Our gardens are unfolding in glorious greenery ready to welcome the heady aroma of azaleas, wisterias and the first rose buds as the Spring bulbs fade away until next year.
There are many fabulous gardens open for the National Garden Scheme in North Powys this June. One of the very best is Hurdley Hall (SY15 6DY) near Churchstoke. A finalist in Gardener’s World ‘Best Readers’ Garden in 2021, this traditional garden is set in 25-acres of topiary, mixed borders, woodland and wildlife meadows. Open Sunday 7/ Sunday 21 June 11am-5pm, £6.50pp. Home-made tea and cakes. An extraordinary garden 20 years in the making awaits visitors to Fairdene Gallery near Caerhowel (SY15 6HE), the home of artist and poet Frieda Hughes. A private tour and talk by Frieda will be followed by teas in the conservatory. Limited tickets are available to prebook only @ www.ngs.org.uk £25pp incl. Open Wed 10 June and Wed 15 July 2-4.30pm.
Also open for a limited private tour is Vaynor Park near Berriew (SY21 8QE), a spectacular 5-acre garden set in rolling parkland with medieval oaks. Open Wed 24 June 2-4.30pm, the visit includes a talk and tour with owner Kate Corbett-Winder, followed by tea. £25pp incl. Please prebook as above. Cwm-Weeg, Dolfor (SY16 4AT) is open for the NGS 0n Sunday 14 June 2-5pm £6pp. A 2.5-acre garden set in 35-acres of wildlife meadows and woodland; vistas, grottos, sculptures, stumpery and extensive borders await visitors at every turn.
Two contrasting gardens can be found at 14 St Mary’s Place, Welshpool (SY21 7PF) open Sat 20/Sun 21 June, and Hafotty Ganol near Llanfyllin (SY10 0AW) open Sat 27/Sun 28. The former is an interesting secret town garden on two levels with unusual varieties of plants. The latter sits 950ft above the Tanat Valley, a wild wooded 3-acre garden including unimproved upland wildflower meadows with rare orchids and extensive vegetable and fruit production areas. Both gardens open 11am-5pm with tea and cake available.
