Gardens to Explore in North Wales
North Wales has a vast landscape of fertile land which has allowed the cultivation of some of the most magical, rare and spectacular gardens that are waiting to be explored.
Plas Newydd
Plas Newydd House and Gardens is a Grade I listed country house here on Anglesey, and was the ancestral home of the Marquess of Anglesey. The house and gardens are situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty overlooking the Menai Straits and Snowdonia.
The origin of the house dates back to 1470, however, parts were rebuilt in 1793. The house has been passed down by inheritance for over 500 years and has been owned by the National Trust since 1976.
The house is surrounded by 40 acres of beautiful Grade I gardens where you will find an abundance of flowers including tulips, dahlias, savias, perennials, massed hydrangeas and a rose garden.
Plas Newydd is also surrounded by 149 acres of extensive woodland where you can discover ancient trees, Japanese maples, Camellia Dell trees, eucalyptus, Chilean flame and Eucryphia trees.
Plas Cadnant
Explore the hidden world of Plas Cadnant here on Anglesey, where you will discover one of North Wales best kept secret. Plas Cadnant is nestled in an idyllic valley, close to Beaumaris and the Menai Straits.
The present owner, Anthony Tavernor, bought the 200 acre estate in 1996 and the restoration began on the historic garden and ground. It has since become an award-winning restoration project that currently contains 10 acres of gardens with more being discovered and restored.
The gardens currently include a 2 acre walled garden, a secret valley with a river and waterfalls, a woodland garden and remains of a 19th-century folly.
The gardens are also a site of special scientific interest as they are home to the endangered red squirrel, mosses and rare ferns.
Throughout the seasons, you will see a variety of flowers blossoming and showcasing their exquisite colours including camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, and herbaceous perennials.
Bodnant Garden
Bodnant Garden is a world-famous garden that was established in 1874 by the scientist, Henry Pochin. The development of the garden began with Pochin and his family filling the garden with plants that were sourced from famous global explorers.
The gardens consist of 80 acres of Italianate terraces, riverside gardens, wilder meadows, woods and other spectacular features which are now cared for by the National Trust since 1949.
The planting of trees at Bodnant dates back to the Georgian era around the late 1700’s and has the largest and finest collection of 40 UK champion trees and 130 Welsh champion trees. It is also home to Britain’s earliest magnolias that were introduced from China in the late 1800’s, and is known to have one of the finest rose gardens in Wales.
Exotic plants and trees thrive at Bodnant Garden,from the blue poppy of the Himalayas to the fire bush of the Andes. National flowers including magnolia, embothrium, rhododendron/Bodnant hybrid, and eucryphia can be admired within the gardens and will display a variety of colours dependent on the seasons.
Bodnant Garden is most famous for its laburnum arch that was constructed in 1880, with visitors flocking to walk underneath its spectacular display when it blossoms in May and June.