PLANT lovers and canine companions are warmly invited to explore the gardens at Trevince – the country estate in Gwennap, at the heart of Cornwall’s historic mining district – as the promise of spring turns to the bloom of summer.

Owners Richard and Trish Stone are opening the gardens from Friday to Sunday and on Bank Holiday Mondays between March 27 and September 27 from 10am to 4pm, encouraging visitors to discover how Trevince is evolving under their guardianship.

With a lineage that can be traced back to medieval times, Richard’s family has developed Trevince’s gardens and landscape over many centuries. Trevince was first mentioned in 1281, and the Trevince and later Beauchamp families were mine and mineral owners from at least the Tudor period.

Nothing remains of the medieval or Tudor buildings, but the back of the house dates from the late 17th century, while the front was rebuilt in 1866 to a design by prolific Cornish architect James Piers St Aubyn. The grounds include a walled garden and parkland of probable 18th century origin, a wilderness walk, and woodland planted on the industrial waste of tin and copper workings.

Richard’s generation is gardening for food, fun and the future, growing perennial fruit and veg in the 18th century walled garden from Japanese wineberries to Chilean guava alongside more traditional crops. “This is not only to expand the range of crops we grow, but also to assess how they might fare in Cornwall’s changing climate with its floods, droughts and gale-force winds,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the 19th century Wilderness is a place to wander in the cool of the shade, rich with venerable oaks, large-leaved rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. The Pond Garden offers a reflective space in which to catch your breath, the orchard is alive with native English bluebells and abundant apple blossom, and in the shrubbery, the Stones are experimenting with planting to find new species from around the world that will create a new kind of horticultural legacy.

Trevince is also participating in the International Conifer Conservation Programme run by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, growing threatened species to maturity and producing a living seed bank for the future. Other experimental projects include diversifying the trees grown here to adapt to the triple challenge of climate, pests and disease, and adapting the planting across the gardens to support a wider range of pollinating species.

Regular talks and demonstrations will take place when the gardens are open, with horticultural experts including head gardener Colin Skelly.

“At Trevince, we offer something a little bit different as we explore the boundaries of what a Cornish spring garden could evolve into for the future,” added Richard. “We hope garden lovers from across Cornwall will join us, take a stroll and just enjoy it – be part of our unfolding story and share our vision for the future of this enduring place.”

The Cart Shed Café offers tasty home-made treats in a warm and friendly setting. To find out more, visit www.trevince.co.uk.