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Open Gardens 2021 Introduction by George Kestell

40 years ago Enid Dalton-White MBE, one of the pioneers who ensured the vision of a hospice for Cornwall, invited visitors to the grounds of her home in Polruan to raise vital funds to build Mount Edgcumbe Hospice. She set a trend that continues today through our Open Gardens scheme, now in its 9th year.

A long-standing supporter of the charity and the Open Gardens campaign is Cornish gardener, George Kestell;

As I look out of the office window across my own garden, I see the range of Hellebores, Camellias and Snowdrops all set off by the dark purple of the Pittosporum. These winter flowers keep me going through the tough times. Lately everyone has been affected by the Coronavirus crisis, lockdown has been difficult for many, but these winter gems have been a source of delight.

Unfortunately, charities like Cornwall Hospice Care are struggling, beds are under threat as their shops have been closed and there have been limited fundraising opportunities. However, this Cornish healthcare charity is to me like these winter flowers, there to help us through the tough times. Having received support from the hospice, I know everyone involved in this charity does an amazing amount of work to help both patients and their families in the hospices and through community support.

Hopefully within the next couple of months some sort of ‘normality’ can resume, the weather will be warmer and all the lovely gardens in this guide will be bursting with colour and with friends and families enjoying their delights. Let us be the hope for Cornwall Hospice Care, let us be their winter flowers and help them through these tough times by supporting this wonderful campaign.

Gardens also need much care and I must pay tribute to the owners who work tirelessly to open their gardens to the public. I am always amazed by the variety of garden styles, sizes and plants on display. I am also in wonder of the refreshments too!

Over the years the Open Gardens scheme has raised many thousands of pounds and I hope this will continue for many more. I do hope that you are able to visit some of these treasured places of joy whilst knowing you are supporting such a worthy cause.

Best wishes

George

You can listen to our new Podcast here where Tamsin Thomas our Head of PR chats with George about our Gardens

Open Gardens

One of the great summer pleasures is to go and visit a few of the wonderful Cornish gardens we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep.

Our Open Gardens campaign offers you the chance to see gardens that are not often open to the public and an opportunity to have a peek into these unique and hidden gems around our county.

This year, of course, will be a little different. Some of our Gardens are confident to open for the public this season and others have opted to provide a virtual tour of their gardens at their best which will be available to view online later in the season as the Gardens come into bloom.

Below is a list of our Gardens, just click on the name to see more details or download our brochure.