Pinetum Gardens is a picturesque botanical garden located in Cornwall, England. It is renowned for its stunning collection of plants, trees, and landscapes, offering visitors a tranquil retreat into nature’s beauty.

We visited as a family on a cold, but sunny, January day. While we didn’t get to see the garden in full bloom as it was winter for our winter visit, we still enjoyed seeing what was on offer and enjoyed a pleasant walk around the garden and grounds.

In this blog post, I will share more about what to expect at Pinetum Gardens and lots of photos to showcase what you can expect if you visit in winter too.

Visiting Pinetum in January – Is It Worth It?

January wouldn’t be a usual month that we’d choose to visit a garden, however, we had annual Eden Project passes which allowed us access to Pinetum Gardens for free in either November or January. So we wanted to take advantage of the free passes and visited what might be rather bare gardens in the middle of a UK January!

Luckily, there was still lots of life in the gardens at Pinetum in the winter months, and although some areas were bare, I can only imagine how amazing it must look in full bloom during the summer season.

Being out of season, it was amazingly quiet as we explored the gardens. That’s always one benefit of visiting out of the popular season – you practically get the place to yourself like a VIP guest!

What to Expect at Pintetum Gardens

Visitors to Pinetum Gardens can expect to wander through various themed areas, each offering its own unique charm and atmosphere. From the serene Japanese Garden with its ornamental bridges and koi ponds to the vibrant Mediterranean Garden bursting with colourful blooms, there is something for every visitor to enjoy.

The main attraction, hence the name of the gardens, must be the pine tree forest/arboretum where you’ll find a selection of all sorts of pine trees. It’s really fun to walk around and they encourage visitors to “forest-bathe” for at least ten minutes while walking through the collection to reduce stress levels. Many people choose to walk through the pine tree area in bare feet to really ground and soak up the benefits of the trees and nature. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to get a photo of this area, but here’s a sneak peak on their Instagram page:

Although out of typical UK blooming season, we did see some beautiful camellia flowers which really brightened up the place. There was also some colourful heathers to admire.

There are many ponds dotted around the gardens, some with large koi fish to spot and some with bridges to walk over. I’m sure the wisteria-draped bridge must look amazing in the spring and summer!

As well as the gardens, there are some interesting buildings to admire such as a dinky thatched roof building and rustic wooden lodge.

For the children, there were lots of interesting features to admire from large metal bugs climbing tree trunks to a wooden hanging and swinging ladder they could climb.

Pinetum Gardens isn’t just one garden, but a collection of gardens with different themes! Here are the gardens to explore:

• Japanese Garden
• Arboretum
• Cornish Cottage Garden
• Courtyard Garden, Bridge Garden
• Sunken Garden
• Water Garden
• Winter Garden
• Woodland Garden

You can find out more about each one on their garden page at https://pinetumgardens.com/our-gardens

Not only is this a garden you can visit, but they have multiple options of accommodation such as cottages so you can stay at Pinetum surrounded by nature and with the gardens quite literally on your doorstep!

Would We Return to Pinetum Gardens?

In my personal opinion, as with many attractions like this, the ticket price is really costly for entrance for a single day as a family of four. Pinetum wasn’t my favourite of gardens in Cornwall, but still pleasant to see and walk around nonetheless. Without having the free entry offer as we were members of Eden Project at the time, I don’t think we would have visited for the standard entry fee and I’m not sure that now we’ve seen Pinetum once that we would return again.

If you are in Cornwall, then it’s much better value to get the family annual membership whereby you can visit the Eden Project, Minack Theatre, Trebah Garden, Minack Theatre, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, National Maritime Museum and Wheal Martyn for a fraction of the cost of the normal entry fees. However, aside from the place you have purchased this special type of annual pass for, the other five places are limited to visits in November and January only.

I wouldn’t totally rule out returning if it was part of a special offer, but it doesn’t have the same draw for me as wishing to return to The Lost Gardens of Heligan or Glendurgan Garden where perhaps there are more things for the children and us to explore.

Pinetum perhaps has more to offer for those staying in the accommodation as a holiday destination, a weekend escape with the gardens a beautiful bonus to the stay. It may also have more to offer in the summer months.

Where are Pinetum Gardens?

Conveniently located just a short drive from the town of St Austell, Pinetum Gardens is easily accessible by car.

The address for Pinetum Gardens is: Pinetum Gardens, Holmbush Road, Holmbush, Saint Austell, Cornwall, PL25 3RQ

Final Thoughts on Pinetum Gardens

Pinetum Gardens offers a peaceful escape with themed areas year-round. While winter reveals fewer blooms, it brings tranquillity and avoids crowds. Consider a membership for discounted entry to Pinetum Gardens and other Cornish gems. For a full floral explosion, plan your visit for the summer months.

More Gardens to Explore in Cornwall:

• The Lost Gardens of Heligan in November
• Trenance Gardens and Boating Lake in Newquay
• Trelissick Garden Review
• Penjerrick Garden Review
• Visiting National Trust’s Trerice Manor in Newquay