The Enys Trust presents

Enys Gardens

The Enys Trust was formed in 2002 as a charity in order to secure the long term future of the garden at Enys, near Penryn in Cornwall, and to open the garden to the public.

It is said that Enys is considered to be the oldest garden in Cornwall. Robert de Enys lived there during the reign of Edward 1. The 1709 edition of Camden's Magna Britannia mentioned that Enys was noted for its fine gardens. In 1833 John Samuel Enys engaged Henry Harrison, a London architect, to produce designs for the garden as well as the house. Amongst these features was the Ladies Garden, later called the Flower Garden. This garden leads into the Colonel's Garden, named after Colonel Enys (1757-1818). Colonel Enys had an unusually large nose, and it is perhaps fitting that his garden is currently being replanted as a scented garden.

J D Enys (1837-1912), an inveterate traveller, greatly enriched Enys with seeds and plants he regularly sent home from New Zealand and Patagonia. The lakes in the lower valley have a water wheel which raised water to the house. The scenery created here has been much photographed over the years. In Spring the bluebells in the parkland, known as Parc Lye, are a sight to behold. This area is believed to be undisturbed since ancient times, and contains many trees of a great age. The formal gardens still contain plants shrubs and trees from the J D Enys Collection, and the Estate also has a fine collection of bamboos comprising a number of very rare varieties.

Probably the most valuable asset to the garden is its microclimate. It is virtually frost free, and this, together with the mild and temperate influence of the Gulf Stream, enables many tender plants and trees to flourish. One of the most important of these is the Peruvian Laurel, one of the few specimens growing in England today. There is also a Maidenhair tree, (Ginkgo biloba) which is said to be the tallest specimen outside Kew Gardens.

   
Work in the Flower Garden, Nov 06          The flower garden in July 2008