This is the big season for traditions.

Some are widespread and popular, while others stay within our families. Some might even be personal to us as individuals.

Near my home in presently wet and windy south western part of the UK there is a very old house called Cotehele. This is not one of those giant fancy ‘Downton Abbey’-type places but a much more modest, much older house; parts of Cotehele date back to the 15th century.

The Great Hall at Cotehele in Cornwall, UK

In 1956 the gardeners built the first 60ft floral garland to adorn the high-ceilinged Great Hall, starting a tradition that continues to this day.

This thing is impressive; photographs simply don’t do it justice. Thousands of flowers, grown and dried on the Cotehele estate, have been lovingly brought together to create a giant floral swag that hangs high above the giant oak dining table.

The more you look, the more detail you see.

A small section, showing the details of the composition

I couldn’t help but marvel at the way the flowers have been arranged with such meticulous care. The garland has caught the essence of a garden at its summer peak and preserved it to bring joy to so many during the winter; indeed on one day this year just over 1,000 people filed into the Great Hall to see this magnificent spectacle for themselves.

Flowers around a doorway

I’m fascinated by the things my fellow gardeners get up to. I like to think of myself as suitably competent in the things that I do, but there’s a whole world of things going on that I have little more than a rudimentary knowledge of.

Enormous effort went into raising these flowers and drying them to create this garland. More went into physically putting it all together; a masterpiece like this doesn’t just happen, it comes from gardeners applying their skills.

Examples of the flowers used in the garland displayed in jars

Generations of Cotehele’s talented gardeners have been involved in this fine tradition. Some are no longer with us, some have gone on to care for other gardens. Others care for Cotehele’s garden today and continue the tradition of creating the festive garland each year.

Long may their work continue, and long may it bring joy to so many each winter.