It may be December but with our mild coastal climate some plants are still flowering here at Lower Campscott including the pineapple sage outside the farm shop with its bright scarlet flowers it really looks quite festive. Gardening is a year round occupation and green fingered Gill has great horticultural plans for landscaping and planting at Lower Campscott during the winter & early spring.

This year our guests have enjoyed the colourful beds and tubs planted up around the farm by Gill as well as the fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden. Next year, we hope that anyone passing the end of the lane to Lower Campscott will be treated to a visual feast of plant glory in the form of a ‘Welcome to Lower Campscott Farm’ flowerbed – we haven’t seen the plans yet but Gill has told us to expect a seaside theme with a profusion of blues and yellows.

The new orchard has been planted and Shaun has fenced around each tree to keep those mischevious Shetland ponies at bay. The first tree dug in was a crab apple and it didn’t take long for Pip and Tiny to show an interest in this new and tasty looking addition.

All our apple trees come from the wonderfully named Adam’s Apples, a Devon fruit tree nursery close to Honiton. With varieties such as Fair Maid of Devon, Farmer’s Glory and Pig’s Nose providing a good mix of cider, cooking and juicing apples we’re keeping our fingers crossed that next year will be a good one for apple crops meaning plenty of farm pressed apple juice for the farm shop and some home made apple crumbles and pies for our holiday cottage guests to enjoy too.

The photo was taken one particularly misty morning so looks a little fuzzy!