The Most Beautiful Cornish Gardens to Visit in Cornwall
Why Cornwall is a garden paradise
Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, with over 300 miles of coastline, Cornwall has a temperate climate which keeps winter temperatures milder than most of the UK, and the summer slightly cooler.
Spring arrives early in Cornwall; he county is one of the first places for daffodils. The warming effects of the Gulf Stream push both warm water & air up from the Caribbean towards our coastline - the result being very mild autumns which can often turn into mid November.
Within the county, which also incudes the Isles of Scilly, you’ll also find micro-climates around rivers, valleys & islands - perfect conditions for sub-tropical & exotic species that you’d normally only see in distant lands.
With a host of well known & established gardens as well as lesser known gems to discover, journey with Cornish Tours as we explore some of the Cornish gardens to visit.
Must see Cornish gardens.
Where do we start?
There are so many Cornish gardens to visit you could spend your whole holiday in the county and still not view them all!
To make things easier, we’ve put together a guide of what we consider to be a great variety of gardens that will leave you with an appetite to discover more on a future visit!
Much will depend upon he part of Cornwall in which you are visiting, and also the time of year you are here too - so whether it’s the early spring blooms, amazing camellias,
Historic Garden Estates
If you visit an historic garden estate, you really have the best of both worlds.
There are many private estates in Cornwall, some operate completely independtly, some as a collection and others, as we will discover below, run by the National Trust.
Port Elliot Estate – in SE Cornwall, this ancient estate (seat of the 11th Earl of St. Germans and the Eliot family) gives visitors the opportunity to explore the parkland, formal gardens as well as the Grade 1 listed house, hope to an esteemed collection of art. The grounds & gardens were developed by Humphry Rapton during the 18th century and there’s something of interest in bloom for much of the year.
Mount Edgecumbe – located on the Rame Peninsula and only 20 mins drive from Port Elliot, this is a huge estate which is owned & run by a unique partnership between Plymouth City Council & Cornwall Council. With hundreds of acres of park land to discover, as well as 13 formal gardens & the house, you could certainly spend the whole day here. Visitors from Plymouth can enjoy a trip by ferry over the River Tamar (and on our tours, we combine the ferry across the Tamar, Plymouth Sound and landing at the Elizabethan ‘Barbican’.
Caerhays Estate – on the Roseland Peninsula (between St. Austell & Truro); the gardens and woodland at Caerhays open during the spring months only (Feb-mid May). A visit is a must to view their exceptional collection of camellias & rhododendrons, hence their focus on spring opening. The castle itself, dating back over 200 years, is also open to the public during the same period and during the rest of the year, a private retreat for the owners.
Pencarrow House - equidistant from the north & south Cornish coasts, 15 mins north of Bodmin, Pencarrow offers both formal Italian gardens and acres of woodland to explore. This is a beautiful and serene place to visit. With a long season from snow drops in February, to their famed carpets of bluebells & wild garlic in April & early May.. then come autumn the leafs on the trees put on a show of their own. With house tours and also a wonderful garden tea rooms, with wandering peacocks,
Bocconnoc House - located between Liskeard & St. Austell Boconnoc Estate is a true Cornish gem. Dating to 1717 & bought from the proceeds from the sale of the Pitt Diamond, Boconnoc has been home to three British Prime Ministers. With hundreds of acres of gardens & woodland to discover, as well as parkland with a substantial deer herd, there are many opportunity to visit & discover this house, grounds & gardens.
National Trust Properties
As with Cornwall’s independent & privately owned houses & gardens, the National Trust properties give you the best of both worlds with established gardens to visit as well as the historic homes themselves. interiors.
Dotted throughout the county, their locations are ideal to pair together or to make a full day visit.
Anthony House - a beautiful property on the banks for the Tamar River, near Torpoint. Dating to the 18th century & home to the Carew Pole family the beautiful landscaped gardens lawns & parkland have far reaching views over the Tamar and to Bodmin more beyond.
Cothele House - further up the Tamar Valley, Cothele is famed for its spring-time daffodils and then, at Christmas, the dried flowers that adorn the famous garlands. Dating to medieval times, Cothele’s terrace-gardens spill down towards the quayside on the river Tamar with views across to neighbouring Devon.
Lanhydrock House - located in central Cornwall, near Bodmin. With acres of estate, streams, woodland and formal gardens to explore, along with the late Victorian mansion - Lanhydrock is a popular year-round destination for both visitors & locals.
Trerice - near Newquay, the Elizabethan manor with a beautifully maintained gardens to explore. Although the gardens themselves are relatively small, being framed by the beautiful manor house, they are certainly worth a visit.
Trelissick - near Truro, is set on its own Peninsual overlooking the Fal estuary. In addition to the house itself, there are hundreds of acres of park & woodland to discover.
In addition to these country houses, the National Trust have a number of gardens that are worth exploring in their own right, include Glundurgan (near Trebah) Trewaignton (near Penzance) and Godolphin (near Helston).
Unique Garden Experiences
The Lost Gardens of Heligan - divided into three distinct zones, Heligan dates back to the 1200’s and has had an amazing history. During the World Wars, many of the staff served king & country and never returned.. the estate was depleted of workers and so fell into disrepair with natural re-wilding reclaiming much of the gardens. It was was not until 1990 when the gardens were rediscovered and after two-years of restoration, opened to the public on Good Friday 1992… and has been a work in progress since.
With over 200 aces to discover, including produce & formal gardens, acres of woodland and the ‘jungle’ - Heligan is always high on the list to discover.
The Eden Project - probably the most high profile of gardens in Cornwall and internationally renowned. The famous biomes of the Eden Project have been a feature of the Cornish landscape since they opened in May 2000. The two main biomes contain a huge Mediterranean garden and one of the world’s largest indoor rainforests.
This once former china clay pit has been transformed from a barren landscape into a world-class attraction and a centre of excellence for conservation & study too.
Heligan & Eden are both located close to St. Austell in central Cornwall. Cornish Tours can arrange a visit to both in one day, allowing 3 hours in each.
Pinetum - this 30 acre garden, in private ownership, is again located near St. Austell and is home to one of the UK’s largest plant collection. The name comes from it extensive collection of pines and is sub-divided into a number of serene gardens & water features to relax & unwind.. as well as a lake with an abundance of wild birds.
Trebah - this truly is a unique garden which starts on a hillside and spills down a ravine to its own private beach, once used as a staging area for the D-Day landings in World War II. With an amazing collection of hydrangeas, a fabulous tea room & beach cafe, Trebah is located on The Helford, between Falmouth and the Lizard Peninsula.
St. Michael’s Mount - iconic for the castle high on this tidal island, the micro climate of St. Michael’s Mount also has the most amazing collection of succulents, aloes & tulbaghias in, what we refer to, as the ultimate rock garden. The Garden Terraces were designed & laid out in 1878 and are a marvel to walk around, clinging to the steep side of the mount itself.
(Access to St. Michael’s Mount castles & gardes is run as a partnership with the National Trust)
Booking Your Cornish Gardens Tour.
How To Book Your Tour of Cornish Gardens
When you join us on tour of Cornish gardens – we will collect you from your home or holiday accommodation in our 2025 Ford Tourneo custom, which can accommodate up to 7 adults.
If you are a couple and would prefer your tour to be exclusively yours, no problems at all, we are happy to design your Cornish wine tasting tour just for you. You can either opt to reserve one of our Homes & Gardens tours on our website, or we are equally happy to put together a bespoke tour which tie in the best gardens for the time of year, to your own interests.
With so many gardens to discover, we keep the journey times down so you spend as little time as possible on the road, and more in the gardens themselves. You can choose from one of our Homes & Gardens tours, or let us put together something bespoke to you to make the most of the time of year and your own personal interests.
Drop us an email and let us know the ideal dates for your tour; together with type of tour you are interested in (half day, full day or two-day tour). We can combine two or three gardens in a full day tour, including both morning coffee & cake as well as a two-course lunch with wine.
We will come back to you with a couple of suggested itineraries and then, once selected, we will send you an invoice with a payment link for a 50% deposit (you may may on any credit card or via a bank transfer). The balance payment is due 7 days prior to your tour.
On the day of your Cornish gardens tour; we will collect you at the pre-arranged time from your home in our comfortable air-conditioned vehicle.
Email Us Now to start your discovery tour of Cornish gardens.
We look forward to welcoming you on your garden tour of Cornwall soon!