Garden Gear

Visiting gardens is a year-round activity; so don’t come expecting balmy weather in every season just because you’re visiting paradise. Prepare yourself for the type of garden and the time of year, and make the most out of a day out in the arms of nature.

Whatever the weather, pack a cagoule so you don’t have to shy from the showers, and don your boots so you are prepared for muddy trails. Remember that you will be outdoors for the duration of your experience, so dress appropriately and have extra layers or sun cream at hand according to the season. At the likes of the Eden Project you don’t need to bring much at all as you get spoon-fed on sight and can head for the humid biomes and indoor cafés to warm-up. But at the likes of Bosvigo and Bosahan, exotic species survive in less than tropical climes, and you’ll have to as well.

With all this gardening, wandering and having your senses blown to smithereens by shards of incredible colours, aren’t you getting hungry? Exploring gardens rapidly builds up an appetite, so make sure you have plans to fill hungry tums en route. Plenty of the gardens have tearooms and cafes where you can source a cuppa and a wedge of homemade cake, or in the case of Lanhydrock and St Michaels Mount, to name just a couple, you can tuck-in to gourmet restaurant dishes.

Part of the joy of the gardens is to spend the duration of your visit in the great outdoors, so why not pack a picnic, relax under a lush canopy of trees and shrubs, and indulge in an alfresco lunch in your own private paradise?