Why not combine your garden visits this spring with an Easter egg or weather appropriate scavenger hunt? It certainly helps with keeping little legs entertained on the (sometimes fairly long) walk around, and makes the day memorable for everyone. Here we share our four top tips for making your Cornish garden day out magical.
1 April 2023
When Easter rolls around, it's safe to say we're all chomping at the bit for more time spent outdoors. Easter offers a wonderful opportunity to scoop up the family and head out to one of the many beautiful, local gardens we have here in Cornwall. A day spent meandering through garden paths peering at magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons does wonders to cast away any lingering winter blues; the act of simply taking a moment to enjoy the orchestra of colour and beauty that bloom in the recently dormant flower beds is sure to put a spring in your step.
Join in with a pre-organised event
This one is so simple and fun! Many gardens and woodlands in Cornwall run Easter themed events at this time of year. For example, the beautiful Lost gardens of Heligan invite guests to their barn daily to meet new-born lambs and to learn more about their conservation breeding programme. The Eden Project notoriously have a full agenda of playful spring-themed challenges to enjoy with family, and Lanhydrock House and Gardens offer face painting and egg hunts on the manor grounds. Check the individual websites of the gardens, and in no time you’ll be in the thick of the action.
Organise your own Easter egg hunt
Stock up on small (wrapped) Easter eggs and hand out little baskets; when backs are turned and attention is diverted elsewhere, discretely drop a couple of eggs at the base of a tree or scatter some under a cluster of daffodils. Encourage everyone to find them and watch the fun unfold! Please just be mindful of new growth and always place eggs at the edge of flower beds rather than in the middle, so that delicate floral displays don’t get trampled by little feet.
A Flower Fairy themed scavenger hunt
Since the 1920s, Cicely Mary Barkers’ Flower Fairies have ever-enthralled both adults and children alike with her enchanting, magical and life-like illustrations. Why not use the The Flower Fairies of Spring publication as a scavenger hunt guide to lead you and your tribe around the garden. Enjoy gazing at the artwork, linger over the poems together and endeavour to identify as many spring flowers as you can.
Easter egg hill rolling
This is a traditional yet entertaining egg game to play. All you need to do is boil a few chicken eggs and pop them in your picnic basket, along with some coloured pens to decorate them with. Pack a picnic, pick a tree and throw a blanket down to enjoy an al fresco lunch. After everyone’s fed and happy, decorate your eggs with colourful faces and pictures – the more imaginative, the better! Once decorated, seek out a small hill or mound, set the eggs up, then gently let them go! Whoever’s egg rolls the fartherest without cracking wins the race and receives sweet treats as a prize.
