National Garden Scheme – 2025 A Blooming Prospect

Founded in 1927, the National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique, affordable access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake.

A record £3,501,227 raised in 2024 will be donated to beneficiaries (see below).

NGS Chief Executive George Plumptre commented, “Many of our garden owners have a strong affinity with one or more of our beneficiaries, for whom we know that the long-term continuity of our funding year on year is a key quality in the support we give them. It is very unusual, and something of which we are enormously proud.”

At a local level, the quiet time leading up to February is when seeds are being sown for the following year, involving much behind-the scenes preparations as Warwickshire County Organiser Liz Watson explains. “Throughout the year, Warwickshire residents contact us to discuss opening their gardens so two volunteer committee members will visit potential new gardens and discuss logistics and NGS support.

“We start to prepare in August; volunteers will contact garden owners to check whether they wish to open. We can then compile the list of all gardens opening in Warwickshire so that the NGS Head Office in Hatchlands, Surrey can send out registration invitations to our garden owners who will then prepare short descriptions of their gardens, noting any special features together with opening dates and times.

“They can add their choice of photographs, and order the distinctive yellow NGS posters, tickets and signage to advertise their opening which will direct visitors to their individual gardens, all of which is checked by mid-September.

“Preparation continues during the Autumn and Winter with Warwickshire volunteers drafting all information to produce the Garden Visiting Handbook (the famous “Yellow Book”), individual county booklets and to update the website for the following year, all of which is done by the year-end. Those long-awaited county booklets get delivered by volunteers to local garden centres and shops in February. 

“In early March, our garden owners are invited to a gathering where they can meet the volunteers and pick up stationery and booklets, so they’re all set for a first or a repeated opening. We review last year’s highlights, next year’s projects and give out awards for those dedicated garden owners where they have given us 5, 10 and 20 years of opening. Of great interest is the talk given by an invited Beneficiary on making good use of the money the NGS raises locally. In 2024, both the Myton and Marie Curie Hospices provided excellent guest speakers for the meeting which took place at St Francis of Assisi, Kenilworth.”

Thirteen new gardens will join the Warwickshire NGS family in the coming season which promises many and varied delights for both the new and the seasoned visitor.

2024 Distribution of Funds:

Nursing and Health Beneficiaries:          Total £2,550,000
Gardens and Health Beneficiaries:         Total    £417,227
Support for Gardeners:                          Total    £302,000

For full details, please visit ngs.org.uk. Thank you.

Words & Images © Lily Farrah