Trebah - a Journey to the Sea

A Subtropical Valley

Trebah, near Falmouth, is a garden like no other. A ravine falls from the house to the sea, filled with subtropical planting that thrives in Cornwall’s mild climate. Giant gunnera, towering bamboo, tree ferns, and hydrangeas give it a lush, exotic feel, while streams and pools lead the eye downward until the path reaches the Helford River itself.

Victorian Beginnings

The garden was created in the 1830s by Charles Fox, part of a Quaker family whose industrial wealth was matched by horticultural passion. The Foxes were instrumental in shaping Cornish gardening, bringing in plants from across the globe through the networks of Victorian plant hunters. At Trebah, those introductions found a home. Magnolias, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas flourished alongside native species, creating a garden of abundance.

October at Trebah

I visited in October, when hydrangeas still coloured the valley in clouds of blue, turning slowly to mauve. Autumn leaves added gold to the deep evergreen backdrop. The giant gunnera, spectacular all summer, was beginning to collapse, its vast leaves folding into the ground. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth, the sound of water constant as streams flowed to the sea.

This is a garden of contrasts: disciplined at the top, exuberant in the depths. Walking down through its layers feels like entering a series of worlds, each richer and stranger, until you finally emerge on the shingle beach at the Helford.

Wartime Memories

That beach is not only beautiful but poignant. In June 1944, more than 7,000 American troops embarked from here for Normandy. The D-Day memorial at Trebah is simple, but it makes you pause. It is a reminder that even the most peaceful gardens can hold echoes of conflict and courage.

Picture of part of the information board

A Garden Restored

Like many great estates, Trebah declined in the mid-20th century. By the time it was restored in the 1980s, much of the garden was overgrown. Yet the underlying design — the ravine, the water, the planting structure — was strong enough to recover. Today, managed by a charitable trust, Trebah is again among Cornwall’s finest gardens, offering beauty in every season.