From a base near Falmouth at Hotel Meudon, you can explore a plethora of great gardens within an hour and a half’s drive. The hotel itself is set in nine acres of glorious gardens that snake down a beautiful valley towards the sea. The house was owned by the wealthy Fox family in the 19th century - who also owned nearby Trebah and Glendurgan. Howard Fox, a Falmouth shipping agent, teamed up with the MP and banker Edmund Backhouse to sponsor plant hunting exhibitions abroad, and as a consequence each of these gardens is stuffed full of rare and exotic plants that thrive in the mild climate here. Look out for the 10-metre tall specimen of Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata and the stunning foxglove tree, Paulownia tomentosa, whose pale lilac flowers adorn the tree in May.
Trebah is only two miles from Hotel Meudon, and this 26 acre garden is a treat, with an entire valley of rhododendrons including specimens that are over 140 years old. Early spring narcissus bloom in the secluded Chilean coomb, where you will find the stunning Chilean Lantern Tree and a huge monkey puzzle, a species discovered by William Lobb. With over four miles of footpaths to explore, you could easily spend an entire day here, with lunch in the Trebah kitchen. You can choose to stay here too, in the newly refurbished Trebah Lodge, a self-catering cottage sleeping four. The garden is open daily 9.30 am-5 pm.
An hour’s drive northeast from Trebah will bring you to the Lost Gardens of Heligan near St Austell. Three decades ago these extensive gardens were famously uncovered from a sea of brambles and brought back to life. With original design features and planting from the late 19th century, the garden features a national collection of camellias and rhododendrons, with more than 70 veteran camellias and 350 rhododendrons. The earliest planting is a Camellia japonica ‘Alba Plena’ which dates back to 1792. There is also a fantastic productive garden with restored glasshouses, flower garden and melon yard where you can learn about the traditional Victorian methods of kitchen gardening. Heligan is open daily 10 am-5 pm.
Heading west from Hotel Meudon, you could visit the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens near Penzance. This dramatic valley garden overlooking St Michael’s Mount is home to over 40 works of art by renowned contemporary artists such as David Nash and Richard Long, displayed among beautiful exotic planting. The sheltered microclimate here makes it possible to grow a wide variety of sub-tropical and tender plants, with a leaning towards bold, sculptural form to complement the sculpture. There is also an art gallery here as well as a shop and restaurant. Tremenheere is open daily 10.30 am-5.30 pm; gallery open Tuesday to Saturday 11 am-4 pm.
Ten miles further south from Tremenheere is the garden of Chygurno, featured in the October 2024 issue of House & Garden. This spectacular three-acre private garden has been lovingly created over more than 25 years. Set out on a series of terraces that spill down a steep and dramatic cliff edge, it contains an interesting array of southern hemisphere shrubs and exotics that border the zig-zagging paths. With plenty of benches to take advantage of the wonderful views over Lamorna Cove, the terraces descend to meet the sheltered woodland below, where tree ferns are displayed against dramatic granite outcrops. Chygurno is open Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 2-5 pm, April to October.
