Pinetum Gardens Invites Visitors to Discover Hidden Gardeners

Did you spot the great coverage of the Easter trail at Pinetum Gardens in The Guardian – 13th April 2017?

A new sculpture trail celebrating the natural world’s ‘hidden gardeners’ has gone on display in time for Easter at Pinetum Park in St Austell.

Created by renowned West Cornwall metal sculptor Nigel Wills, the six sculptures feature giant recreations of creatures which are essential to garden life.

The trail includes representations of a bat, bee, beetle, spider, dragonfly and a snail all created out of shaped steel.

Sculptor Nigel Wills, who is based in Hayle, began his career as a panel beater with a local garage. He added to his metal-working skills as a welder with Compair Holman’s in Camborne before taking up sculpture full time seven years ago.

Nigel says: “This series of sculptures is quite different from what I usually create. These pieces have been specifically crafted to sit within the outdoor landscape of Pinetum Park, reflecting the insects that frequent the garden.”

He continues: “It has been an interesting challenge to me as an artist to design something that will be exhibited outdoors; I’m looking forward to seeing the materials react and change in the elements.”

Initially creating designs based on his love of the sea, he has recently begun to concentrate more on outdoor sculptures based on garden themes.

Pinetum Park’s General Manager David Milne said: “We’re delighted to be showcasing Nigel’s amazing creations here in the gardens where they can be admired and enjoyed by our visitors.

The new sculpture trail is a celebration of many of the natural world’s unsung wild gardeners who work, often unnoticed, alongside us humans to pollinate flowers, enrich the soil, get rid of waste and deter pests.”

The trail, which opens in time for Easter is the latest addition to Pinetum Park which covers more than 30 acres and is home to 6,000 different types of plants and trees from around the world.

Separated in to 10 different themed areas, visitors can explore the famous Pinetum which features 80 varieties of conifer including the giant redwood from America which can reach up to 90 metres in height.

Other highlights include the Japan Garden, inspired by visits to the botanical gardens in Kyoto, the Water Garden, with its giant gunnera, the Woodland Garden, with its bluebells, camellias and rhododendrons, and the traditional Cornish Cottage Garden complete with water features and colourful flowers.