Why do rabbits and badgers dig their burrows under trees? Why do gardeners dislike squirrels? What animals like to eat toads for supper? One way of finding out is to follow the trail around Trebah Garden at Mawnan Smith.
Trebah is one of several exotic gardens in Cornwall which well-to-do local families planted in the last century. Their influence in the shipping trade enabled them to import exotic plants and seeds from all over the world. Soon a huge variety of trees and shrubs began to thrive in the sheltered ravines along Cornwall’s south coast.
Trebah was started in 1826 by the Fox family of Falmouth who ran packet-boat services. They also planted Glendurgan Garden (now owned by the National Trust) in an adjoining ravine.
After the estate was split up in 1939, the garden was neglected for years until Trebah’s house was bought by Tony and Eira Hibbert in 1981. Since then, they have devoted their “retirement” to rescuing and restoring the garden. Tidied and replanted, it is now run as a trust and open throughout the year.
Two trails designed for children have been created, and school groups are made particularly welcome. “Gardens can be very boring for children - all greenery and nowhere to let off steam,” says Tony Hibbert. “We hope the trails make ours much more exciting by asking them to do things like count the badger holes and guess how long it is since our Ghost Tree - one of the largest trees in England - was just a seed.”
Children have to find 20 wooden shapes corresponding to plants and animals that live there. A booklet provides notes on each one and has space for children to draw them.
The Time Trail winds around the paths from the small sandy beach at the foot of the garden up to the entrance at the top. Illustrated signs represent evolutionary changes over the past 420 million years, since the time when plants first grew on the earth.
The trail has been made 840 metres long so that each metre represents the passage of half-a-million years.
As Trebah is open throughout the year, seasonal changes make it suitable for a variety of environmental and botanical studies. Its most colourful time is spring, when blue hydrangeas cover three acres.
o Trebah Garden Trust, Mawnan Smith, Near Falmouth, Cornwall RF11 5JZ. Tel: 0326 250448. Admission for school groups of 12 or more, 80p each (advanced booking advised). Trail leaflets, 50p.
