Visit Glorious Gardens in Pembrokeshire

DYFFRYN FERNANT GARDEN

Dyffryn Fernant Garden in Fishguard is a modern garden that has grown out of its ancient landscape under the Pembrokeshire Preseli uplands. It is a founder member of the Great Gardens of West Wales initiative, and this innovative and exciting garden is a true labour of love. It was first created by the owners of these six acres of wilderness back in 1996 and now features a wide range of planting areas, including a bog garden, orchard, azalea bank, ornamental grass field and a fernery. You can even stay overnight in Y Bwthyn Bach, a one-room private holiday cottage situated in the middle of the garden.

SCOLTON MANOR PARK

Just five miles north of Haverfordwest, the Walled Garden at Scolton Manor Parkis a striking and painstakingly preserved piece of Pembrokeshire history. From the early 1850s onwards, Scolton’s gardeners would have grown fruit and vegetables here for the resident family. Now fully restored to its former glory and opened to the public since 2014, it is once again a working garden providing fresh organic produce and flowers to the local community and restaurants, including Edie’s Tea Room, where you can sample some fresh local cuisine using items picked daily from the garden. 

COLBY WOODLAND GARDEN

With an industrial past, Colby Woodland Garden is in a hidden valley on the coast north of Amroth. Colourful all year round, this National Trust estate covers eight acres and was once a working coalfield. You can still see the closed-off mine entrances as you wander the woodland trails and follow the old mine track leading to the beach. With shady woodland walks, a wildflower meadow and a secret walled garden, you can enjoy a peaceful amble or take part in one of the seasonal trails whilst looking out for the creatures great and small that call this wooded expanse home.

STACKPOLE WALLED GARDENS

Hearty fruit and vegetable plants, beautiful wildflowers, a secret garden and the opportunity to indulge in tea and homemade cakes are what’s on offer at the wonderfully peaceful Stackpole Walled Gardens in Pembroke. Pembrokeshire Mencap Ltd leases six acres of historic walled gardens from the National Trust’s estate at Stackpole and manages the garden to provide work experience and horticultural training to those with learning difficulties. 2023 saw the planting of a new vineyard with the aim that they will be producing their own label wine within the next few years.

PICTON CASTLE GARDENS

Considered to be the finest stately home in Wales with over 700 years of history, Picton Castle Gardens near Haverfordwest is set over 50 acres with a mix of formal and informal gardens, lawns and woodlands and is recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for its excellence. With one of the most prized plant collections in Wales, there is something for everyone, including a recently restored 19th-century walled garden, glasshouse with exotics, fernery, children’s adventure playground, maze, rare plant collection and mature woodland.

UPTON CASTLE

Another RHS partner, Upton Castle, consists of 35 acres of tranquil historic gardens, surrounded by ancient woodland with impressive herbaceous borders, a delightful formal rose garden, and a fascinating, traditional 18th-century walled garden. Still a private family home, this Norman castle is a must-see for gardening enthusiasts; where you can enjoy woodland walks bursting with wildflowers, visit a medieval chapel that contains ornately carved stone tombs of crusader knights and enjoy a slice of cake in the cafe overlooking the meadow.