I was enchanted for the second year by veils of bluebells growing abundantly at Penryn’s Enys Gardens, where the Bluebell Festival continues until the 8th of May.

Wandering through wooded areas, millions of tiny flowers create a royal blue mist hovering over the meadows’ greenery. Their scent is similar to hyacinth; sweet, woody, and soothing. That night I slept soundly and later than usual, which I feel was due to the comforting fragrance.

At the glade’s edges, white wild garlic harmonizes with the bluebells, their united hues signifying purity and tranquillity. Here and there, there are splashes of zingy pink. Camellias and rhododendrons. Nature’s incredible palette.

Artist, Chloe Tinsley had a huge canvas set up overlooking acres of the magical scene. The art painted using appealing shades is a work in progress capturing the landscape’s atmosphere, so I must make a point of seeing the finished masterpiece, and look forward to doing so.

A few days ago, I posted on social media about the secret garden. It is an area next to the stumpery. A walled part that my family refers to as the secret garden where a collection of unusual, colourful plants bloom. But the whole of Enys House and Gardens is a glorious surprise. No one I’ve mentioned it to since first going there seems to have heard of the place whenever I sing its praises.

The land has been in the Enys family since 1272, and the house was built by John Enys (1796-1872). It’s usually closed when I visit my son and his partner who live in a renovated barn there, but we were in for a treat, as an art exhibition was set up inside. Contemporary artists’ work displayed against the backdrop of dilapidated brickwork and timbers produces a striking combination.

Throughout the afternoon, I found myself humming the nursery rhyme, ‘In and Out of the Dusty Bluebells’. It’s one of my childhood favourites, just like the charming flower!

Until next time,
Sue. X