Now that spring is here, dedicated Powys gardeners are busy preparing to open their gardens to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme – despite recent snow showers.
Borders will be beautified, seeds sown, benches brushed down, topiary trimmed, plants potted up for sale and ramblers restrained! Its not just gardening skills that are being deployed however. Tea and homemade cakes are of course an essential part of the garden visiting experience, so garden owners will also be busy baking.
The National Garden Scheme offers everyone the chance to visit private gardens, large and small, across the UK. It started back in 1927 as a way to raise money to support district nurses. Nowadays NGS open gardens support a range of nursing and health charities such as MacMillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Parkinson’s UK and the MS Society.
This year in Powys there are even more gardens opening to the public as part of the scheme – 58 in total. In South Powys last year 11 gardens opened their doors. This year in South Powys 18 gardens will be open, in areas around Brecon, Builth Wells and Crickhowell to name but a few. Some have never opened to the public before, such as Church House in Llandefalle. Others, such as Llangoed Hall, formerly owned by the Laura Ashley family, are reopening to the public after a break of several years. Some gardeners are banding together to open as a group in villages such as Crai. Yet others are opening their gardens as part of a wider event, such as Penmyarth House at the Glanusk Estate’s annual fayre.
Gardens will be open for a small charge at different times from mid April through to October. To find out more, visit the National Garden Scheme website at ngs.org.uk or check out social media @PowysNGS. Alternatively look out for the yellow NGS booklets which list participating gardens in individual counties. These are available free of charge at venues such as tourist information offices and libraries.