True to form

The sympathetic renovation of a historic garden in Cornwall takes inspiration from one of its most famous sons, the naturalist John Davies Enys

-  KIRSTY FERGUSSON

The sloping shoulders of the River Fal, where spring arrives early in a splash of bright blooms and flowering bulbs, is home to several gardens that draw crowds of visitors each year. Trelissick, Tregothnan and Lamorran are just some of the better-known gardens that thrive here in the gentle Cornish climate. But those who know Enys, tucked away between Penryn and Mylor, have discovered a wonderful secret, which Danni Dixon, head gardener here since 2008, is keen to preserve. “It’s not that we don’t want more visitors,” she explains, “it’s just that the sense of having stumbled into a ‘bubble’, where time seems to stand still, is very important here. You have the feeling that this is a ‘lost’ garden, still capable of giving you a sense of private discovery.”