Discover our subtropical gardens in St Ives
Our gardens
We’ve become pretty well-known around these parts for our sea views, top-notch facilities, and knack for knowing what makes a great holiday. But something which stands out for a lot of our guests is our subtropical gardens. And although they may look over 100 years old, they’re actually a lot younger than you think.
How did our garden grow?
You’d be forgiven for thinking our subtropical walled garden dates back to the days when Tregenna was a family home and farm estate. However, when our current owner bought the castle and grounds over 20 years ago, it was merely a run-down flower and vegetable garden that lay behind those 18th-century stone walls.
The first thing he did when he acquired Tregenna was commission local architects, Poynton & Bradbury, to draw up a master plan for the whole estate. They, in turn, asked local landscape architect, John Moreland (three times Chelsea Show Garden Gold medalist), to be part of the design team. John suggested the idea of creating a subtropical garden in the old walled garden area (which, at the time, was ear-marked for self-catering units). The owner said “Yes, we’ll move the units elsewhere. Draw up a plan and get on with it!”
As the garden grew, the walled garden became a little more 'wild' and it was determined that some species of plants/weeds needed removing in order to preserve the the beauty of the 'sub-tropical' element. In 2023, Tregenna sought the expertise once more of John Moreland and reached out to Mike Nelhams Curator of the famous Tresco Gardens on the Isles of Scilly to guide the team to re-establish and plant the 'right' kind of sub-tropical plants suitable to thrive in our sea-side and mild climate.
The knowledge and expertise of Mike Nelhams was second to none and with a wide range of incredible plants, trees, shrubs and cacti sourced from Hayle Garden Nurseries, the Walled Garden is reaching its former glory once more.
Before
The west bank at Tregenna overlooking the stunning St Ives Bay.
After
After lots of dedicated time, the west bank now.
Before
The Trelawney Suite front entrance.
After
The perfect landscaped bank outside the Trelawney Suite entrance.
Before
The subtropical walled garden before planting.
During
The subtropical gardens during landscaping.
Before
The beautiful subtropical garden now.
During
The beautiful subtropical garden now.
