Cornish Autumn Gardens

4 days  | £3250 per person | 10 - 13 September 2024

Cornish Autumn Gardens

A tour of Cornish gardens with Hydrangeas, dahlias and other late-flowering plants stealing the limelight.

Day to day Itinerary

Day 1

The tour sets off at 12.15 from Bodmin Parkway railway station where cars can be left in the car park. After a local lunch we travel on to Trewithen Gardens where some of the Eucryphias and Acers have been awarded Champion Tree status for being the largest of their kind. While some of the Acers will be starting to show their glorious autumn colours, many of the herbaceous plantings will still be in full flower. We travel on down the Roseland peninsula to The Idle Rocks, with time to settle in and explore the picturesque village of St Mawes. We all join for dinner at the hotel.

Day 2

A morning visit just up the road in St Mawes to Lamorran House shows off its gardens in the best possible light. This Italianate inspired garden harbours an unusual range of plants, with particular emphasis on southern hemisphere and subtropical flora. Laid out on many levels, it offers wonderful views out across the water. A special invitation to lunch at Bonython gardens follows. Here a 18^th-century walled garden contains colour-themed herbaceous borders, a traditional potager garden and an orchard of Cornish variety apple trees. A sheltered valley shows off explosions of hot colour from the owner Sue Nathan’s native South African areas with drifts of ornamental grasses, cannas, rudbeckias and proteas. We travel on to view the National Dahlia collection at Kehelland Trust which will be in its absolute prime! Its manager Louise Dancks will take us on a special tour. Return to The Idle Rocks with dinner at the hotel.

Day 3

We start the day at Trebah, a beautiful 26-acre garden, started by Charles and Sarah Fox of the famous Quaker family over 150 years ago. A highlight here will be the Hydrangea Valley with clouds of china blue and soft white blooms. Laid out along a valley, the garden leads right down to its own secluded beach on the Helford River. Next door is our host’s family home Glendurgan where we will enjoy his and his wife Caroline’s generous hospitality over a delicious lunch. The garden at Glendurgan, laid out by Charles’ forebears, has been described as 'small peace [sic] of heaven on earth'. Famous for its huge cherry laurel maze, the garden also sports banana plants and other exotics. We return to The Idle Rocks with dinner at the hotel.

Day 4

Protected by massive trees, parkland and the hills behind, Tregrehan is a sheltered botanical oasis. Home of the Carlyon family, the backbone of the garden today is the planting by Jovey Carlyon who, in the late 19^th-century, planted every new plant that was available at the time, imported from all over the New World. Today another Carlyon descendant, botanist Tom Hudson is taking care of the gardens. He curates a fantastic collection of trees and shrubs while the recently restored, 150-year old greenhouse range harbours a huge range of exotic plants. We finish off with a special lunch at the wonderfully sited Duchy of Cornwall Nursery with its views of the ancient Restormel Castle. Apart from a wide range of high-quality garden products, this nursery hosts a kitchen garden and large flower garden, specifically planted for bees.  We return to Bodmin Parkway railway station for 15.00 in time for the 15.30 London train to Paddington Station.



4-star Idle Rocks Hotel, St. Mawes

Perched perfectly on the rocks, in the most enviable location in the heart of St Mawes, the 18-bedroom Relais & Châteaux hotel boasts a relaxing environment by the sea. Each of the bedrooms is individually designed to reflect the ultimate beauty in waterside comfort & luxury. With an award-winning restaurant, relaxing treatment room and unprecedented south-facing vistas across the water, the environment is calm, and the hospitality is genuine

Tour Price: £3250

Single Supp: £150

Departure Dates:

10 - 13 September 2024

Duration:

3 nights / 4 days

Your Holiday Includes:

• Three nights' at the Idle Rocks Hotel, St. Mawes
• All breakfasts, plus three evening meals and four lunches
• Transportation by private coach throughout the tour
• Services of your Tour Host and Tour Manager
• Detailed programme and garden notes
• Entrance to all sites listed in the programme

Tour Lecturers

Charles Fox

Charles Fox comes from a long line of gardeners who are responsible for the creation of at least three remarkable Cornish gardens: Penjerrick, Trebah and Glendurgan. In the early 1990s Charles qualified twice as a garden designer, at Kew Gardens with Merit. Since that time he has led many garden tours in the south west, and having lived in Cornwall most of his life is well qualified to talk about the county's history. He has written one book about Glendurgan, the property where he and his family now live, and which was given to the National Trust in 1962.

Sophie Piebenga

Born in The Netherlands and based in the Cotswolds, our expert Sophie Piebenga has lived most of her life in the UK. Trained with the National Trust and qualified at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, all whilst working as head gardener of a private estate, Sophie quickly developed a particular interest in the conservation of historic gardens. This eventually led to a doctoral study at the University of York, researching the work of the early Victorian landscape gardener, William Sawrey Gilpin. Sophie has since worked freelance, mostly in the field of historic landscape conservation, and, for the last 25 years, has regularly led Boxwood tours around the UK and to Ireland, France, Spain and The Netherlands..

Hotel: Idle Rocks, St. Mawes

Star Rating: ★★★★☆

Board Basis: Bed & Breakfast, plus evening meals

Travel Information

The price does not include extras at the hotels or travel insurance.

Please note that Boxwood Tours use hotels of character featuring a variety of rooms & styles.