Spring arrives around six weeks earlier than the rest of the UK in Cornwall, anytime from mid February. It is the perfect time get outside, shed those additional layers, recharge your batteries and lift your spirits as the days lengthen to summer.
Cornwall’s gardens open from the middle of February with stunning displays of magnolias and camellias and shortly afterwards, in March, azaleas and rhododendrons.
The Victorian desire for exotic plants coupled with the favourable Cornish climate drove plant hunters to risk life and limb in far flung corners of the earth to transform their sponsors’ gardens. Many of the plants introduced by the early plant hunters can still be seen in Cornwall’s famous gardens today.
It would be easy to wile away a week wandering around these beautiful gardens so here are some of our favourites.
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan
- Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan
- Trewithen
- Caerhays
- Trebah
- Lamorran
- Bosvigo
- St Just in Roseland Church
- St Michaels Mount
Local’s tips:
- Receive a discount when visiting more the one of Cornwall’s Great Gardens in the same year
- Tie up a visit to St Michaels Mount and the Sculpture Garden or Glendurgan and Trebah in the same day as they’re very close to each other
- Visit Cothele on our way to Cornwall, it’s just over the border from Devon!
- Take your walking boots. The South West Coast path walk from St Just in Roseland Church to St Mawes is beautiful and you’re rewarded with some lovely cafes or stunning crab sandwiches direct from the trawler at the fish trailer on the quay. Read more here. Also around the Helford whilst visiting Glendurgan or Trebah and take in Frenchmans Creek and a great pub on the way! The route can be view here.
- Caerhays host many RHS lectures. Find out more here;
- Many places have fantastic cafes which are worth travelling to just for lunch particularly; Heligan, the Sculpture Gardens and Trewithen
- Private tours can be arranged with Head Gardeners or their teams. We would be delighted to provide more information if you’re interested.
