Trebah (Cornwall, England)
I was very excited to visit Trebah. I was familiar with it, having seen it in books and videos. The garden is famous for a ravine of plants, notably hydrangeas, that cascade down to the sea. While the hydrangeas were not in bloom on my visit, there was plenty to see.
Charles and Sarah Fox started the garden in 1831. The Fox family was a dynasty in the shipping business and Charles Fox was associated with the plant hunters who were popular at that time. He brought in many plants to the Trebah garden that flourished in this sub-tropical climate.
The house sits on a hilltop overlooking the garden, who flows down to the Helford River. Charles Fox was a meticulous planner and he carefully positioned every tree and plant. The story goes that he would stand on the balcony with a telescope and radio, and direct men holding placards to determine the placement of plants.
I though the echium at Coleton Fishacre were large but look at these -
In addition to the hydrangeas, Trebah is also known for a massive planting of gunnera-
and huge tree ferns -
as well as a large collection of rhododendrons and camellias -
Trebah passed through a succession of owners during the twentieth century. In 1981, Major Tony Hibbert and his wife Eira purchased Trebah after they retired. They were fascinated by the garden, unaware of its former notoriety. The garden had been neglected so they began redeveloping it and making improvements. They opened it to the public in 1987 and passed ownership to the Trebah Garden Trust in 1990.
More views from the upper garden -
A natural pathway leads down to the river with amazing plants along the way -
At the bottom of the garden and the view back up -
The blue "Mallard Bridge" was added in 2005.
In my next post, we go down the road to the Glendurgan garden that was created by Charles Fox's brother Alfred.
(Visited May 15, 2005)
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