Located in a somewhat secret and secluded valley just south of Lostwithiel, the Hidden Valley Gardens is an intimate three-acre award-winning garden and specialist plant nursery.
Considered to be the most colourful summer flowering garden in Cornwall it is certainly one to put on your list for this summer.
It may be small at three acres but size certainly doesn’t limit the number of diverse species on display in this stunning garden.
The garden itself is relatively flat and easy to navigate with many different themes. There are 26 labeled beds including a mediterranean area, colourful herbaceous borders and cottage garden beds, a hot border, iris garden, orchard style planting, a primrose garden, a wet garden, a fern bed and a spring garden with snow drops and hellebores.
They are all full of colour from early season to late autumn and are at their most vibrant at the height of summer.
There’s a substantial pond area where you can watch the dragon and damsel flies dance over the water, and peer at the bog planting scheme whilst sat on the bench under the shade of the tree.
The recently added orchard allows you to journey through the fruiting seasons and even pick your own strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants and tay berries.
At the end of your visit there is a small cabin where you can put the kettle on and help yourself to a tea and coffee. A warm beverage is included in each ticket but you are asked to clean up after yourself by washing your cups in the sink there.
There is often a small selection of home baked cakes which are paid for by honesty box.
If the vibrant colours on display have left you feeling inspired to create your own hidden garden they have their own small nursery which has both unusual and traditional plant species.
They have all been propagated on site with many of them grown from seeds that have been collected in the garden.
The garden has been featured in a number of books and magazines including the RHS Garden Magazine. It has also won Cornwall Tourism Awards as both a ‘garden’ and a “wildlife friendly’ location.
Last year it also scooped RHS Partner Garden of The Year 2021 and Regional Winner (South West and Wales) as one of the best places to stay with garden (The Times).
Dogs on leads are welcome with well behaved owners. Entry is £7.50 per person and children are free. Open daily from: 20th March – 15th October 10.00 am – 6.00 pm (on Tuesday or Wednesday (some grass cutting, maintenance may take place).
The garden is now open seven days a week and your ticket will gain you entry again within the same year so you can watch the colour of the gardens change throughout the seasons. There are special openings for the snowdrops in early February.
Stepping back in time to wander pretty streets
Exploring a beautiful part of Cornwall by boat
