Category: Gardens

Spring Gardens in Cornwall

trebah gardens 1

Cornwall is home to an abundance of garden wonderlands thriving with sub-tropical species – and spring is a great season to explore them. Picnic in carpets of bluebells, tunnel through bamboo jungles, and play hide and seek in magical woodlands. These are our top six spring gardens in Cornwall.

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Trebah Garden, Mawnan Smith

This sub-tropical garden tumbling down to the banks of the Helford River is one of our favourite destinations for a family day out – and dogs can come, too. Wend your way through magnolias and rhododendrons bursting into bloom, tunnel through bamboo jungles and giant gunnera, and emerge on a divine sandy beach where you can order a mug of tea from the Boathouse Café and skim pebbles to your heart’s content.

More info: Open daily from 10:00. Dogs welcome.
trebahgarden.co.uk

Trelissick, Feock

Whether it’s still cool and blustery, or a blue-sky day with wall-to-wall sunshine, Trelissick’s stunning 300-acre estate is the perfect place for a springtime excursion. Wander through woodland along the banks of the River Fal, climb magnificent beech trees and explore the gardens, then take afternoon tea in the cobbled courtyard, where you can nose around the gallery and second-hand bookshop. Ramp up the adventure by arriving by ferry from Falmouth or Truro, or why not hop aboard the King Harry Ferry and head on to explore the verdant Roseland Peninsula?

More info: Open daily from. Dogs welcome on the woodland trails, but not in the gardens.
nationaltrust.org.uk/trelissick

St Michael’s Mount, Marazion

Once home of a legendary giant, part of a pilgrimage route and an all-round enchanting spot to castaway to a fairy-tale castle, St Michael’s Mount is also home to stunning terraced gardens, where exotic plants cling to steep granite cliffs. Stand high in the castle turrets and look down upon stonework and lawns bursting with colour, or follow the trails through flower-lined paths beaten by the salty breeze. More info: The gardens are open from April to September; there are I Spy cards for children, and tours are available.

stmichaelsmount.co.uk

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The Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Austell

As we step into springtime, these ancient woodlands, water meadows and productive gardens burst into colour and scent. Daffodils and snowdrops line the paths, beneath tree ferns, banana palms and gigantic rhubarb plants. This historic sleeping beauty was re-awakened from the brambles in 1990 and is now Europe’s largest garden restoration project, with family-friendly trails, farm animals, adventure play areas and secret hides where you can spy on the wildlife.

More info: Open daily, except Christmas day.
heligan.com

Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, nr Penzance

Squirrelled away in a lush landscape close to Mounts Bay, art and nature merge seamlessly at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. Climb trees, wander through woodland, and nature’s wonderland through a series of art installations including a camera obscura and a series of contemporary sculptures including a Minotaur and a brick throne overlooking St Michael’s Mount. Amongst a series of exhibitions and creative workshops held in the grounds and gallery, this spring you can catch Cousin Jack’s Theatre Company’s performance of Percy Pengelly and the Wibble Wobble. What with a kitchen serving scrumptious seasonal delights, a gift shop and nursery, it makes a great day out for the whole family.

More info: Open daily from February.
tremenheere.co.uk

Lanhydrock, nr Bodmin

One of the most magical times of year to visit Lanhydrock is during spring, when the woodlands of this sprawling country estate are carpeted with bluebells. Explore a labyrinth of footpaths winding through 900-acres of countryside, along the banks of burbling stream and into landscaped gardens where the rhododendrons and magnolias are coming into flower. Step into history in the Victorian manor house, take part in a range of family activities and freewheel along the bike trails – from easy-going family routes to demanding woodland tracks.

Lanhydrock gardens, nr Bodmin

More info: Open daily – see website for times and details.
nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock

 

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Trelissick Garden, Cornwall


Trelissick is one of the National Trust’s big, open spaces that simply allows you to be out in the fresh Cornish air away from traffic and the concrete jungle.  It’s a brilliant spot for families with kids and dogs; you can lose yourself in the woodland, emerging randomly to find a stunning view out over the River Fal, complete with bobbing sail boats. With over five miles of walking you can really get off the beaten track and find some space to yourself.

The gardens occupy their very own peninsula and are split into two – the slightly more formal tended gardens and the wider estate of woodland and open parkland. With water on three sides, there’s a lovely sense of being slightly cut off from the frantic modern world; you can almost see shoulders dropping and heart rates slowing around you. And in a world where we’re often told not to walk on the grass, children are actually encouraged to climb trees at Trelissick (just don’t let them climb too high!).

The team at Trelissick can give details of set walks that follow the river, with views across to narrow creeks, before heading into the woods. You might spot the King Harry Ferry to-and-froing across the water – it’s been voted one of the most beautiful ferry crossings in the world, giving you some idea of the stunning nature of the surroundings here.

The formal gardens don’t have the instant exotic feel of places like Trebah; this is a more understated place where it’s all about the peace of the atmosphere and a less structured feel. Autumn is one of the best times for colour at Trelissick, as the leaves turn gold in the woodland and the gardens bloom with late-flowering plants.  The hub of Trelissick is a complex of rugged, old former farm buildings, with a striking fairy tale tower; you’ll find a good café, a gift shop, bookshop and a plant centre. Sunday lunches here have a loyal following.

Like all National Trust properties, there’s plenty going on throughout the year at Trelissick, from wassailing in January to Christmas events. Lecture lunches on a huge variety of subjects are a stalwart of the Trelissick calendar.

Trelissick Garden is open daily.

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Trelissick Garden
Feock, Nr Truro, Cornwall, TR3 6QL, Tel. 01872 862090

Trebah Garden

There’s something about the term ‘sub-tropical’ that fills a Brit with longing. It sounds like something that couldn’t possibly be found in cloudy, windy England. And yet…Trebah Garden, in a tucked-away little valley near Falmouth, promises something a little more exotic than we’re used to on these shores.

Trebah is a brilliant blend of stunning gardens and lovely Cornish beach. The steep valley that houses Trebah means that the garden enjoys the kind of sheltered environment that gives it its own unique climate. And don’t the plants love it – plants more often seen in far flung corners of the planet. And to add to the interest, this part of Cornwall has more than a hint of shady smuggling history about it – across the water is Frenchman’s Creek, immortalised by Daphne du Maurier .

There’s plenty for the green-fingered to get excited about here, from the Hydrangea Valley and the Giant Pink Tulip Tree to the rare evergreens and water garden. Children – who may sigh at the thought of a garden visit – will love Trebah. It’s not just that there are all kinds of child-oriented activities like the bamboo maze, the Elephant Rhubarb passage and the two cafes with an emphasis on local ice cream. Trebah has an irresistible ‘Swallows and Amazons’ quality, with secret pathways and bridges leading down to the pretty beach of Polgwidden Cove with its boathouse and views far out to sea. Complementary buckets and spades are available for children who can’t leave a beach without a stint of excavation, and the café even doles out sunscreen for those who’ve forgotten.

A busy calendar of events, particularly in school holidays, means there’s always something going on, from guided trails and workshops for the kids to art exhibitions and occasional music events for adults.

Trebah Garden is open every single day. There’s good wheelchair access (around 80% of the venue is accessible by motorised wheelchair, and Trebah has two of them available to use free of charge). The garden is dog friendly (except inside the cafes).

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Trebah Garden
Mawnan Smith, Nr Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 5JZ, Tel. 01326 252200

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall


Heligan is undoubtedly one of Cornwall’s most famous attractions and although it’s been written about hundreds if not thousands of times, a list of Cornwall’s best gardens would look very odd without it. The sheer scale and diversity of the Lost Gardens of Heligan are astonishing; the team there has been steadily restoring and expanding for over 20 years now and there’s far more to see than a single day’s visit can encompass.

Even the names of the individual areas give a sense of intrigue and excitement: The Lost Valley, The Pleasure Grounds, The Alpine Ravine, The Jungle. It all adds to the other-worldliness that is such a big part of the Heligan experience and which seems to culminate in the giant rhubarb plants that tower above children’s heads. Huge tree ferns, banana plantations and a microclimate that often causes temperatures to sit 5 degrees above those outside of Heligan make you question whether you’re really in Cornwall at all – and then you find pineapples growing in the Victorian gardens (amongst 200-plus varieties of heritage fruits and vegetables) for a real dose of the surreal.

Heligan has a long and chequered history. The original manor was built way back in the 13th century and Heligan remained in the same family for many generations as the gardens were developed and collections of exotic plants established. During the First World War, the estate was used as a convalescence hospital for soldiers, followed by a US army base in the Second World War. During the 1970s, the house was divided into flats and sold off, and the gardens were neglected until their re-discovery in 1990. As you wind your way through the hundreds of acres of estate, there’s plenty of information about the many changes but for many just soaking up the atmosphere is enough.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan has everything you’d expect for a full day out – cafes, shops (including a great farm shop next door) and good wheelchair and pushchair access to much of the estate. The estate manager leads regular guided walks around Heligan, perfect for those who really want the behind-the-scenes secrets.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan are near St Austell, close to the south coast of Cornwall. We recommend making an early start for your visit and spending a full day there to explore. Open all year round, spring is a favourite time to visit for the mass of bluebells and the famous National Collection of Camellias and Rhododendrons in bloom.

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Lost Gardens of Heligan
Pentewan, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6EN, Tel. 01726 845100