By Abigail Whyte

Published: Tuesday, 13 December 2022 at 12:00 am

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From the iconic Eden Project to a subtropical coastal garden, here’s our pick of the best gardens to visit in Cornwall.

For more inspiration for days out, don’t miss our guide to the best museum gardens and and gardens where you can pick your own flowers.

Gardens to visit in Cornwall

The Eden Project

In addition to its alien-looking domes that house thousands of plant species, the garden also boasts 20 acres of gardens, filled with plants from around the world, including the National Collection of Kniphofia.

As you might expect from a garden that promotes sustainability, it encourages car-free visiting with a discount of £4 for everyone who travels by public transport, or on foot or by bike, and provides secure bike racks. There is a regular bus service from St Austell railway station, as well as traffic-free, gravel-surfaced Clay Trails that link the garden to the station. Chosen by Juliet Giles

The Eden Project, Bodelva, St Austell, Cornwall PL24 2SG, edenproject.com 

Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden

This famous St Ives museum and garden gives a remarkable insight into one of Britain’s most important 20th century artists. On display are over 30 of Barbara Hepworth’s artworks, many of them laid in position by Hepworth herself in harmony with the planting scheme and garden design she created with the help of her friend, the composer Priaulx Rainier.

Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden, Barnoon Hill, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1TG. Tel 01736 796226, tate.org.uk

Glendurgan Garden

Explore 300 acres of coastal garden in an exotic valley. A highlight of the garden is the remarkable cherry laurel maze, which was first laid out in 1833 and has undergone a four-year restoration project. The sloping maze is dotted with palm trees, in keeping with the lush, subtropical garden, and a cute thatched summerhouse sits in the middle. Close to the maze is the Giant’s Stride – a newly installed rotating rope swing that’s fun for children and grownups alike.

Glendurgan Garden, Mawnan Smith, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 5JZ, nationaltrust.org.uk

Lanhydrock

Visit in spring to see wonderful displays of Asiatic magnolias with their huge flowers on forest-sized trees. There are many gardens in the very mildest parts of the south west where these trees are the star attraction but one of the best is the National Trust garden, Lanhydrock. Chosen by Keith Wiley

Lanhydrock, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 4AB. Tel 01208 265950, nationaltrust.org.uk 

Cotehele, Cornwall 

Bountiful in summer, the borders in the upper gardens of Cotehele become a myriad of herbaceous plants and colourful flowers, while the terraces bloom with roses, geraniums and irises.

Cotehele, St Dominick, nr Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6TA, nationaltrust.org.uk

Mount Edgcumbe

The seven-acre garden at Mount Edgcumbe on the Cornish side of the estuary opposite Plymouth holds the National Collection of Camellias containing more than 1,000 species and cultivars of this delicate flower. Chosen by Keith Wiley

Mount Edgcumbe, Cremyll, Torpoint, Cornwall PL10 1HZ, mountedgcumbe.gov.uk

Bosvigo House

Further west in Cornwall is another little-known garden at Bosvigo House. Created by artist Wendy Perry over a period of more than 50 years, this woodland garden is carpeted in spring with drifts of erythroniums, hellebores and wood anemones. Chosen by Keith Wiley

Bosvigo House, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3NH, bosvigo.com 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Restored on a shoestring budget after decades of neglect the garden is a delight, with 200 acres to explore, including Victorian Productive Gardens and exotic planting. It’s even a joy to visit in winter, when visitors can appreciate the bare bones of the garden, watch birdlife on the bird feeders behind the hide and keep an eye out for fungi in hidden damp areas of the garden.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, St.Austell, Cornwall PL26 6EN, heligan.com

The Minack Theatre

Although best known for its spectacular open-air theatre, the Minack Theatre and Garden is home to a wonderful subtropical garden that is a dramatic attraction in itself. Full of exotic plants, many of them mature, the gardens showcase agaves, aeoniums, strelitzia and echiums across the clifftop site. Niall and Jill Milligan have orchestrated this planting scheme, so it displays many plants that most of us can only dream of cultivating in our own gardens. Chosen by Tom Brown

The Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6JU, minack.com

Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens

In a beautiful, sheltered valley overlooking St Michael’s Mount you’ll find this exotic and subtropical garden filled with contemporary sculpture by renowned artists such as David Nash and James Turrell. Turrell’s artwork Tewlwolow Kernow is a significant highlight – an elliptical domed ‘Skyspace’ chamber designed as a space from which to view the sky.

Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Gulval, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8YL, tremenheere.co.uk

Don’t miss our gardens to visit guide

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