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Cornwall's spectacular Eden Project is fast becoming one of the Garden Wonders of the World.Yet beyond Eden, beyond the huge domes and the crowds, the whole of West Cornwall is the original garden paradise, where exotic palm trees, subtropical blooms and exquisite public and private gardens celebrate the kindest climate in Britain.
In West Cornwall even the roadside walls and hedges overflow with vivid wild flowers. Throw in the brilliant Cornish light and life really does take on a genuinely rosy glow. A generous climate helps of course, but experts will tell you that it is the magic combination of all that sunlightand warm air with fertile earth and a priceless heritage of wild and cultivated plants, that makes West Cornwall such a garden paradise.
From Spring, which comes earliest here, onwards the dramatic coastline of West Cornwall is covered with swathes of heady scented semi-wild narcissi and golden daffodils, fluffy pink windswept thrift, powder-blue quill, and snowy white campion. Miles and glorious miles of wild garden at your feet - and it's all free, courtesy of the Cornwall Coastal Footpath, a walker's dream come true. By early June, in woods and on cliff slopes, the ground is carpeted with bluebells, while roadside banks bloom with a riot of sweet, vivid wild flowers.
With nature being so generous, it's no surprise to find that West Cornwall has a priceless legacy of ornamental gardens that reflect the life's work of Victorian and Edwardian estate owners, many of whom funded seed-collecting expeditions to the Himalayas, Burma and Assam. The result is a wealth of magnolias, aloes, camellias and rhododendrons, as well as numerous varieties of palm trees and vivid flowers that often grace a private patch as much as the great public gardens that leave the rest of Britain in the shade. Even the town's and villages of West Cornwall are blessed with beautiful public gardens. Truro has its Victoria Gardens and the adjoining Waterfall Gardens where plants and water create a delightful oasis. In Penzance's Morrab Gardens stroll amidst the palms, myrtles, aloes, camellias and geraniums in the shade of magnolia trees that are over 100 years old.
Falmouth's award-winning Fox-Rosehill Gardens, one of four in the town, is a beautiful subtropical space brimming with exotic shrubs and plants, with a cactus house to add to the appeal.At the hidden heart of seaside St Ives are the immaculate Trewyn Gardens, while the town's lanes and courtyards are awash with the hanging baskets and flower tubs that make St Ives a regular winner of the Britain in Bloom awards.