Comment

We are lucky here in Monmouthshire to have some fantastic gardens to enjoy. Whether it be gardens on a grand scale or just a small private gardens thrown open to the public during the summer - there is something for everyone.

Here's a selection we think you should make the effort to visit this year: Dewstow Gardens and Grottoes Around 1895 Henry Oakley, a recluse with a passion for growing ferns, tropical flowers and plants, commissioned James Pulham & Sons to design a unique garden. They were a leading firm of landscape artists who specialised in the creation of picturesqu rock gardens. Dewstow, with its subterranean world of sun ken caves, tunnels, grottoes, ferneriews, streams and cascades was one of their most spectacular projects.

But sadly over the years the estate was broken up and the garden was covered over with top soil so the new owners could graze cows on the land.

Since 2000 these fascinating gardens have been restored to their former glory. They really are truly amazing and well worth a visit.

The are open for general viewing from April to August. For more details visit www.dewstow.com Arts and Crafts delights Four of the best Arts and Crafts gardens in Wales are to be found in Monmouthshire - Mathern Palace, Mounton House, High Glanau and Wyndcliffe Court, designed by H Avary Tipping.

Tipping was a writer and garden designer who lived in Monmouthshire for many years. His gardens were characterised by divided compartments with sculpted yew hedging, topiary birds and animals, long grass, bowling greens, lush planting and wild areas. Much of this remains at Wyndcliffe Court, where visitors are welcome by appointment (01291 627597).

High Glanau, an Arts and Crafts house, is set in 12 acres of gardnes. Many of Tipping's original features remain including formal terraces, steps leading down to an octagonal lily pond and the glass house and pergola. The garden can be visited by appointment (01600 860005).

Veddw House This modern romantic garden has been created over the past couple of decades by Anne Wareham and Charles Hawes.

There are colour-themed borders, rambler roses, a large collection of clematis and standard hollies. The meadow and wildflower garden are full of spring bulbs, while paths lead off into the surrounding two acres of woodland.

To find out when you can visit please visit www.veddw.co.uk.

Ochran Mill This garden, which is only a few years old, has a Grade II listed watermill as its backdrop. Here you can see a colour-themed herbaceous border, a bog garden, shrub borders, a large collection of hellebores and more than 200 roses. For more details visit www.ochranmill.co.uk.

Gardd y Bryn This is walled Victorian garden which has been restored and now includes climbers and trained fruit trees, herbs and other wildlife-friendly plants.

You will find living willow archways and old varieties of vegetables in this garden, which originally supplied The Hill in Abergavenny with fresh fruit and vegetables when it was a Victorian family home.

Today the garden supplies produce for guests.

For more information about the garden please visit www.thehillabergavenny.co.uk.

National Garden Scheme The National Gardens Scheme is founded on the clever idea of combining a nation's obsession with gardening, and our natural curiosity for what's happening on the other side of the fence, with raising money for charity.

It was back in 1926 at a meeting of The Queen's Institute of District Nursing (now The Queen's Nursing Institute - QNI) that an Elsie Wagg suggested charging the public admission to see private gardens as a possible way of raising funds for the district nursing service and retired nurses.

Nearly 350 volunteers form the backbone of the NGS, and keeping a small office only employing 13 staff members means that most of the money raised goes straight to the beneficiary charities. Through garden admission charges and tea, cake and plant sales together with book sales, the NGS has raised almost £40m for charity, since its launch in 1927, £22m in the last 10 years.

And now each year almost 3,500 gardens throughout Britain open to the public under the scheme - which include nearly 30 in Monmouthshire.

These include Magor Village Late Spring Gardens, which are open usually around May Day bank holiday, (01633 880779); Llanfoist Village Gardens, where about 12 private gardens open in early June, (01873 855474; Monmouth Open Gardens, usually held in mid-June when 25 gardens open to the public including a small secret garden room, the historic Nelson Garden and the King Henry V garden, (01600 714023 or 01600 713423); Usk Open Gardens, usually the last weekend in June when more than 20 private gardens open and there is also a huge plant sale, (01291 672466).

You can find out more about the National Garden Scheme by visit www.ngs.org.uk, where you can order a copy of the 2008 edition of the Yellow Book, which is packed with details of all the gardens across the UK which take part in the scheme.

If that has given you itchy fingers and you're keen to get out into your own garden, how ever big or small, remember there are also plenty of nurseries and garden centres around the country where you can buy all you need to create the perfect haven, in whatever style you want.

12:12pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login