Probus Demonstration Garden
Describing itself as 'The Really Useful Garden', Probus Garden was established during the 1960s by Cornwall County Council. Its management was later taken over by the Friends of Probus Garden. Sadly visitor numbers have been poor and now there are worries for its future. The County Council, which still owns the site, has done a deal with a Wadebridge garden centre to build a vast garden centre on part of the site while retaining the demonstration gardens. The Friends fear their garden, lovingly cared for by one full time gardener and twenty volunteers, will be 'Chelseafied'. But the garden centre owner insists the commercial link is essential to its future.
Regardless of fears for the future, this is certainly a place well worth seeing now - and in the future, we hope. Among its best features - apart from the superb demonstration aspects - are a 'colour wheel' herbaceous garden, a scented garden, a small Japanese garden, a winter garden and exotics, grasses, herbs, bamboos, clematis and hydrangeas. An entertaining feature is a raised map of Cornwall, rocks showing the county's geology. There is ample parking, a small shop and a tearoom. Sadly, when acquired by Trelawney Garden Centres, nothing happened for years except that the garden, which is now closed, became ruinous
The 'Colour Wheel' Garden
Off A390 St. Austell to Truro, near Trewithen entrance
Update October 2014: Trelawney, who now own Probus, have announced that work is starting on a new garden centre at Probus. As part of this new enterprise they promise to restore and redevelop the now abandoned Demonstration Garden. Good news.
Update June 2016: Work is going on at the garden site but it looks suspiciously as if it is being developed as something other than garden, apparently a garden centre. If so, it would be a disgrace.
Update November 2020: Still nothing seems to have happened. The site, fenced off, looks derelict.
More in Gardens
Readymoney Cove
Open only during Fowey's Daphne du Maurier Festival in the latter part of May, the Reads' private garden, right by the beach in Readymoney Cove, is a casual, lush delight. Where Headland Garden (now closed) across the Fowey estuary, has had to work to create protection against the elements, Readymoney's south facing steep valley creates an ideal micro-climate for early and luxuriant growth - which suits their semi-wild style. Teas are good and the Reads are charming. Daphne du Maurier rented the house in 1942.
Roseland House Garden at Chacewater
We wouldn't go out of our way for this garden but, as an August 2007 Sunday NGS charity opening visit, it made a pleasant enough brief excursion. Essentially this is the Pridhams advertisement for their important clematis nursery and it is normally open two afternoons a week in summer. When we visited we were too late for most of the clematis but we enjoyed the two pools and might visit again when clematis, wisteria and honeysuckles are at their best.
The 'Lost Gardens' of Heligan
Heligan