A Flavour of The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

We hadn't been for a while, so thought a visit to Cornwall's Lost Gardens of Heligan was due. 

As we walked I snapped a few photos to give a flavour of the gardens. Apples are beginning to show above and below vegetables are growing (or will grow) under glass.

An abundance of flowers in the next few photos.

A couple of water lilies ...

... and back to other flowers.

Moving into the Sundial Garden with its original red brick walls.

Heligan isn't just flowers the various gardens stretch over 200 acres so there is plenty of open space

Moving on to the Lost Valley and the Jungle. The leaves get a lot bigger!

 We sat in the cool for a while by a pond.

A robin came to say hello by the water. Some say the birds can be messengers from beyond the grave. A bit fanciful, no doubt, but it would have been my mother's birthday - and she loved robins.

More large leaves as we make our way towards the exit homeward bound.

That's all for The Lost Gardens of Heligan for today: sometimes described as 200 acres of garden history, mystery and, perhaps, romance.

I'll finish off today's post with a few flowers from my own garden.

Thanks for visiting my blog. All good wishes ~ Mike.

Visiting The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Here we are wandering in the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall. I snapped a few photos as we walked through the estate. The mature rhododendrons are somthing special at this time of year. As I understand it they were raised from seed, by plant hunters, sometime during 1847-1851.

The gardens were first developed between 1829-51. They then got 'lost' however, during the first world war.

Heligan House was used for convalescence during 1916-19 for officers of course!

In the second world war American troops used Heligan House as a base.

Anyway, what's important now are the plants and flowers.

The Heligan Estate stretches over 200 acres, so there should be plenty of elbow room for everyone.

A couple of tulip photos.

Moving on there are usually farm animals wandering about in various enclosures - here's a couple of goats ...

... and some sheep.

Moving on once more, looking across the estate. The fishing village of Mevagissey can be seen in the distance from some view points.

Leaving the formal gardens we moved on towards the Jungle.

There isn't a fixed way to see the Lost Gardens of Heligan. You can take various routes. A map is provided.

Here we are - something hairy. Quite harmless though!

Oh yes, and there's a wobbly rope bridge to get from one side of the valley to the other. Children love it! Though there is an alternative route for those not so steady on their pins.

A pleasant setting for a rest perhaps.

A few jungle photos follow.

Back to the real world, cows being nosey.

We made our way back through the woods to the Lost Gardens of Heligan exit, after a very pleasant walk.

That's all for today, many thanks for visiting my blog. Have a happy week ahead ~ Mike.


A couple of other Heligan posts:

(1) The Lost Gardens of Heligan: 18 Photos of Farm Animals, Plants and Jungle

 (2) Lost Gardens of Heligan - Voted UKs Top Visitor Garden

Walking At The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Despite the above sign we visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan during the day. Generally speaking outdoor gardens aren't at their best in winter but we found some (strange) bits of interest.

There were a few flowers, as can be seen below. I snapped a few quick photos as we walked.

For a moment, when I spotted this hare, I thought it must be Spring - but the chill in the air soon persuaded me otherwise.

Diggory, the scarecrow, looked quite alone in the vegetable garden, but he had some gloves, a scarf and a hat to protect himself from the cold.

Ah, a few flowers in the Italian Garden and ...

... a very large frog or maybe a toad.

Moving on there was a pleasant tree with beehives in the background

The Sundial Garden was, unfortunately, closed but there were some very large 'flowers' as a consoltation.

Next we came across this beauty alongside the old brick wall.

Moving on to some friendly donkeys.

No other animals about, probably because of the weather ...

... though a few sheep were enjoying the green grass.

A large tree indicated that we were near the Lost Valley and Heligan's jungle.

Lots of greenery to be seen - near and far.

The jungle resides within a steep sided valley and has it's own microclimate. I believe the temperature is about five degrees milder than the other surrounding gardens within Heligan.

We came across some colourful flowers.

All looked brighter, with a pond and a pleasant place to sit

The next photos show the reflections of the surrounding trees in the water.

More reflections and plants. Some of the plants date back to Victorian times, when plant hunters brought back specimans from overseas.

Yet more ferns and plants.

A last glance at the edge of the jungle before we leave to make our way back home.

Have to be quiet though - so we don't awaken the Mud Maid from her slumbers.

I have only included a few of Heligan's gardens. I'd also better add that the novelty items like the hare and the large frog are part of a winter light display and are now being removed. I have written several posts on Heligan including a summer post with lots of photos see:

Lost Gardens of Heligan - Voted UKs Top Visitor Garden 

Well, that's all for this week, hope you are enjoying 2022. Good wishes ~ Mike.