Cornwall

Some great ideas here but The Hidden Valley website says it is closed until March

You completely missed Antony Woodland Garden near Torpoint again. It&#8217;s such a delightful hidden gem on the Rame Peninsula and the Camellias and snowdrops in the woodlands are quite magical too!

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Shorts and sandals at the ready, spring is here. Er, okay maybe not, but the snowdrops are! If you’ve thawed out enough to venture outside and see them, here are the best snowdrop hotspots in your ‘hood and beyond.



Did you know that the scientific name for snowdrops is Galanthus which means milk flower? Or that there are literally thousands of different species and variety of snowdrops? They naturally deal with frost, snow and ice and are often the very first sign of spring, peeking out of woodland floors and along Cornish hedges and lanes.



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If you&#8217;re just after spying one or two, then why not create your very own snowdrop walk in Cornwall. Your own nearest local walks are bound to come up trumps and there are loads of secret spots of carpets of snowdrops in Cornwall just waiting to be discovered. Over the past few days we&#8217;ve enjoyed seeing one, then a few, then a dozen appearing from the verges of the lanes and along the stream edges and woodland floors.



OPEN NOW



There are of course places where you&#8217;re guaranteed to a magnificent display &#8211; these are some of Cornwall&#8217;s best, and open now.



<a href="https://www.pinetumgardens.com/woodland-garden/">Pinetum Gardens</a>&nbsp;(St Austell)



Among the&nbsp;30 acres of beautiful&nbsp;gardensat family-owned Pinetum you&#8217;ll find the Woodland Gardens embracing the approach road to the main garden and which is planted with thousands of snowdrops, creating a gorgeous white carpet &#8211; if you&#8217;re not a member, you&#8217;ll need to book online in advance.



<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele/features/winter-in-coteheles-garden">Cotehele&nbsp;</a>(Saltash)



Look out for snowdrops in the Upper Gardens and orchards at medieval Cotehele, deep in the Tamar Valley. We recommend starting at the Quay and then spend a few hours exploring the extensive and expansive estate which takes in fields, woodlands and glorious views (the house is closed until March).



<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/trelissick/">Trelissik (Truro)</a>



The mild maritime climate at Trelissick means the early flowering rhododendrons and camellias bring colour to the garden with the borders scattered with hellebores, cyclamen and snowdrops. After you&#8217;ve explored the more formal gardens head down through the fields and woodland to the beach on the river Fal which is gloriously peaceful, or sit at the top of the garden and look out over the deep river anchorage towards the Roseland (the house is closed currently).



<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock/features/signs-of-spring-in-lanhydrocks-garden">Lanhydrock</a> (Bodmin)



Tired of National Trust properties yet? No, us neither. This Victorian house and estate at Lanhydrock, near to Bodmin, has absolutely beautiful woodlands to walk and cycle in &#8211; the house is closed until March. Unlike a lot of Cornwall&#8217;s gardens, it is nowhere near the coast which gives it a totally different feel, where the woodland floor is carpeted first with snowdrops then bluebells later in the year. 



<a href="https://www.heligan.com/">Lost Gardens of Heligan</a> (St Austell)



A year-round favourite, the gardens at Heligan always have something of interest. In late Jan and early Feb the snowdrops are coming out on the woodland walks, to be replaced by carpets of daffodils in the coming weeks. Join in with the bird count in the bird hide this weekend, as well as see pineapples in bloom in the kitchen garden, anemones in the walled garden and&nbsp;get some inspiration for your own garden in&nbsp;the potting shed of dreams and glasshouses.



<a aria-label="St Nectan's Glen (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.facebook.com/stnectansglen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Nectan&#8217;s Glen</a> (Nr Tintagel)



Another year-round option, St Nectan&#8217;s Glen is soothing and peaceful, with magical walks through the woodland to the waterfalls.



<a href="https://www.trebahgarden.co.uk/flowers/snowdrop">Trebah</a>, Mawnan Smith, Nr Falmouth



On the banks of the Helford, this sub-tropical garden leading down to a private beach is open Saturday to Wednesday&nbsp;from 10am and closed on Thursdays and Fridays. Spot the snowdrops in the woodland areas.



FROM FEBRUARY



<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/trengwainton-garden">Trengwainton Gardens </a>(Penzance) 



Spring comes early to this corner of West Cornwall, so expect to find a good amount of blooms when this exotic Cornish garden and historic house re-opens on 11 February. Find snowdrops nestled at the base of the trees lining the Drive and Long Walk as well as camellias and magnolias. 



<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/glendurgan-garden/features/when-the-garden-re-opens">Glendurgan</a> (Mawnan Smith, Falmouth)



You&#8217;ll get more than just snowdrops when this sub-tropical valley garden and horticultural hotspot re-opens for 2024 on 10 February. Expect primroses and violets under the trees, interspersed shortly after by a mixture of jewel-coloured aquilegias and wild orchids and then bluebells galore. The camellias and magnolias are particularly spectacular as you wind your way down the valley to the beach on the edge of the Helford River. 



<a href="https://www.pencarrow.co.uk/news-and-events/">Pencarrow House </a>(Wadebridge)



It’s snowdrops in abundance over at Pencarrow House with the white bloomer springing up across the site’s fifty acres. This Georgian pile is the family home of the Molesworth-St Aubyns and the season really gets going with the first of the wild garlic when the gardens properly open in March, with the bluebells following. Each year the gardens run charity &#8216;<a href="https://www.pencarrow.co.uk/events/snowdrop-weekend-10th-11th-february/">Snowdrop Weekend</a>&#8216; when for £5 (donated to charity) visitors can visit the snowdrops &#8211; this years is on 10/11 Feb 2023.



<a aria-label="Festival of Snowdrops (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor/viewevent?EFID=1325&amp;ESRC=CMS" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Festival of Snowdrops</a>, RHS Rosemoor (Devon)



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Just over the border from North Cornwall, families can follow the snowdrop trail to find the best displays of these beautiful flowers in the garden, and also take part in our photographic competition en route. It is the perfect time to visit the garden for both expert galanthophiles and visitors who simply appreciate these shy but stunning early-spring flowers. 1-11 Feb 2024.



<a aria-label="Tregoose Gardens (opens in a new tab)" href="https://tregoose.co.uk/our-gardens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tregoose Gardens</a> (Grampound)



Between November and March some 70 varieties of snowdrop flower in the garden at Tregoose. Many of these are planted in the woodland garden, along with numerous dwarf daffodil cultivars and erythroniums, where they flourish beneath Monterey pines and cypresses, dracaenas, deciduous azaleas and the white July-scented rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a aria-label="Antony Woodland Gardens (opens in a new tab)" style="font-weight: bold" href="https://www.antonywoodlandgarden.com/visiting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antony Woodland Gardens</a> (Torpoint)



Next door to National Trust property, Antony House and its formal garden is Antony Woodland Gardens &#8211; a magical 100 acres of ancient woodland in South East Cornwall by the River Lynher, just near to Plymouth (but on the Cornwall side).



FROM MARCH



<a href="https://www.hiddenvalleygardens.co.uk/the-gardens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Hidden Valley Gardens (opens in a new tab)">Hidden Valley Gardens</a>, Treesmill (nr Fowey)



This award winning and RHS Partner Garden is nestled in a secluded hidden valley near Fowey and spans over three acres &#8211; re-opens on 20 March.

Snowdrops everywhere! Where to find them in Cornwall

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