The Massey Partnership is delighted to announce that it will be representing The Great Gardens of Cornwall. The Great Gardens of Cornwall is a collection of 13 of the best-known, largest, most historically and horticulturally important gardens in Cornwall.
Spread across Cornwall, from a tidal estuary on the River Tamar, to the tip of the Isles of Scilly, the 13 gardens include: Antony Woodland Gardens, Bonython Estate Gardens, Caerhays Castle Spring Gardens, the Eden Project, Lamorran Gardens, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Trebah Garden, Tregothnan, Tregrehan Garden, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Tresco Abbey Garden, Trewidden and Trewithen.
The gardens within the collection range from the formal to the informal, from woodland retreats to historic rolling-parkland with coastal views. Each location is very unique and holds something different, but they all offer a stunningly diverse collection of plants and sculptures from around the world, which together showcases the very best of Cornish horticulture. Thanks to the micro-climate in Cornwall from the Gulf Stream, the Great Gardens are home to some of the most exotic species of plant and flower in the UK.
Between February and March, visitors of The Great Gardens of Cornwall can expect to see the bloom of magnolias in designated gardens in the collection, that hail the start of spring in Cornwall. Founded by The Nare Hotel, in partnership with The Great Gardens of Cornwall, the Spring Story announces the fact that spring arrives early in Cornwall, thanks to the mid-climate from the Gulf Stream. Once the magnolias from six of the nineteen champion Magnolia Campbellii trees in the Great Gardens reveal their first 50 blooms, Spring is officially declared to have started in Cornwall. They are expected to bloom up to a month before any other part of the UK - a milder winter so far means that the first day of spring may be declared even sooner this year!
For more information about The Great Gardens of Cornwall, please visit: www.greatgardensofcornwall.co.uk
The Gardens
Antony Woodland Gardens https://www.antonywoodlandgarden.com/
Located near Torpoint, the tranquil and unspoilt 100-acre garden is home to over 600 different varieties of camellias, as well as over 250 different types of magnolias. With a seasonal display of colours, Antony Woodland Gardens provide a natural haven.
Open 15th February – 31st October 2022.
Bonython Estate Gardens https://www.bonythonmanor.co.uk/
With a unique blend of tropical and traditional horticulture, Bonython is located on the Lizard Peninsula. Dating back to the late 18th century, the walled garden has been extensively remodelled and replanted - the gardens now meander around the Manor house, surrounded by ancient shelterbelts of trees that have been supplemented with 15,000 new trees some 8 years ago.
Open 4th April – 16th September 2022.
Caerhays Castle Spring Gardens https://visit.caerhays.co.uk/
Owned by the Williams family and situated near St Austell, Caerhays is an informal woodland garden overlooking the sea and extending to over 140 acres. Caerhays is home to the x williamsii camellia hybrids but is perhaps best known for its huge, Asiatic magnolias which are usually in their prime in March and April. Caerhays hosts the Plant Heritage National Collection of Magnolias with over 600 different varieties on show.
Open 15th February – 13th June 2022.
Eden Project https://www.edenproject.com/
Located in a reclaimed china clay pit near St Austell, Eden is a global garden housed in its famous biomes; the world’s largest greenhouses in a 50-metre-deep crater - the size of 30 football pitches. With over 1,000 varieties of plants, there’s plenty to see from wild lands, natural landscapes, rainforests, and even Mediterranean hillsides.
Open every day excluding select days in January and February and Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Lamorran Gardens https://www.lamorrangardens.co.uk/
Lamorran is a subtropical, Italianate inspired garden on the Roseland peninsula. Home to over 200 palms of some 35 species or varieties, Lamorran is situated on many levels on a south facing slope, and has an extensive and eclectic mix of plants.
Open 1st April – 30th September 2022
The Lost Gardens of Heligan www.heligan.com
Lost to the brambles of time since the outbreak of WW1, Heligan is one of the most mysterious estates in England. In 1990, it was hailed as Europe’s largest garden restoration project. Today Heligan’s 200 acres are a paradise for the explorer, wildlife, plant lover and garden romantic.
Open all year round
Trebah Garden https://www.trebahgarden.co.uk/
Trebah is a sub-tropical paradise with a stunning coastal backdrop. The result of 180 years of inspired and dedicated creation. Discover the magic of this beautiful valley garden, explore under canopies bursting with exotic blooms and follow vibrant tunnels of colour that cascade down to our very own secluded beach on the Helford River.
Open all year round
Tregothnan https://tregothnan.co.uk/
Tregothnan is the pioneer of the UK’s first tea plantations and has been home to the Boscawen family since 1334. Tregothnan opens its gates to the private botanical garden for one weekend every year and all the proceeds go to charity.
Garden open on select days of the year. Shop open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm
Tregrehan Garden http://www.tregrehangarden.uk/
Tucked into St. Austell Bay, Tregrehan has an enviable location for a Woodland Garden. Sheltered by higher ground, having adequate rainfall and with the mild Gulf Stream less than a mile away, lies Cornwall’s atmospheric rain-forest. Expect towering conifers from the early Victorian Plant Hunters as well as an arrany of plants from the Southern hemisphere.
Open on selected days between 15th March – 31st August 2022
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens https://www.tremenheere.co.uk/
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens’ dramatic landscape, combined with large-scale exotic, sub-tropical planting, provides the backdrop to contemplative and inspiring art by internationally renowned artists. A major attraction near Penzance in West Cornwall, Tremenheere can be found in a beautiful sheltered valley, overlooking St Michael’s Mount, with woods and a stream, interwoven with an evolving programme of contemporary artwork. Reopens from 12th Feb - Autumn
Tresco Abbey Garden https://www.tresco.co.uk/enjoying/abbey-garden
Located on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, the sub-tropical Abbey Garden is a glorious exception; a perennial Kew without the glass, home to 20,000 plants from more than 80 countries, flourishing just 30 miles off the coast of Cornwall.
Open all year round
Trewidden https://trewidden.co.uk/
Located on the stunning Lands End peninsula, Trewidden benefits from a mild, maritime climate, enabling a large collection of tender plants to be established. Started in the 1840’s by Edward Bolitho, Trewidden Garden has a rich horticultural and industrial past.
Experience the truly remarkable stand of tree ferns, set within ancient tin workings, said to be the finest in the Northern Hemisphere. Find Champion Magnolias, a venerable old Jelly Palm and an extensive collection of Camellias, Rhododendrons and Azaleas set within a mature woodland setting.
Open 12th February – 25th September 2022
Trewithen https://trewithengardens.co.uk/
Situated just outside of Truro, Trewithen is a historic private Estate with a magnificent collection of camellias, rhododendrons, and magnolias. Placed amongst woodland walks and a heritage family home, Trewithen is a rare and unique Cornish gem and is one of 39 gardens in the world that is recognised as an International Camellia Society “Garden of Excellence”.
Open 1st March – 30th June 2022