rare. There always seems to be something flowering well out of season. Gorse (Ulex europeus) is often in bloom over Christmas, odd flowers of Cistus and Fuschia in sunny spots are common.
In the area known as the Camellia Bay, Camellia sasanqua 'Narumi Gata' starts flowering as early as November together with Rhododendron 'Nobleanum' throwing early white pink tinged blooms. Camellia saluensis, the parent of many of our fine modern hybrids such as 'J. C. Williams' produces a prolific succession of small pink single flowers. These are harbingers of what is to come.

From February through to late May there is a succession of spectacular and some unique Rhododendron and Camellia blooms. Outstanding and most obvious in the areas around the two lakes are the strong yellow Rhododendron macabeanum, the creamy flowers of Rhododendron sinogrande, the beige-yellow flowers of the strange rare Rhododendron wightii. Singularly noticeable against the Cliff of the larger of the two lakes is the rare very fine purple scented flowered Rhododendron protistum which has only flowered twice in the last 70 years, however its striking new growth makes up for the lack of flowers.
Around the Temple Pond is the Gwyllt’s finest Rhododendron sinogrande, together with Rhododendron monstreanum with narrower undersilvered leaves and rather small but pure attractive pink flowers. Close to the Rhododendron sinogrande are two valuable late flowering species, the white scented Rhododendron decorum x auriculatum of excellent tabular habit and the pinkish-white Rhododendron ungerii, one of the latest of all.
Other Rhododendrons abound everywhere throughout the Gwyllt. There are exquisite dwarf and medium-growing types, best seen at the end of the rock escarpment referred to above, by the largest lake. This area has aptly been described as the Dwarf Rhododendron Bank. Here a considerable variety of species and hybrids are grown to good effect. Starting in early winter Rhododendron ciliatum and moupinense and their famous Bodnant hybrid 'Cilpinense' produce a slash of welcome bright blush pink tinged red flowers. Rhododendron williamsianum and its varieties follow quickly with thicker textured pink bells. The main flush of dwarfs and Triflora types comes in late April to May. In autumn there is a further flush of Rhododendron 'Yellow Hammer' and some of the dwarf 'blues'. On the higher sides of this banking are successful plantings of the tall, very tender, early creamy yellow 'Maddenia' series, Rhododendron johnstoneanum.
Everywhere one turns ones head, every corner one goes around in the Gwyllt, there is an abundance of real gems. Nearly all the sheltered shady rock faces of the cliffs have been planted with examples of the tender epiphytic 'Maddenia' Rhododendron series. Castle Rock and Cliff Wood have fine examples of Rhododendron 'Parisienne' and 'Suave'. The list is never ending. Before giving brief introductions to some of the other exotics of the Gwyllt, one must mention Rhododendron 'Gwyllt King' (griesonianum x zelanicum). This is the only Rhododendron raised and named at Portmeirion. It has a tall stiff habit with very fine foliage; a good plant for the medium sized gardens in the South West of Britain. A fine example of this can be found in the Salutation Wood near the Silhouette.
Close to the Silhouette one must point out a rather insignificant looking but very rare tall willow like tree which is evergreen and comes from Chile. This is known as Maytenus boaria. It is said to be the tallest specimen in the British Isles and suckers freely. One must admit it is easy to overlook nevertheless and that may be why it is so rare in gardens in this country.

To add to the exotic character of the area a number of different genera have been planted in the past 20 years. Where there is shelter, shade and humidity in the Salutation Wood, there is the beautiful Dicksonia antartica with its fine fronds, an example of a tree fern from the Australasian continent. Other fine examples can be found at the far end of Temple Pond, together with the large fronds of the fern Blechnum chinense. Eucalypts from the same continent are planted to effect, either singly or in groups in various parts of the Gwyllt. Eucalyptus glaucescens as a tall tree is very impressive when viewed from the upper path from the Chinese Lake down to the sea. It has glistening bright white upper stems which are striking at all times of the year. In the summer, looking down past this Eucalypt there is the eerie sight of the huge leaves of Gunnera manicata from the tropical forests of Brazil. More tree ferns, Phormiums and winter flowering Mahonias complete this exotic scene. Before moving on one must mention the fine Cornus capitata growing in this valley. This is a very fine specimen with wonderful pinky white bracts followed by bright pink strawberry like fruits. C. capitata does not grow in many other parts of the Gwyllt, but C. capitata 'Norman Hadden' succeeds in many places. A fine specimen can be seen at the edge of the Salutation Wood every year consistently producing its showy bracts followed by the strawberry like fruits.
Another interesting and unusual plant in the Gwyllt is the very large tree of Grisellina littoralis. Often used as a hedging plant in many milder parts of the British Isles with its dense growth and yellow green evergreen leaves. Here apart from its size, it has developed aerial roots as it does in its land of origin, New Zealand and Australia. In these countries it grows naturally on sand dunes. Even more unusual is the fact that it sets seed, most plants in this country rarely flowers and is normally single sex. The result is there are hundreds of seedlings growing profusely around its base and on the surrounding rocks. Sir Clough called this the 'Dancing Tree' because of the way its leaves and branches 'dance' in the wind. When this was planted, none really knows - it might originate from the original introduction into this country around the 1850’s, who knows.
Close by is the Ghost Garden, which certainly lives up to its name. Underplanted with New Zealand flax, Astellias, Cortaderias the place has an eerie feel to it, but walk a little further and you will come out onto patches of heathland. Here you can find remnants of 'natural vegetation', as it perhaps would have been centuries ago. Stunted by the prevailing Westerly gales pedunculate oak, Querus petreae is stunted gnarled and points inland. These grow with a mixture of native heaths and the native gorse Ulex galii. The whole of the peninsula would have looked like this.

Even here exotics make their home and behave as part of the native assemblage. Berberis darwinii has formed thickets and in places is almost impenetrable. However it rewards us in mid summer with its showy orange yellow flowers followed by a veritable feast for the local bird population of its purple fruits.
Following the path further it becomes very narrow and passes over some shallow cliffs before reaching the 'Trwyn' with its nearby Ferry Cottage where people were ferried across the Glaslyn estuary before building the Cob Embankment. The views across the estuary are stunning, especially as the sun sets. Here you can still feel the sentiment of the indescribably beautiful couplet written by the tenth century Welsh bard Cynddelw:

Lliw golau tonnen verw gwenic
Llanw ebyr ar llyr lle ny mauordric.

It almost defies translation and the closest on can get to the true sentiments is 'Bright as the light that falls on the wave where the boiling billows spread, that flashes from the meeting of river, flood and sea'. Watch as the sunsets and the two rivers meet from this vantage point and this description is as true today as it ever was then.
The list of plants in the Gwyllt is never ending and each has its own special story, in fact on the last count there were well over six thousand species and varieties and the number is rising. New additions are made all the time. No matter what time of the year there is always something of interest. After the flush of Rhododendron and Camellia flowers, the beautiful columnar evergreen Eucryphias come into their own with their profusion of white scented flowers which attract the bees. In drier areas, above the dwarf Rhododendron bank, Cistus species with their rock rose white flowers become obvious.
In the autumn, catch the lakes on a still sunny day and it becomes difficult to say where the water begins or ends the reflection can be so perfect. Japanese Acers come into their own then with their wonderful colourings with all shades from yellows to bright reds. There are autumn colours everywhere - a magical time.
Even though Man has planted the area, it is very much a place in harmony with nature; the birds are almost tame. Otters have returned to the lakes and the Koi carp are no more! The ninth century Welsh bard Llywarch Hen, who laments the death in battle of his son Gwen, makes reference to Sea Eagles, which more than likely nested in the vicinity at that time. There are several cliffs near the sea still named Craig yr Eryr.

Gwen, gwydwn dy eissillut,
Ruth yr eryr yn ebyr oedut

Gwen, I knew thy nature,
The rush of the sea eagle was thine.

Sit on the rocks near the Trwyn, with the setting sun, and you can still imagine the sea eagle soaring nearby. Perhaps as Hywel ab Owain, a poet of this area from the twelfth century epitomised the beauty of this wonderful area:

'Caraf y morfa ae mynytet
Ae chaer ger y choed ae chein diret
Ae dolyt ae dwuyr ae dyffrynnet
Ae gwylein gwynnyon ae gwymp wraget;
Caraf y milwyr ae meirch hywet
Ae choed ae chedyrn ae chyuannet,
Caraf y meusyt ae man veillyon arnaw
Myn yd gauas faw fyryf oruolet;
Caraf y brooet breint hywret
Ae diffeith mawrueith ae marannet'.

'I love its sea marsh and its mountains, its fortress on the forest edge and its sunny leas, its meadows and waters and valleys, and its white seagulls and its lovely women; I love its warriors and its well trained horses, its woods and its fastnesses and its dwellings; I love its fields and the fine clover that covers them, where great deeds won glory; I love its tillage, the prize of heroes, its wide wildernesses, its abundance'.

The Gwyllt has its own fortress on the forest edge, the real Castell Deudraeth, one of the first stone castles in Wales built in the twelfth century by the sons of Cynnan not the mock Welsh Baronial Castle now being renovated.

This is above all else together with its follies, gazebos, its wilderness and wildlife is the essence of Sir Clough’s Gwyllt, still in existence today and for the centuries to come for everyone.