Trewoofe House

Venture to the far western tip of Cornwall and discover wet and wild beauty crammed into just two tiny acres.

Explore a historical garden perched at the top of the rugged Lamorna Valley. Trewoofe was first planted in 1913, when Charles and Ella Naper - two artists who came to join the Lamorna Art Colony - purchased three small Cornish meadows edged with sycamores. Inspired by their surroundings and keen to meld their passions of art and gardens, the Naper's enlarged the ancient leat that runs through the garden on its way to Clapper Mill, and created a pond. They then planted gardens around the house, leasing the rest for growing flowers to be sold at the markets.

Ella Naper's niece began planting the present gardens in 1975, and has utilised the leat to create an extensive bog garden where many moisture-loving plants flourish. Look along its banks and you will find all sorts of varieties of iris, primulas, astillbes and arums. Now the garden is split into two levels bisected by the leat, that you can cross via two little foot bridges to get a closer look at the series of rock beds created on reclaimed granite islands.

Even in such a tiny patch there is plenty more to see, from the sprawling collections of hostas, hellebores and euphorbias, to a variety of perennials from Australasia, South African bulbs, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Wander through the small fruit garden where apple and pear trees have fared better than the diminishing vegetable garden, or relax in the shade of the eucalyptus, ginko, silver birch and parrotia trees.

Being exposed to salt-laden gales makes gardening here a challenge over winter, but despite this, Trewoofe flaunts a stunning year-round example of what is small is beautiful.