Gardens in Cornwall
Gardens in Cornwall
While staying in your Cornwall Holiday Cottage, why not visit one of many Cornish gardens, which is a wonderful way to enjoy your time here. With the gardens enjoying the warmth of the Gulf Stream, there is a subtropical theme and so are home to an abundance of exciting, vibrant, rare and magnificent plants and trees.
They are worth visiting at any time of year; each season offers new sights to see and smells to experience. Whether that be bright yellow daffodils and vibrant magnolias in spring, the summer brings everything into full bloom and is all glistening in the Cornish sunshine, and autumn transforms the gardens into an orange, red and yellow wonderland. Finally, if you fancy adventuring out in the winter, the gardens still offer a relaxing atmosphere.
These green and glorious havens were the creative genius of the early nineteenth-century Cornish garden owners who led them to sponsor the great Victorian plant hunting expeditions. The seeds and plants they brought back from worldwide helped create unique examples of wild and magnificent living specimens that continue to thrive to this day.
Eden Project
Bodelva, St Austell | 01726 811911
The giant biomes of the Eden Project in Cornwall were built in a disused clay mine near St Austell, transforming it into a rich, global garden where visitors can learn about nature and get inspiration about the world around them. Eden is a great place to visit with the tropical and Mediterranean biomes showcasing plants of all countries and the ongoing projects to encourage learning and responsibility for the environment.
Website
Enys Garden
Penryn | 01326 259885
Thirty acres of gardens await, including the open meadow known as Parc Lye, where the spring show of bluebells is simply breathtaking and hugely popular for visitors. To accompany this is the peaceful ponds, which have become a haven for wildlife and offer a tranquil spot for anyone wanting to walk around it. There is an insight into the house’s history with the water wheel used to supply the Enys House with drinking water. There is an orchard, a broad walk, a flower garden, a stumpery, a broad walk with a renovated thatched summer house, a garden cafe, and so much more!
Website
Burncoose Gardens & Nusery
Gwennap | 01209 860316
A thirty-acre woodland garden has primarily remained private until recently and has been maintained beautifully throughout that period. The appeal of this attractive garden is at the start of spring and the end of winter when nature takes control, and the snowdrops, bluebells, crocuses, daffodils, primroses and wild violets cover the open grounds. At the same time, the magnolia trees reveal themselves above. There is also tremendous interest in the summer, with intense blue and purple hydrangeas showing themselves and other elegant flowers in this woodland garden.
After your wander around the garden, one may be inspired to introduce some more plants into your garden, and the team at Burncoose Nursery will be happy to help with their extensive knowledge!
Website
Caerhays Castle & Gardens
Gorran St Austell | 01872 501310
Caerhays Castle, owned by the Williams family, is located in a sheltered valley overlooking Porthluney Cove on the South Cornish Coast equidistant from Truro and St Austell.
The surrounding parkland and woodland gardens were created in the main from the discoveries of the plant hunters in China shortly after the 20th century. Since then, a great deal of hybridization work, especially creating the first x williamsii camellias, has taken place at Caerhays to complete the extensive woodland gardens that visitors can admire and enjoy today. Caerhays is very much a spring garden and is best in March, April, and May. The garden is ONLY open at present for these three months (7 days a week). The castle, where the family still live, is only available for more limited periods, so please check opening times carefully.
Website
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Pentewan, St.Austell | 01726 845100
Heligan offers over 200 acres for exploration for the wildlife enthusiast, plant lover, and garden admirer. The gardens were rediscovered before the beginning of the century. They have been transformed into one of the most loved gardens of Cornwall, a romantic, beautiful, relaxing and mysterious garden.
The gardens have many areas to explore; the Productive Victorian Garden is a walled garden where they use traditional methods to provide the Heligan Kitchen with fresh produce throughout the year. The Jungle is a subtropical utopia that takes you on a journey through bamboo, under mighty tree ferns and giant rhubarbs, passing a tranquil pond that takes you to the infamous rope bridge. Finally, the Pleasure Grounds contain an elaborate selection of plants that are connected by unusual structures and surprising features; all joined together by stone pathways that lead you to round this magnificent collection.
Website
Glendurgan Garden – National Trust
Mawnan Smith, Near Falmouth
A spectacularly kept National Trust Garden, that is made up of three valleys so that you can fully indulge yourself in the beautiful surrounding nature, a great day out for any age group. A haven for wildlife where in spring the banks bloom heaves of elegant wildflowers which attract an array of natures finest, these banks enclose the well known Glendurgan maze which has been getting the better of its challengers for years.
At the bottom of the garden, there is a gate that leads down to the untouched fisherman’s hamlet of Durgan which has a beautiful beach that looks on to the Helford River and to accompany is the Durgan Fish Cellar which has been transformed into an information centre, inside is a second-hand bookstall, local artwork, children’s activities, and buckets and spades to borrow for the beach. There is so much to explore in these exquisite gardens.
Website
Trelissick – National Trust
Feock, Truro | 01872 862090
A welcoming garden estate set on its peninsula created within shelter belts planted over 200 years ago, with beautiful wide-stretching sea views looking on to the Falmouth Estuary in-between the ancient woodland. There are two garden spaces at Trelissick, the stunning curated garden which constantly evolving, with new planting and 300 acres of wild natural woodland which can take you on a journey through the peaceful surroundings of the creeks.
Website
Trebah Gardens
Mawnan Smith, Near Falmouth | 01326 252200
A wonderful sub-tropical garden sloping down to the beautiful Helford River with a private beach, this garden is full of creativity and beautiful exotic plant display. Footpaths weave through the beautiful surrounding environment, slowly taking you on a journey to a magical paradise in a sheltered scene that screams tranquillity and peacefulness from the restful duck pond to the serene beach with spectacular views on to the Helford River and numerous other corners within the garden are worth exploring for a quiet escape.
Trebah is perfect for families with ‘Tarzan’s Camp’ a wonderful adventure playground for letting their imagination go wild, ‘Fort Stuart’ a brilliant space for under-fives to play and finally for the designated areas for the young ones is the statement piece for Trebah that I remember whenever we would visit the gardens is the ‘The Paraglide’ a truly memorable experience. While walking around the gardens there are brilliant seasonal trails that are exciting and educating for children, these take you all over the gardens.
Website
The Japanese Gardens
St Mawgan Village | 01637 860116
A peaceful oasis that combines the elegance of nature with an artistic clarification that shapes and styles the plants are combining to create a heavenly garden of balance and tranquillity. The garden has many beautiful plants and water features, first built as a meditative space to calm the mind and release unwanted stress by peaceful contemplation.
This space is fantastic to visit throughout spring to autumn (closed in the winter); in the spring, the Japanese Maples reveal vibrant reds and greens and graceful Cherry Blossoms and Camellias. In the summer, the garden bursts into life with a majority of an abundance of flowers and foliages in full bloom, along with the bamboos swaying in the wind and the Koi swimming in the pond. Finally, in autumn, the gardens transform from luscious greens to bold and vibrant gold, oranges and reds.
Website
Tremeheere Sculpture Gardens
Nr Penzance | 01736 448089
A fascinating sculpture garden, hidden in a sloping valley towards St Michael’s Mount. It contains a stream, woods and beautiful panoramic views of the sea, all to accompany the superb sculpture that blends in within the surroundings. There is a delicious cafe/restaurant and a wonderfully curated art gallery with internationally renowned artists work.
Website
Lanhydrock Gardens
Nr Bodmin | 01208265950
A glorious late Victorian country Manor is set within a spectacular garden and wooded estate. Discover the two sides of Victorian life: from the kitchens, nurseries and servants’ quarters, which offer an exciting glimpse into life ‘below stairs’, and on the other side is the luxurious family spaces, elegant dining room and large bedrooms which reveal the pleasures of ‘upstairs’ living. Make sure you take a wander around the widespread gardens and soak in the year-round colour, with the stunning herbaceous borders, a superb formal parterre and colourful higher gardens filled with the gorgeous classics camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons best seen in spring.
The estate is deserving a wander round too, with ancient woodlands and peaceful riverside trails. Finally, there are also off-road cycle trails for the keen cyclists, with unique tracks for families and novice riders, and you can even hire a bike from Lanhydrock Estate to make the most of this opportunity.
Website
Trewithen House & Gardens
Grampound, Near Truro | 01726 883647
Trewithen is a historic private estate internationally renowned for its collection of magnolias and camellias. It also boasts 24 ‘Champion Trees’, woodland walks, 18th Century estate house, Tea Shop and the opportunity to purchase highly prized plants from the on-site nursery.
Website
Lamorran House and Gardens
St Mawes / 01326 270800 / Great Gardens of Cornwall Website
Beautiful gardens with many features including a waterfall and koi pool, and many stunning flowers and trees. The woodland walk has spectacular views of the sea.
We’re here to help
If you have any questions or wish to discuss your holiday requirements
Call us on 01326 375972
or
Complete a Booking Enquiry Form