Spring comes to Tresillian in a flurry of blossom, from the most delicate, iciest pink to deepest shades of plum. Out in the orchard, around 84 different varieties of Cornish apple trees come into bloom. These were planted by John Harris, head gardener from 1985 to 2023, in the early 1990s as single whips set in a diamond pattern, so they’re in a straight line whichever way you look. Today the orchard contains what is probably one of the best collections of regional apples available anywhere.
“I wanted the orchard to be 90 per cent Cornish,” reflects John. “This is the sort of thing people would have had a hundred or so years ago, when we
