Tremenheere - is this the new Garden of Eden?

With views like this over St Michael's Mount (above); a hillside plot above Mounts Bay (below); and a tract of land that includes hills, streams and thick woodland areas, Tremenheere in Cornwall is about as close as you'll get to a blank canvas on which to paint a visionary garden! The artist behind the scenes is local doctor Neil Armstrong, who purchased 11 acres in 1997, and is now creating a masterpiece that promises to be one of the great British green spaces of the future. This garden is already quite unique because of its position and unusual climate - but give it another half century as the plants mature - and you'll have a genuine Garden of Eden.

Tremenheere (pronounced Tre-men-ear) is about two miles from Penzance and nestles between the villages of Gulval and Ludgvan. You won't find any road signs; nor will you see a great Cornish mansion from afar because there's no house here, just a wonderful landscape. Neil Armstrong is a great admirer of Victorian garden designer and writer, William Robinson, who lived at Gravetye Manor in Sussex. Both share the vision that gardens should be "wild", and Armstrong believes that "form and foliage should be king"; with "drama and poise arising from line and foliage alone".

The site is perfect - the climate is sub-tropical and the structure of the land provides good protection from the sea winds - and thanks to Armstrong's planning, you'll encounter many unusual plants here including cacti, agaves, palms and striking architectural plants - perfect for the contours of the plot. I didn't meet Neil, but talked to him on the phone before visiting. But he's definitely on the right track with this garden and there's something about Tremenheere that spells serenity, even though it's still a masterpiece in the making. He has already started to install sculptures on site - works by British sculptor, David Nash and Japanese artist, Kishio Suga - but the real artist here is the owner!

The only building on site is the as yet un-named oval skyscape building (right), designed by James Turrell, and originally intended for viewing the solar eclipse in 1999, with its fantastic hilltop position, and there's also a wooden viewing platform. Both have been conceived to blend in with the landscape, allowing plants to flourish around them, while visitors can enjoy the views.

Don't go to Tremenheere and expect to find manicured borders or ideas for your plot at home - this is a garden where you have to think for yourself - it's about walking unfettered in a magnificent landscape, absorbing the atmosphere and being at one with the environment. I was only able to spend a couple of hours here, but have been completely bitten by a desire to return to this place and to find out more about the man who has created it.

The garden is open at weekends until the end of October, but check the website (top link) for opening details in 2011 - as the garden evolves, so too may the opening hours and access. Indeed, part of its charm for me is that it is so rarely accessible to outsiders and that it is so remote!