National Garden Scheme

rdf:langString National Garden Scheme

rdf:langString The National Garden Scheme opens privately owned gardens in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands on selected dates for charity. It was founded in 1927 with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to the public for charity". The scheme has raised over £60 million since it began, and normally opens thousands of gardens a year. County organisers are responsible for vetting gardens to make sure they are of sufficient interest.When the scheme began 609 private gardens were opened and £8,191 was raised. A small number of the original "pioneer" gardens still participate in the Scheme, while many more have joined. Over 3,700 gardens were due to open in 2020 but the impact of COVID-19 meant that most openings were cancelled. However, new online virtual garden tours were introduced. Visitor information is published in a publication called The Garden Visitor's Handbook (formerly the Yellow Book). There is another Yellow Book for the separate Scotland's Gardens scheme.