We are very lucky that Cornish Barn Holidays! Our barns are perfectly located to reach a number of Cornwall’s great gardens. We are surrounded by so many beautiful and sub-tropical gardens. And we thought we would share our favourites with you.
The National Trust Gardens of Trelissick and Glendurgan are close by. Together with privately owned Trebah Garden at Mawnan Smith. The Roseland Peninsula, a short hop away on the King Harry Ferry, offers Caerhays Castle and its 100 acre woodland garden, in a sheltered valley overlooking Porthluney Cove, and Lamorran Gardens in St Mawes.
Cornwall’s gardens are perfect places to enjoy whatever the season. Many offer wonderful walking opportunities and have fascinating histories to discover. Below are just a few of our favourites!
Cornwall’s unique climate and geology has long been recognised by gardeners. Many tender plants will grow well here, while they struggle in other parts of the country. Many of the county’s wealthy landowners and industrialists were at the forefront the plant collecting craze. This saw men sent to the furthest reaches of the globe in search of new varieties. Often the rare plants and seeds that they posted home found their way into private gardens. A legacy which we can still see today in many of the gardens we have chosen below.
Many of Cornwall’s most precious gardens are now open to the public. This means you can explore this amazing heritage while staying with us at Perranwell.
Enys Gardens, Mylor
The closest garden to Perranwell is Enys, an absolute hidden gem. Once considered to be one of finest of Cornwall’s great gardens the Enys Estate was very nearly lost. But much like the famous Lost Gardens of Heligan recent years have seen a band of passionate volunteers working tirelessly to bring the gardens and the house slowly back to life. The beautiful well-established gardens feature many wonderful and unusual plants and shrubs as well as a large pond teeming with life.
Enys’ annual Bluebell Festival is the highlight of many people’s calendar. The ancient meadows, known as Parc Lye, become a breath-taking sea of blue for a few weeks each year, usually in April/May.
Trelissick Gardens
Just a short drive away this garden is the nearest National Trust property to the Barns. The Trelissick Estate covers around 375 acres of woodlands and farmland, much of it overlooking the idylic Fal Estuary.
The stunning Georgian house, with jar-dropping views, is surrounded by parkland and 40 acres of formal gardens. The tranquil, established gardens are a plant lovers paradise. Noted for their camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Trelissick also has the national collection of photinia.
The extensive, surrounding woodland have plenty of walking trails to explore. And you can also catch a ferry from here across to the Roseland or to Falmouth and Truro in the summer months.
Trewithen Gardens
Trewithen in Cornish means ‘house of the trees’ but there is much more to discover here than just the stunning landscaped gardens and woodland. In 2012 the gardens took delivery of two female red squirrels, one of the country’s most endangered species. They have since created a breeding population here in Cornwall. The offspring produced by the red squirrels at Trewithen will be released in other areas of the country where there are already some found in the wild.
The magnificent 18th century house offers stunning interiors and beautiful views out onto the more formal gardens including it’s Great Glade. Revered as a masterpiece of landscape gardening, Trewithen’s south-facing Great Glade was developed at the time of the great plant hunting expeditions between 1910 and 1932.
And of course, there are wonderful, scenic walks in the area taking in some of the estate.
The Japanese Garden, St Mawgan
This unique garden really is a haven of calm and tranquillity all year round. Created by Robert and Stella Hore, it is now run by their daughter Natalie. The Japanese Gardens combine the beauty of nature with artistic refinement. Using shaping of plants and natural and man-made elements.
Cherry blossom season in spring is a perfect time to visit. And in the autumn the Japanese maples turn to impossibly vibrant shades of red and yellow. Marvel at their wonderful collection of Bonsai trees too, harmony in a pot! *These gardens are only open from March to October.
Glendurgan
Another of Cornwall’s great gardens. These sub-tropical gardens on the Helford River are full of exotic and unexpected delights. The house and gardens were purchased by the Fox family in 1820. And Alfred Fox began to fill the three valleys with an exciting array of unusual plants. Now looked after by the National Trust, Glendurgan is truly a wonderful place to get lost in – a highlight being the laurel maze which was planted in 1833.
There is interest in this garden all year round. There are swaths of Bluebells in Spring and ponds teeming with life. You will also discover Jurassic-like giant rhubarb plants and spiky arid plants basking in the sunny upper slopes. End your day with a picnic on their private beach. Perfect!
If you have a little more time for exploring there is also a beautiful circular walk around Rosemullion Head.
Caerhays Castle
The present castle at Caerhays was built in 1805 by John Nash. Famously the Williams family employed an army of Cornish miners to remove the top of a hill which blocked the castle’s view of the sea. These days Caerhays is perhaps best known for its spectacular magnolias. It holds the National Collection.
The gardens also feature many established rhododendrons and camellias. There are structured walks to follow around the garden to ensure you take in the best views over the estate and grounds, the lake, and out to sea. You can even arrange guided walks with Caerhays Gardeners. And the surrounding countryside and beaches offers loads of walking opportunities and chances to explore.
The estate is just bursting with history, the 140 acre woodland gardens are Listed Grade II* and the origins of the historically important collection of Chinese plants can be traced back to the work of the great plant hunters Ernest Wilson (1876 – 1930) and George Forrest (1873 – 1932).
Pinetum Gardens, St Austell
Pinetum is set in over 30 acres and the stunning gardens are divided into ten very distinctive areas. These include the Water Gardens, Arboretum, Cottage Garden and Japanese Garden. All have been lovingly maintained spaces are over more than 40 years and contain a staggering 6000 different varieties of plant.
Pinetum also boasts nine champion trees. The Tree Register registers the most exceptional, rare and historically significant trees in Britain. Among the superstars here are a Banksia tree from Australia, a buddleia from Mexico and an extremely rare persimmon tree from China as well as 80 varieties of conifer including the giant redwood from America.
The Eden Project
This is another of Cornwall’s great gardens. But this is a garden with a difference! You just cannot visit the Eden Project without being amazed at the sheer magnitude of it all. This incredible project is awe-inspiring from the moment you arrive. Built on the site of the former clay pit the immense domed biomes are a spectacle in themselves, without the treasures you can find inside.
With each biome big enough to hold the entire Tower of London. At first glance it looks like you have stumbled across an alien colony here on earth. The Eden Project is rightly top of most people’s list of things to see in Cornwall. It is easily accessible by foot or by bike getting you to the heart of the project as it should be done – in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
If you have visited before don’t miss out on how Eden is evolving – no two visits will ever be the same. Different seasons bring completely new plants and panoramas. New and exciting projects, displays and events keep Eden a vibrant and ever changing attraction.
Trebah Gardens
This spectacular 26 acre Cornish ravine garden is rated amongst finest gardens in the world. A sub-tropical paradise. It is home to a unique collection of rare and exotic plants, trees and shrubs winding down to a private beach on the Helford River.
Trebah is a garden for all seasons. With year round colour and scent. It has something for everyone with children’s activities, special events, The Gallery Shop, Planters Café, and Garden Shop. They also have an outside amphitheatre which hosts plays during the summer months.
There are lots of other opportunities for days out while you are staying with us, here are just a couple more ideas:
A visit to the Flicka Donkey Sanctuary
Cycle Coast to Coast on the Mineral Tramway
