Welshpool gardens set to take centre stage

Two Welshpool gardens will take centre stage in a spectacular 16-day event.

Among the gardens with a starring role in the Festival of Gardens North Wales will be Powis Castle and Gardens and The Dingle Garden near Welshpool.

From Saturday May 27 until Sunday June 11, a total of 24 stunning gardens across the region will throw open their gates to thousands of visitors during the second Festival of Gardens North Wales.

A packed programme of events, ranging from behind the scenes guided tours and photography competitions to a squirrel watch and a vintage car rally will be staged at various gardens as the festival unfolds.

The festival, which is being supported by the Welsh Government, will be officially opened at the beautiful Plas Tan y Bwlch gardens near Maentwrog in Gwynedd by Gardener’s Question Time chairman and former TV weatherman Peter Gibbs.

North Wales Tourism managing director Jim Jones said: “North Wales has some of the most beautiful gardens in the UK and this event is all about showing them off to as many people as possible.”   

More than 100 unique events are planned over the 16 days of the festival at gardens taking part including musical performances, orienteering sessions, treasure hunts, bug hunts, gardening lectures, family treasure hunts, children’s trails and plant sales.

The festival dates have been arranged to coincide with late-spring flowering displays, which will include rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, tulips and flowering cherries, making this one of the best times of the year to visit the great gardens of North Wales. 

Special advisor to the festival once again is gardens guru Tony Russell, renowned as one of Britain’s leading experts on trees and shrubs who also makes regular appearances on the BBC’s Gardener’s Question Time and famously put the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire on the international tourism map.

He said: “Having launched the festival in 2016, I am delighted to see it develop and grow into such an exciting event.

“For 2017 there are even more gardens involved and between them they will be running in excess of 100 special events.

This year for the first time there will be a Friends of the Festival Discount Card costing £5 which will include offers such as free tea/coffee and discounted admission. For more information about the festival go to www.gardensnorthwales.co.uk