ON Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19 two gardens at Llanfair Waterdine will be open under the National Garden Scheme.

The five-acre garden at Nantiago includes an arboretum with unusual yews and a stand of Himalayan Birch, or if you are more interested in cars than gardens a collection of 1930s classic cars will be on display.

A gate from Nantiago leads to the magical secret cottage garden at The Coach House where you will find magnolias, rhododendrons and a giant walnut tree as well as a kitchen garden and beehives.

Home-made teas served from the Shepherd’s Hut at the Coach House and Pimms and Nibbles at Nantiago.

The gardens at Llanfair Waterdine, Knighton, LD7 1TS are open from 2-5pm on both Saturday and Sunday May 18 and 19. Admission is £5, children free.

n?On Sunday, May 19 the gardens at Gliffaes Country House Hotel and Penmyarth House, both located to the north of Crickhowell, will also be open as part of the National Garden Scheme.

The Gliffaes gardens and arboretum lie on a plateau above the river Usk. With 33 acres of parkland, there are ancient, rare and ornamental trees including giant sequoias and cedars, as well as rhododendrons, azaleas and shrubs. The gardens will be open from 2pm to 5pm and lunch, bar snacks, afternoon teas and dinner will be available to visitors. Admission charge is £6 (children free).

Penmyarth House is located on the Glanusk Estate.

Its garden contains established species such as prunus, dogwoods, magnolias, acers, rhododendrons, azaleas and camelias. The annual Estate Fayre will be held alongside the open garden with talks and garden tours, artisan stalls, a licensed bar and gourmet catering. It will also be possible to visit Penmyarth Church. Open from 11am to 4pm, admission charge is £7.50 (under 12’s free).

Remember when you visit a garden open for the National Garden Scheme you are helping to support nursing and health charities such as Hospice UK, Macmillan and Marie Curie.

Last year the scheme raised over £36,000 for these causes.

This year the National Garden Scheme has announced a new guest charity, the mental health charity, Mind. Rebecca Hastings from Mind said “The National Garden Scheme will help fund our vital peer support work, which is all about supporting people to use their own personal experiences to help each other.”

You can discover more about our gardens and the charities we support at www.ngs.org.uk and by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @powysngs.