Beautiful North Wales gardens to visit

Devotees of the Italianate vision will love the National Trust owned Bodnant Garden. Leading up to the Hall, the upper garden has five terraces, featuring brick paths, lily ponds, formal lawns and herbaceous plants. Below, trees and shrubs flank The Dell, passed by the River Hiraethlyn. Homegrown collections include Chinese, North American and Japanese plants.

A touch of Aussie lushness on the Menai Strait, where the 18th century Plas Newydd House and Gardens – already the place for pristine views of Eryri (Snowdonia) – is home to an Australasian arboretum, no less. Elsewhere, there’s a spring garden, a summer terrace and colourful, massed hydrangeas to enjoy. The catkin garden is a highlight.

Erddig is the place to find the National Ivy Collection, but there are also some extremely rare fruit trees within the hallowed grounds of one of the most important gardens in Britain. Discover why William Eames’ late 18th century design has been deemed worthy of Grade I listing status.

Acres of wonderful gardens fill Plas Tan y Bwlch, a research epicentre in Eryri National Park. They include a water garden, a Japanese garden, a fern nursery, an azalea walk and a wildlife garden, all teeming with unusual exotic specimens. Valleys and woodlands surround this 18th century mansion.

The Great Orme Country Park was dedicated to local residents by Lord Mostyn in 1887, and it offers splendid views of the town more than a century on. Take a sloping walk to the charming landscaped gardens forming part of them, then lie back and relax under the ancient trees towering above.

Replenish your spirit with some serious flower power courtesy of a pantheon of plants first established during the 1930s, decorating the grounds of Plas yn Rhiw 16th century house and gardens. Now a National Trust site, the array of public footpaths extend an invitation to discover the rare botany of a historic collection.

Something of a hidden gem, the eight acres at Bodrhyddan are beautiful. They include a formal Victorian parterre, an avenue, a Pleasance and a Dingle, with a maze pattern allowing squares of bright blooms to snake around the central enclosure. Exquisite to visit on a midsummer afternoon.

First planted more than 150 years ago and enhanced ever since, Portmeirion’s mild climate means that you can see all sorts of trees along the coastline, from Himalayan Firs to Variegated Sycamore. The shrubs, hedges, abundant flowers, lakes and woodland are nothing short of spectacular in any season. You could spend hours exploring Y Gwyllt (the woods behind the village) - you'll find something new every time. The Japanese Garden and pagoda is a wonderful surprise hidden away in the woods.

Clough Williams-Ellis was the creator of Portmeirion and Plas Brondanw is the property he inherited more than a century ago. The gardens are the legacy of a man who spent much of his life and every penny he had on them. These days their magnificent landscaping – part of a site built in the mid-16th century – offers yews, an orangery and splendid mountain views.

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