Trebah Gardens

Trebah, pronounced Tree-ba to clear up any confusion, is Celtic for ‘house on the bay’ but has become synonymous with everything that makes Cornish gardens so admired world wide. Due to Cornwall’s unique weather conditions (i.e. warm, wet, often miserable) an array of exotic and temperate plants and trees not only survive in this part of the UK, but flourish here. Trebah is a real tropical jungle of a garden—there is an almost tangible sense of excitement here. The visitor centre (smart as it is) might as well be a magical wardrobe: walking through the door is like discovering another world, or at least a new continent.

What more could you want? A private secluded beach to laze about on when you’re bored of oohing and ahhing over matters botanical? That’s pretty presumptuous: how many gardens do you think can provide you with that? Well Trebah can for a start. The beach is integral to the garden’s story during the war years—in 1944 a regiment of 7,500 men of the 29 US Infantry Division embarked from it in order to land on Omaha Beach in Normandy for the D-Day assault.

Trebah, called appropriately the garden of dreams, aims to inspire visitors of all ages; catering admirably well for children in particular, with a range of activities to educate and enthuse young minds, as well as a play area. It also has a plant centre, a Gallery Shop and a tempting variety of refreshments on offer at Planters Café – as if you needed any extra encouragement to visit this exotic ravine garden!

Trebah Gardens, Mawnan Smith, Nr. Falmouth, Cornwall. TR11 5JZ

Opening Times:
The Garden is open every day of the year. The shops and Planters Café are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. The Garden opens every day at 10.30am. Last entry is 5pm and the garden closes at 6.30pm.