What is the National Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk)?

Updated

The National Garden Scheme is a charity that gives visitors access to over 3,300 exceptional private gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. Garden owners open their gates to the public, and the money raised through admissions, teas and cake goes to nursing and health charities. If you want an affordable day out in a private garden — or you own a garden and are considering opening it — this is the organisation behind it.

What the National Garden Scheme does

The core activity is simple: private garden owners open their gardens on selected days, visitors pay an admission fee, and the proceeds are donated to charity. The Scheme describes this as raising "impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake."

The 2025 figures show the scale of it: a record £3,875,596 was donated from funds gathered at garden openings during the year. According to the Scheme, those donations supported people living with cancer, Parkinson's, poor mental health, or the pressures of unpaid caring, by funding nurses, health professionals and case workers.

Where the gardens are

The Scheme covers four areas:

  • England
  • Wales
  • Northern Ireland
  • the Channel Islands

Within those areas, more than 3,300 private gardens take part. The site's find-a-garden search is the tool for locating one near you or near wherever you plan to travel.

What a visit costs

Visits are positioned as good value. The average admission price in 2026 is £6.37 for an adult — up 24p on 2025 — and in most cases children under 16 go free. Treat the "children go free" part as the common case rather than a universal rule; individual gardens set their own arrangements, so check the specific garden listing before you go.

Beyond garden visits

The Scheme runs other programmes alongside the openings:

  • The Big British Garden Survey — a biodiversity project run with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). Garden owners can register their garden and take part; the registration deadline given is 30 September.
  • Community Garden Grants — applications for the 2027 grants, supported by the Julia Rausing Trust, open between Tuesday 29 September and Friday 30 October 2026. Updated guidelines are published on the site.
  • Opening your own garden — the Scheme invites garden owners to join and explains how to take part.

How to plan a visit

  1. Go to ngs.org.uk and use the find-a-garden search.
  2. Filter or browse to a garden in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Channel Islands.
  3. Check the individual garden's opening dates and admission details — the £6.37 average and free child entry are typical, not guaranteed for every garden.
  4. Turn up on the opening day. Expect the traditional extras: teas and cake, which are part of how the money is raised.

You can also sign up for email updates about gardens, events and Scheme activities throughout the year if you want to hear about openings as they are announced.

Who this is for

  • Visitors looking for inexpensive days out in private gardens that are not normally open to the public.
  • Garden owners interested in opening their garden and contributing to the charity's donations.
  • Community projects eligible for the Community Garden Grants.
  • Gardeners and community scientists who want to join the Big British Garden Survey.

If your interest is a specific garden, the find-a-garden search and that garden's own listing are the authoritative sources for dates and prices. If your interest is opening a garden or applying for a grant, start with the corresponding section of the site, since deadlines and guidelines there are time-sensitive.