Glendurgan Gardens

Mawnan Smith, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 5JZ Tel: 01326 250906

Directions: Glendurgan Garden is 4 miles south west of Falmouth and 0.5 miles south west of Mawnan Smith.

Set in a wooded valley dropping steeply to the hamlet of Durgan on the shore of the beautiful Helford estuary, Glendurgan is one of the great subtropical gardens of the South West. Exotic trees and shrubs flourish amidst open glades carpeted with wild flowers.

Glendurgan began its life as a private garden nearly in 1820's by Alfred Fox. His descendants continued in the work that Alfred began; handing over to the National Trust in 1962. The garden is set in a sheltered spot off the Helford River in Cornwall; extending through four valleys below the family home built by Alfred Fox. The warm microclimate of the area enables the garden to support a wide range of exotic trees and shrubs. During the spring camellias, azaleas, magnolias and wild flowers grow in colourful profusion throughout the garden, with Hydrangeas, aquilegias and foxgloves coming into flower during the summer months. Glendurgan's famous laurel maze of 1833 and Giant's stride are two key features of the garden that are particularly popular with children.

The Fox family steadily increased the scope of the garden at Glendurgan, importing numerous new and exotic species over the decades, until, the garden was handed over to the National Trust to preserve this national treasure for future generations. The garden is at its best in the springtime, when, like so many of the spectacular Cornish Gardens, the camellias and rhododendrons are in full bloom; their colourful petals contrasting sharply against their backdrop of deep green leaves, in a vista framed by tropical palm trees, tree ferns and bamboo. The paths and trails are subtly accented with colourful woodland plants, as the primroses and blue bells burst through to form their attractive floral carpets. The summer months bring the gardens 'rain forest glen' into perfection. A kaleidoscope of foliage creating a vibrant mixture of green hues in an almost primeval setting; the enormous growth of the tropical palms and ferns acting as sentinels in a world that could have existed at the start of time.

This is a garden where you wander down trails through stands of English deciduous trees such as oak, lime,sycamore and beech; then into a semitropical zone with its exotic palms, tree ferns and sun lit clearings with exotic ponds. A stroll through the lush growth at Glendurgan will eventually bring you to Glendurgan's maze of laurel, planted in 1833. The grounds at Glendurgan hold a myriad of subtropical valleys, where enchanting trails gradually reveal this 25 acre garden of delights; like the Cherry Orchard, Camellia Walk and the Valley Head.