VISITORS to Cotehele estate?s famous daffodil week will be able to see more than 200 different varieties of daffodil ? and hear the voices of those who worked in the local market garden industry in the twentieth century. The week, held next month, is a celebration of both spring and Cotehele?s market garden history, as the estate was used formerly to grow daffodils for the industry. Due to a climate that enabled plants to grow earlier than anywhere else in the country, trading boomed until the start of the second world war, when daffodils were removed to produce food for the war effort. The National Trust will be offering guided walks, cut daffodils and bulbs to buy, as well as the opportunity to see new and rare varieties during the celebrations being held between March 12 and 18. David Bouch, head gardener at Cotehele said: ?Our week-long daffodil celebration is incredibly popular and we receive visitors from all over the country. ?At this time of year the daffodils are coming into bloom and the garden is full of spring colour. ?It?s really important that the history of the daffodil industry at Cotehele is kept alive and that?s why we are really excited about unveiling the new audio history in the packing shed. ?I?m sure that our visitors will find the stories both moving and fascinating.? Visitors will be able to hear the audio history in a traditional packing shed built by the Trust in the garden, a sight that used to be common throughout the Tamar Valley in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It has been compiled as part of a project which aims to identify, plant and protect some of the oldest and most vulnerable daffodils growing on the estate as well as informing visitors of the historical importance of the daffodil industry in the areas.
