Included in the Welsh gardens opening for the charity in 2025, are many seasonal favourites such as Vaynor Park in Welshpool, the Arts and Crafts garden at High Glanau Manor in Monmouth, and the walled garden where Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated the Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, Gwaenynog in Denbigh. In addition, over 40 new gardens, across Wales will be opening for the National Garden Scheme in 2025.
Returning highlights include Dyffryn Fernant in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, which recently featured on Monty Don’s British Gardens programme. Norchard in Tenby has opened for the National Garden Scheme since 2012, consisting of beautiful gardens around a Medieval Hall combining strong structure and informal areas with walled gardens and restored Elizabethan parterre.
Llanidan Hall in Anglesey, first opened its gates for the scheme in 1939, is a walled garden with physic and herb gardens, ornamental vegetable garden, herbaceous borders and old roses.
New gardens opening in Wales
Fairdene Gallery Garden in Montgomery, Powys, a private garden and gallery evolved over 20 years designed and planted by its artist owner, Frieda Hughes (daughter of poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath). The garden reflects her idiosyncratic style, love of co-ordinated colour, enthusiasm for rock placement, and joy in designing extraordinary metalwork. A pre-booked opening, with a limited number of tickets available for openings.
Pantybara in Carmarthenshire was designed to provide year-round interest this south facing hillside garden in terraced on several levels with dry stone walls with planting to benefit wildlife.
Temple Bar Farm in Ceredigion, features spring bulbs, a bog garden, auricula theatre, foxglove and tree lupin walk, mixed perennial beds and an array of containers nestled in original farmyard. A herd of rare Ancient Cattle of Wales, Iron Age Fort (Cadw) and views over three counties, makes this an interesting visit.
Group gardens
From country villages to seaside towns, group gardens provide wonderful diversity and are a great opportunity to see a range of gardens within close proximity of each other.
Chapel Gardens in Gwent is a must see, as one of the three gardens opening, includes the garden of renowned garden designer Sarah Price. All the gardens have been developed with an ethos of encouraging wildlife and pollinators.
The Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant gardens are located in the village of Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant on the edge of the Berwyn Mountains, with local shops and beauty spots such as the famous waterfall, Pistyll Rhaeadr. There are a selection of small village gardens offering a range of styles from cottage, courtyard, terrace and prairie style plantings. Innovative use of small spaces, often steeply sloping down to the beautiful River Rhaeadr.
All National Garden Scheme gardens open to support some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Carers Trust, Parkinson’s UK, the QNI, Hospice UK and Horatio’s Garden. In 2024, garden visitors helped donate over £3.5 million to these worthy causes.