Gardens of Cornwall
Just being in Cornwall in spring is a delight, and it brings the promise of what is to come in the rest of the UK. A real favourite of mine is Trebah, with its stunning position and wonderfully rich collection of plants, and of course an ice cream from the cafe on its own beach.
About this tour
Cornwall has long been celebrated as England’s garden paradise, and in spring it truly lives up to it. Sheltered by the Gulf Stream and blessed with a gentle climate, this far south-western corner of Britain enjoys an early spring, so while much of the country is still shaking off winter, Cornwall’s gardens are already alive with colour, fragrance and birdsong.
I love bringing people here because the county grows things that elsewhere in Britain would struggle until much later in the year, if at all. There is the sheer spectacle of it, and there is a great deal to learn about how a mild, sheltered, maritime climate widens what is possible in a garden.
Garden highlights
- Trebah Garden - a dramatic exotic ravine running down to its own beach
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan - a great Victorian garden rescued from the brambles
- Eden Project - vast biomes of rainforest and Mediterranean planting
- Caerhays Castle - home of the National Magnolia Collection
- Trewithen Gardens - an International Camellia Society Garden of Excellence
- Trelissick - National Trust woodland and borders above the River Fal
Destination highlights
- The mild Gulf Stream climate that gives Cornwall its early spring
- Magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons at their spring peak
- Penjerrick, Cornwall's semi-wild 'true jungle' of tree ferns and gunnera
- Coastal views across Carrick Roads and the River Fal
- A comfortable base at the Alverton in Truro
Interested in this tour?
These tours come round again, and the best way to make sure you do not miss the next one is to join my email list. You will be among the first to hear when new dates are announced, with practical, seasonal gardening from me along the way.
What you'll learn
Cornwall is the place to see what a mild, sheltered, maritime climate makes possible. You will look at how the Gulf Stream and valley shelter let gardeners grow tender exotics, tree ferns, magnolias and great rhododendrons that much of Britain cannot, and how those plantings are arranged to make the most of slopes, water and sea views. There is plenty here on microclimate, shelter and bold structural planting, and ideas you can scale down for a garden back home.
Gardens you'll visit
Trebah Garden
a sub-tropical ravine tumbling down to its own beach on the Helford, with towering tree ferns, giant gunnera and a famous hydrangea valley. David's favourite on the tour.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
one of Britain's great restoration stories, rescued from decades under bramble, with productive gardens, wild areas and the well-known living sculptures.
Eden Project
two vast biomes holding a rainforest and a Mediterranean landscape in a reclaimed clay pit, a modern statement of what horticulture can do.
Caerhays Castle
home of the National Magnolia Collection, where spring brings goblet-shaped blooms against a backdrop of woodland and sea.
Trewithen Gardens
an International Camellia Society Garden of Excellence, known for rare magnolias, rhododendrons and a celebrated camellia collection.
Trelissick
a National Trust garden on a headland above the River Fal, with woodland walks, tender exotics and wide estuary views.
Beyond the gardens
Cornwall in spring is as much about the setting as the gardens. The valleys run down to the sea, the light is soft and the air mild, and gardens like Trebah and Penjerrick feel almost tropical. The Eden Project adds a different note, a modern statement of what horticulture can do, while the Lost Gardens of Heligan tell the story of a great garden lost and found. Time to wander, and the odd ice cream on the beach, are part of it.
Spring in Cornwall is the season’s first flourish, gardens at their freshest and most vibrant before the rest of the country has caught up. My hope is that you come home with more than photographs: a feel for how climate and shelter shape what we can grow, a notebook of plants to try, and the particular pleasure of having seen the season begin somewhere it begins early.