Do you have green fingers and enjoy tinkering in your garden and improving it bit by bit? Whether you’re a seasoned gardener and landscaper or someone with an interest but has limited experience, there are quite a few great garden centres in Cornwall that might be worth a visit while you stay at Perran Springs Holiday Park.
At these garden centres, you’ll be able to get exciting ideas for your own garden or even buy new additions that you think would look great in it. Alternatively you could pass the time strolling through the tranquil scenery and taking in some of the amazingly cultivated plants that populate the space.
Aside from plants, most of the garden centres in Cornwall have several other departments that range from landscaping to fishing, hunting, furniture, barbeques, and even pet shops. Some have restaurants where you can relax and grab a meal in between exploring the centre – so there should be plenty to do and pass the time.
Out of the garden centres in Cornwall, there are 5 in particular that stand out and are definitely worth the visit.
Goonhavern Garden Centre
The Goonhavern Garden Centre is located in the village of Goonhavern itself – and is just a stone’s throw away from our Holiday Park. In fact, it is literally just up the road.
It should take you about 10 minutes to walk the half mile between Perran Springs and the garden centre, but if you want to drive then you can rest assured that there is ample free parking available at the location.
Within the Goonhavern Garden Centre itself you’ll find a wide variety of garden products that cover plants, landscaping, pots and ornaments, sheds and greenhouses, composts and fuels, and even furniture and barbeques. Essentially anything and everything garden-related has its place at the centre.
Being family-owned and operated by Liz and Chris Finney, the Goonhavern Garden Centre prides itself in being friendly and welcoming to customers. It is known for its high standards of customer service and for providing a family-friendly environment that even opens its doors to pet dogs – so long as they’re on a leash.
Aside from having their own head of canine hospitality in the form of a pet dog named Rocky, there’s also an independently run dog groomers known as ‘The Pad’ on site, so you can send your dog to be pampered while you browse unencumbered.
In addition to ‘The Pad’, there are a number of other independent traders at the Goonhavern Garden Centre as well, including Mr. Fruity (a green grocers), Zest 4 Beauty (a beauty salon), OC Spas (sells hot tubs), Penryn Plastics, Dogs and Moggies (a pet shop), and the Bay Tree Restaurant, which serve a great breakfast, lunchtime meals, cakes and Sunday roast dinners.
As it is open 7 days a week, you can visit the Goonhavern Garden Centre anytime between 9 am to 5 pm every day except Sundays when the opening hours are 10 am to 4 pm.
Newquay Garden Centre
Situated about 7 or 8 miles away from the Perran Springs Holiday Park in the nearby village of Quintell Downs, the Newquay Garden Centre should be about a 10 to 15 minute drive by car. Free parking is provided on site, and it shouldn’t be too hard to locate.
It has been in business for over 60 years, and was founded in 1948 by Mr. W. J. Curgenven who initially worked the land as a market garden and primarily produced vegetables. Over the years it has slowly but surely been expanded, renovated, and diversified into a full-fledged garden centre that is run by Mr. Curgenven’s family to this very day.
Today, the Newquay Garden Centre provides an impressive selection of garden products the highlight of which is undoubtedly its plants. Ranging from fruit trees to bedding plants, climbing plants, hedging, roses, garden shrubs, and ornamental trees – it really does have a lot of exciting prospects to check out.
On top of its plants there are also pots, fertilizers, garden sheds, compost and bark, artificial flowers, aggregates, fencing as well as weed, pest, and disease control products. Of particular note is its outdoor living section that includes furniture and barbeques, as well as its bird care, water features, and solar lighting areas.
While you’re at the Newquay Garden Centre you should also be sure to pay a visit to its gift shop where you’ll find tons of different gifts ranging from scented candles to Byzantium jewelry and Tweedmill wool blankets along with a massive array of gift cards and wrapping paper, hopefully you’ll come across your ideal holiday gift to take back home with you.
For a bite to eat there’s always the Café Quint that serves up a mean breakfast, fresh lunch and has a wide selection of delicious homemade cakes available (which from personal experience are huge).
Open on Monday through to Saturday from 8.30 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 10.30 am to 4 pm, the Newquay Garden Centre is certainly worth the short trip, and has more than enough to keep you fully occupied throughout your visit.
Carnon Downs Garden Centre
About 10 to 12 miles away from the Perran Springs Holiday Park, the Carnon Downs Garden Centre is located just on the outskirts of the Carnon Downs village and south of Truro. It shouldn’t take you approximately 20 minutes to get there by car.
As one of the biggest garden centres in Cornwall, the Carnon Downs Garden Centre certainly has a lot to offer – the highlight of which is undoubtedly its quality stock of plants that range from herbaceous, shrubs, trees, and fruit trees to bedding plants. All its plants tend to be sourced from local growers throughout the region, and its hardy plants come with a 12 month guarantee.
True to its motto ‘Grow with us’, the Carnon Downs Garden Centre is constantly expanding and adding to the range of products that they provide. Nowadays that range includes things like large garden furniture, aquatics, clothing, books and for the fisherman staying at Perran Springs, they have a great selection of fishing tackle and bait (that’s if you don’t find the tackle you are after in our own shop on the campsite).
If you’re looking for help with garden design then their renowned resident garden designer Julian Power will be on hand with his 20 years of horticultural experience that can help you to plan, create and grow your perfect garden.
Also of note is their pet and reptile shop that provides pet food and treats alongside animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, mice, and rats as well as reptiles and exotic creatures such as snakes, lizards, tortoises and invertebrates.
With so much to do, if you ever need a break and feel like grabbing a meal there’s the Valley View Restaurant that offers nothing but the best in Cornish food while also providing a great view overlooking the Carnon Valley. Once you’re done you can explore some of the other shops at the Carnon Garden Centre that range from kitchen studios and clothing to floral design, hot tubs, and much more.
The selection at the Carnon Garden Centre is constantly changing as more and more additions are brought in to give customers a unique and varied experience. Pay it a visit anytime between 9 am and 5 pm on weekdays, 9 am to 5.30 pm on Saturdays, and 10 am to 4.30 pm on Sundays.
Trelawney Garden Centre
As one of the more popular garden centres in Cornwall, the Trelawney Garden Centre has grown steadily from its humble beginnings as a nursery in 1970. It is situated about 23 miles away from Perran Springs and will take approximately 30 minutes or so to get there by car. Ample free parking is available on site.
The reason why the Trelawney Garden Centre is especially worth the trip is that it has been credited with the ‘Top Garden Centre in Wales and West Region’ award by the Garden Centre Association for the last few years running, and has also won the accolade of ‘Garden Centre of Excellence’ which is held by only the top 10 centres in the UK.
A big part of the Trelawney Garden Centre’s popularity and reputation is down to its range of goods that cater to all kinds of gardening needs. From carefully nurtured plants to top quality garden furniture, barbecues and giftware, it is a one stop centre that is renowned for its customer service and friendly atmosphere.
If you’re interested in taking your kids along with you, you’ll be happy to note that there are indoor and outdoor children’s play areas that will keep them well occupied while you browse from the selection available. Whenever you would like to take a break and have a quick bite or even a full meal you could relax at the Carriages Restaurant that overlooks a large pond filled with fish and moorhens, you can also feed the carp from a feeding platform station.
Today the Trelawney Garden Centre is operated by the Blue Diamond group, so if you’re part of the Diamond Club then there’s an added reason to visit in the form of the special offers, savings, and rewards that come along with it.
The Trelawney Garden Centre is open from 9 am to 5.30 pm on Monday through to Saturday, and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday.
Homeleigh Garden Centre
Although a bit further afield from the Perran Springs Holiday Park, the Homeleigh Garden Centre is certainly worth a visit. It is a trek of about 44 miles heading back over Bodmin moor, so it could even be on your journey home from your holiday with us. On a good day, it should take about 50 minutes to get there, as it’s on the borders of Cornwall & Devon, in the summer months if you wish to visit we recommend you go on a weekday and not the weekend.
Once you do arrive however, you’ll be able to explore one of the largest garden centres in the region that is still family-owned. It was founded in the 1970s by Derek and Enis Broad who run it to this very day, along with their son, Rob.
Initially the Homeleigh Garden Centre was essentially just farmland and a few farm buildings with a bungalow where the family lived. However once they started to grow their own vegetables and bedding plants in the small greenhouse they built – it expanded rapidly, and as the word got out it became more and more popular as ‘the place to go’ for quality plants. For a garden centre in the South West, it certainly has the wow factor!
Today it is hard to imagine how much the site has changed over the years and it sells not only plants and gardening products, but also a wide array of other products across departments such as aquatics, fishing, clothing, outdoor living, pets and bird care, kitchenware, Christmas decorations, lighting, vegetables and organic products plus much more, including huge garden statues and large koi-carp.
The bungalow where the family once lived has long since been converted into a café, so if you need to put your feet up and get some refreshments you have a place to go.
One area of the Homeleigh Garden Centre that is somewhat unique is the Homeleigh Hair and Beauty department. It caters to both men and women, and acts as a great place to relax and unwind while having your hair done by professional stylists.
Totaling over 40 departments, there’s certainly more than enough to keep you occupied all day – which is what makes the idea of a day trip so attractive. The Homeleigh Garden Centre opens from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday through to Saturday, and 10.30 am to 4.30 pm on Sundays.
The fishing shop here is huge, and stocks the most popular brands, sea, coarse and fly fishing are all catered for and the they provide a large selection of rods, fishing clothing, bait and accessories.
Between these 5 great garden centres of Cornwall you should definitely be able to find all the plants and gardening products you need – along with a massive array of other associated products too. For anyone who loves their garden, it is definitely going to be an experience to visit these centres and be inspired by the thriving and varied plants that they cultivate.
Now that you know a bit about each of the centres, you should be able to plan accordingly – or even plan to visit all five if you feel you have the time whilst on holiday at Perran Springs Holiday Park.