This May Bank Holiday head to Pinetum Gardens in St Austell Cornwall to discover two fascinating garden trails. Explore the 30-acres of carefully curated gardens and marvel at 6,000 different plants which include native and exotic species all flourishing on the Cornish Riviera.
New for spring is the Hidden Gardeners Trail – celebrating the natural world's 'hidden gardeners' the sculptural trail feature giant metal recreations of creatures which are essential to garden life.
Visitors can spot these brilliant beasts, which include a bat, bee, beetle, spider, dragonfly and a snail all made out of shaped steel as they walk around the Park. Set into the natural landscape the Hidden Gardeners Trail is perfect for all the family, including the dog, to enjoy over the bank holiday weekend.
Visitors can also take The Soul Bird Trail as they wander around the gardens. Adapted from the enchanting book, first published in Hebrew, by Michal Snunit the trail leads you from the Secret Garden out and beyond the Pinetum to the Soul Bird Hideaway.
Find a series of cabinets artfully located within the flora and fauna of the park which invite you to open drawers and discover poetic phrases, insightful inspiration and thoughts taken from the book. Finish the Trail in the Soul Bird Hideaway and share your thoughts and feelings. Engaging and inspiring on a variety of levels all the family will enjoy the spiritual tour, experiencing the tranquillity of the gardens as well as meeting the wildlife within them.
Separated in to 10 different themed areas, visitors can explore the famous Pinetum which features 80 varieties of conifer including the giant redwood from America which can reach up to 90 metres in height.
Other highlights include the Japanese Garden, inspired by visits to the botanical gardens in Kyoto, the Water Garden, with its giant gunnera, the Woodland Garden, with its bluebells, camellias and rhododendrons, and the traditional Cornish Cottage Garden complete with water features and colourful flowers.
Both trails are free to enjoy.
