If you garden you soon come to realise that you are trying to keep control of a force far greater than you, or any number of gardeners, turn your back on your plot and it will revert to a path of its own. Nature will reclaim.
In the benign climate of Cornwall the gardens of Heligan, went there own way, like so many gardens of the ‘big house’ after WWI, when the carnage of war wiped out a generation of men, who worked the pleasure grounds and productive gardens. Heligan house was sold, but the land was not. This has resulted in a time capsule.
Hop on over to the website for the story of how this magical place was rediscovered, or better still read Tim Smit’s book, I really enjoyed it, Smit, Rob Poole and John Nelson’s drive and determination to restore the gardens was both epic and obsessive! You can only start to imagine how overgrown it must have been.
We were there before the crowds, Spud the dog was welcome on a lead, we headed down into the jungle. Full of tree ferns, palms and tropical plants, gathered with such vigour by the Victorian plant hunters; we swung by the Burmese rope bridge. Spud wasn’t allowed on here ( and we know just how much a dogs leg can cost to repair). Spud had to sit on the bank and admire his masters aura, from afar.
Cornwall’s gardens are famed for their camellia and azalea.
There were beautiful woodland walks, listen to the birdsong
As well as the time capsule of the old, their was the new, with sculpture and art, you can’t keep a good plant down.
My favourite part was the productive gardens, there you can really get a feel for the people who worked here. I just love the anemones in this image, got to be one of my favourite flowers.
But it wasn’t just fruit veg and flowers, these are bee boles
I had plant pot envy.
The head gardeners bothy
The curved shadow are from the distinctively shaped panes of glass
The magnificent pineapple frames, heated by horse muck.
Rare, exotic and hard to grow, Pineapples were a symbol of great status and wealth in Victorian times. A pineapple on your dining table meant you were a person of discernment, style and affluence.
We believe that we have the only working, manure-heated pineapple pit in Britain today. It was unearthed in 1991 and architectural and horticultural historians spent many months researching the history of its construction and technology. The first structure here was probably built in the eighteenth century.
I loved this green house, its light, warmth and scent, and because it reminded me of the painting by Eric Ravilious
The poignancy of the effects of WWI on the Heligan gardens if perhaps best capture, by the Thunderbox room (the toilet) written on its white washed walls ‘Do not come here to sleep or slumber’ and a list of signatures and a date 1914.
When the guns fell silent so did the gardens.
Take a tour of the lost gardens of Heligan
Uphilldowndale 
What a wonderful place. I have always wanted to see the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Thank you for your photos and the video. It is now definitely on our visit list.
I was bewitched by it! Would be lovely to visit at different times of the year.
Thanks for taking us along on the visit. Wonderful to see.
A most enjoyable post and wonderful pictures. This is one of my favourite gardens and I used to go there whenever I stayed with relatives at Truro, and first went there before it opened to the public.
I think that I’d stay with Spud as I don’t fancy walking across the rope bridge. I’d love to grow pineapples on my plot! xx
It must have been wonderful to see the garden emerging from its slumber…
It certainly was, and to see it at various times of the year. Incidentally did you mean to to write ‘Devon gardens…’ rather than Cornwall ? xx
Thank you Flighty, I think I’d better edit that mistake before I get in trouble 🙂
impressive
gardens 🙂
Such a beautiful lost garden preserved for all to see. I am very intrigued by the bee boles. I have not seen anything quite like them. Thank you for including all the links.
That troll was a wonderful surprise.
What a wonderful place. Fighting against nature’s impulse to overtake anything in her path is quite a job for anyone, as this place clearly shows. I’m so glad you were able to visit, and share the place. Our native anemones are quite different from these, but I once had a pitcher with this sort on it. Now I’m wondering what happened to it. I have no idea…
They are probably the earliest flower I can remember, in a jug in the hall window, I used to kneel on the chair to smell them, today they only seem to have any scent when they are just about to collapse from exhaustion.
My absolute favourite gardens – your pictures are lovey and really capture the spirit of the place
Thank you.
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