Trebah Garden’s Hydrangeas Now in Full Summer Bloom

Trebah’s Hydrangea Valley Bursts into Colour This Summer

Despite a dry spring, Trebah Garden’s famous Hydrangea Valley has transformed into a dazzling sea of colour this July, with its spectacular hydrangeas now in full bloom. The vibrant display marks the beginning of six months of changing tones and floral interest that will last well into the winter.

From Cut Flowers to a Cornish Spectacle

Trebah’s hydrangeas were originally planted in the 1950s to supply cut flowers to London’s Covent Garden Flower Market. While they’re no longer shipped to the capital, they continue to delight thousands of visitors each year who travel to see the garden’s iconic valley in full flower.

The hydrangeas thrive in Trebah’s sheltered, moisture-retaining valley. The rich, acidic soil and abundant southerly sunshine create the perfect conditions for these hardy plants to flourish through dry summers and endure wet Cornish winters.

A Colourful Collection

The valley is best known for its bold swathes of blue mophead hydrangeas, a hue that thrives in the garden’s naturally acidic soil. However, visitors will also spot mingling tones of pink, purple and delicate white throughout the lush valley.

Trebah is home to many remarkable varieties, including:

• Hydrangea ‘Generale Vicomtesse de Vibraye’, known for its large pastel-blue blooms

• The deep blue ‘Enziandom’

• The dramatic ‘Zorro’, with distinctive black stems

• Paniculata hydrangeas, which shift colours as the season progresses

• Villosa group hydrangeas, with soft, felty leaves

• Quercifolia types, with oak-shaped foliage that turns vibrant in autumn

Blooms with a Journey Beyond Cornwall

For the past 25 years, Trebah’s gardeners have been sending a hand-picked selection of hydrangea heads each summer to Bradwell in Derbyshire. The flowers are used as part of the village’s annual Well Dressing tradition, continuing the garden’s legacy of sharing its blooms beyond county borders.

From Summer to Christmas

As summer draws to a close, the hydrangeas begin to shift into vintage tones. Later in the year, their rustic heads are gathered and used to create natural Christmas decorations for Trebah’s Visitor Centre.

In January, staff and volunteers prune each hydrangea by hand, preparing the valley for another year of colourful display.

Plan Your Visit

The peak of the hydrangea season is now underway, making this the ideal time to visit Trebah Garden and explore the full beauty of its Hydrangea Valley.

More details can be found at www.trebahgarden.co.uk.