GARDEN TOURS 2006  -    by Hotel Tresanton, St Mawes, Cornwall, England

Where: Cornwall, England
When:
     Tour 1 - Monday 6th March to Friday 10th March (Best time for Camelias and Magnolias)
     Tour 2 - Monday 3rd April to Friday 7th April (Best time for Rhododendrons and Azaleas)
Tour Guide: Charles Fox
Accomodation: Hotel Tresanton on the Cornish coast, England
Tresanton combines comfort and elegance. All the rooms have magnificent sea views and all have been individually furnished with antiques and Cornish art.
Gardens on the Tour: Glendurgan, Trebah, Penjerrick, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Caerhays Castle, Tregothnan, Lamorran, and a surprise visit to one of Cornwall’s lesser-known gardens.

Booking Details: Hotel Tresanton, St.Mawes, Cornwall, TR2 5DR Tel: 01326 270 055, Fax 01326 270 053, Email: info@tresanton.com Web Site: http://www.tresanton.com

Charles Fox comes from a line of well-known gardeners responsible for the creation of some of Cornwall’s most beautiful gardens.  He was brought up and now lives at Glendurgan, which was given by his family to the National Trust in 1962.

Charles is a qualified garden designer and helped with the design of the garden at the hotel.  His brief guide to the best Cornish gardens is available in every room and he has recently published a book on Glendurgan, which is available to purchase.

Not only is he familiar with the well-known and lesser known gardens – and their owners – but he also has an intimate knowledge of the best routes to take and will combine your garden visits with other interesting information about Cornwall.

Charles is running two gardens tours:

Monday 6^th March to Friday 10^th March 2006
£930 per person for double occupancy
£1,150 per person for single occupancy
Thursday 9^th March
Martin Lane Fox a garden designer who was recently awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour will speak before dinner.

Monday 3^rd April to Friday 7^th April 2006
£1,010 per person for double occupancy
£1,330 per person for single occupancy
Thursday 6^th April
Arabella Lennox-Boyd the well known and respected garden designer will speak before dinner.
All prices include room, breakfast, lunch, dinner, guide, transport, entry fees and after dinner talks

The Cornwall Spring Flower Show is taking place at Boconnoc near Lostwithiel on 1^st and 2^nd April 2006

The week’s itinerary will be:
Monday       Arrive at Hotel Tresanton in the afternoon in time for drinks and meet Charles Fox.  Charles will give a short introductory illustrated lecture on the history of Cornish gardens, with the emphasis on Penjerrick, Trebah and Glendurgan, gardens to be visited on Tuesday.

Tuesday      Drive to Mawnan Smith for a tour of Glendurgan, Trebah and Penjerrick gardens. These gardens are typically Victorian wooded valley gardens with distant views of the sea, and each with its own distinct character. Penjerrick , although perhaps historically and horticulturally the most important, has all the charms of a secret and undiscovered private garden,Trebah has a wealth of facilities and features and is recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society as a Garden of Merit, whilst Glendurgan, although owned and beautifully maintained by the National Trust has all the appearances of a family garden.

Private dinner in the evening with guest speaker Tom Petherick.  Tom Petherick is the author of several gardening books but is perhaps best known for his work with walled gardens and in particular the restoration of the kitchen garden at Heligan.

Wednesday    Visit Heligan gardens and Caerhays.  Heligan is a fine example of how a great estate applied the lost art of husbandry to self-sufficiency – and how this is being resurrected.  You will also see some of the trophies of the plant hunting expeditions of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  Nothing, however can compare with Caerhays, which offers a national collection of magnolias and must be in the spring the nearest thing you can see to a Himalayan hillside.

Thursday    Visit Tregothnan, a magnificent, but less well known garden.  This will cost an extra £35.00 per head, but it is well worth it: followed by a surprise visit to one of Cornwall’s lesser-known gardens.
                                      Thursday 9^th March – Speaker Martin Lane Fox - Read more
                                      Thursday 6^th April – Speaker Arabella Lennox-Boyd  - Read More

Friday                          A visit to the small Mediterranean garden of Lamorran in St Mawes or free time