![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-DUOHSY.jpeg)
I remember when we first went to Cornwall and visited some of the exotic plant nurseries there, a nurseryman noted my penchance for southern hemisphere plants, woodland perennials, and high altitude new Asian introductions. He recommended that we visit the garden of Tregrehan and that we'd 'love it' for its atmosphere and the sort of planting that they have. It took us awhile to follow his recommendation but when we eventually did, we never looked back.
The Walled Garden with a row of glasshouses to one side
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-qQoOrW.jpeg)
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The gate between the Walled Garden and the Woodland Glade, a promise of more things to see...
Tregrehan is a 20 acre woodland garden rich in exotic plants from temperate regions. The estate has been the home of the Carlyon family since 1565, a family with a heritage of horticultural interests. The garden contains various exotic plants introduced by members of the Carlyon family through the years, as well as other plant hunters since the early 19th century. Today it is the home of Tom Hudson and his family, the latest descendant of the Carlyon family to take over the estate, and himself a well respected plant hunter continuing the long botanical heritage of both the family and the garden.![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-1pCyXI.jpeg)
Tregrehan is open to the public a few days a week for most of the year, and only once a week during the summer months. It is listed too in the Gardens of Cornwall guide and participates in the Gardener's World Magazine's 2 for 1 offer. Despite this, it is still a relatively obscure garden and is rarely mentioned amongst the top garden attractions of Cornwall. But that is how they want it, keeping their publicity muted and relying on word of mouth and recommendations to attract a steady stream of visitors. In a way it's also a means to maintaining the serene atmosphere of the garden which could be disrupted if it attracted droves of visitors in any one point (like some of the more popular Cornish gardens).
Afterall,it is still in essence a private garden, albeit on a colossal scale.
The staffing of the garden is kept to a minimum, with most of the maintenance done by Tom Hudson himself, as well as his head gardener, a few volunteers, and immediate members of his family. Despite the minimum manpower, the garden is immaculate for its type, which is also a hint of the balance that the garden has already achieved through hundreds of years of care.
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-etNuFL.jpeg)
The Yew Walk
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-RfElBE.jpeg)
Rows of self sown Dicksonia antarcticas near the hidden seating area...
We were fortunate enough to have met him and he has graciously shown us some of his private collection of plants, most of which, if not all were collected from his own plant hunting expeditions; as well as a behind the scenes tour of his glasshouses. So many treasures, so many beautiful plants collected by him from temperate regions of Asia and the southern hemisphere.![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-sRuvv8.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-BiKwiD.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-kxvbzF.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-GGv0ws.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-YEJTjW.jpeg)
Tetrastigma rumicispermum
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-Up7JDG.jpeg)
But those were just the tip of the iceberg and plant treasures are plenty abound, planted out in the garden and ready to be enjoyed by anyone who visits the place.
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-4JqIWA.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-xpIx5a.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-UknWD1.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-pVlejQ.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-MghHYu.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-H4dSb7.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-6Q47Jc.jpeg)
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-pDYyyw.jpeg)
Schefflera species
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Schefflera rhododendrifolia growing against a house wall
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-rDXxCN.jpeg)
Schefflera taiwaniana
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-D1lmrA.jpeg)
Schefflera taiwaniana with Gaz for scale
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-QGcfG5.jpeg)
Schefflera species
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-dxqJ87.jpeg)
Schefflera species
Possibly the tallest Schefflera in the UK? If not then it certainly is the tallest I've ever seen growing in the UK! The photo below still betrays the true scale of this specimen. It is very tall, easily reaching a height of 40 to 50 feet and we found it difficult to look for a place to be able to photograph this plant in it's entirety. So we took it in three sections and pieced together later on. So given their ideal conditions, some Scheffleras can attain majestic heights too in Northern Europe.![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-8YrDU3.jpeg)
Schefflera species
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-B60dab.jpeg)
And the garden has loads of Fatsia poycarpas too
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-y4z05T.jpeg)
Fatsia polycarpa leaf
Apart from the Scheffleras and various other araliads the garden is full of other wonderful and unique plants of exotic origins, most of which are rare and not easily found anywhere else in the UK. The following plants especially caught our eye:![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-7W98Te.jpeg)
Rhododendron protistum
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-q4uMhM.jpeg)
Acer wardii
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-OCwR5w.jpeg)
Dracophyllum traversii
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-4aaTjF.jpeg)
Puya chilensis, one of the very few xerophytes thriving in the woodland
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-dS_i6l.jpeg)
Magnolia macrophylla leaf
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-qaQMCP.jpeg)
Cornus omeiense - I love the habit and grace of this plant and definitely on our wishlist. It has the look the of a Ficus benjamina which is a common houseplant and too tender to be grown outside in the UK. But for gardeners like us looking for hardier substitutes for that exotic look then this is perfect.
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-a3eoeZ.jpeg)
Aesculus wilsonii
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-xKtyqq.jpeg)
Alangium platanifolium
![The Treasures of Tregrehan The Treasures of Tregrehan](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/15/158020/the-treasures-of-tregrehan-L-nCUoi4.jpeg)
Quercus skinneri - a gorgeous oak with unusual leaves and attractive colours to the new leaves. Another plant I would like to to have soon
No doubt we will be back again soon, to enjoy the wonderful plant treasures of Tregrehan, and enjoy the serene and ethereal atmosphere of this great garden.Mark
Tregrehan Garden