Cornwall's 'wild and magical' secret botanical garden considered among best in the world

Trebah Garden
-Credit:Getty Images


One little-known attraction located in Cornwall is the award-winning Trebah Garden, which should make the a go-to list of anyone paying a visit to the county.

Located in the village of Mawnan Smith, just a few miles south of Falmouth, Trebah Garden is considered among the top 80 gardens in the world.

The dog-friendly garden is home to thousands of tropical plants, with four miles of footpaths taking you through these plants and leaving you feeling far from the English countryside.

This stunning garden is the result of over 180 years of plant cultivation and was opened to the public in 1987, and by 2000, visitor numbers had reached over 105,000.

Trebah Garden
Trebah even has a private beach -Credit:Getty Images

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And it's not just the plants; Trebah is also home to a unique outdoor theatre, a natural spring with a koi pond and waterfalls, and a private beach.

Recommending a visit to Trebah the VisitCornwall website writes: "Mediterranean and southern hemisphere plants intermingle with Trebah’s groves of huge Australian tree ferns and palms.

"A giant plantation of gunnera and clumps of huge bamboo give this garden a unique and exotic wildness matched by no other garden in the British Isles."

The garden can be visited all year round, with different plants flowering at different times, even in winter, when plants from the southern hemisphere come into bloom.

Bamboo in Trebah Gardens
Trebah opened to the public in 1987 -Credit:Getty Images

Visitors to Trebah have left rave reviews on Tripadvisor, with the gardens receiving 2,111 five-star reviews out of a total of 2,673. One wrote: "My second visit about 8 years apart. Still my favourite garden in the UK. Stunning.

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"The trees, ferns, bamboos and other planting, lakes and beach all amazing. Nice cafe at the start and also on the beach. They also sell plants, some of which are grown at Trebah. Well worth a visit."

Another penned: "An amazing variety of trees and plants. Such a stunning walk down to a private beach. Lovely cafe, and shop as well as a plant shop too. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend coming here."

And a third added: "Amazing gardens so peaceful. My tip is to get to the gardens early. The empty beach was wonderful in the morning sun. A fantastic collection of tree ferns and bamboo. Must return in the spring to see the Camellia collection in flower."