ngs.org.uk

Money raised through National Garden Scheme garden openings goes to nursing and health charities. According to the scheme's own figures, a record £3,875,596 was donated from funds gathered at garden openings during 2025. That money is channelled through the charities the scheme supports, and it reaches people through the nurses, health professionals and case workers who care for them.

What the 2025 donations supported

The National Garden Scheme states that its 2025 donations helped thousands of people living with:

• Cancer
• Parkinson's
• Poor mental health
• The pressures of unpaid caring

The funding works by backing the frontline staff — nurses, health professionals and case workers — who provide care and support to those groups. In other words, the visitor-facing side (admissions, teas and cake) is the fundraising engine, and the beneficiary side is a set of nursing and health charities.

How the money is raised

The scheme describes three main streams that feed its donations:

Garden owners open their private gardens to visitors, and the proceeds from these openings are gathered and then donated. The scheme says it gives visitors access to over 3,300 exceptional private gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and that it raises money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake.

Why the 2025 total matters

The £3,875,596 figure is described by the scheme as a record, and as a landmark year. It is the clearest single number on the site for answering "where does the money go?" — it quantifies the total donated from a year of garden openings, rather than describing an individual garden's takings or a single charity's grant.

What is not stated

The page evidence does not break the total down by individual charity, by region, or by how much came from admissions versus teas and cake. It also does not state what proportion of any garden's admission price is donated. If you need that level of detail, it is not available from the material summarised here.

The practical takeaway

If your reason for visiting an NGS garden is partly to support health charities, the mechanism is straightforward: you pay an admission price, often buy tea and cake, and the funds gathered from openings are donated to nursing and health charities. The 2025 total of £3,875,596 is the scheme's own measure of what that adds up to across a year, and the stated beneficiaries are people affected by cancer, Parkinson's, poor mental health and unpaid caring, reached through the nurses, health professionals and case workers funded to support them.

Applications for the National Garden Scheme (NGS) 2027 Community Garden Grants open on Tuesday 29 September 2026 and close on Friday 30 October 2026. If you want to apply, the practical step to take now is to read the updated guidelines on ngs.org.uk before the window opens, because the application period is only about a month long and the guidelines set out what the scheme is looking for. The grants are supported by the Julia Rausing Trust.

Key dates and facts

What to do before you apply

1. Read the updated guidelines. The NGS says updated guidelines are available to read, and advises getting ready to apply. Treat these as the source of truth for eligibility, what the grant can fund, and what you need to submit.
2. Check your timing. The window runs from 29 September to 30 October 2026. Plan to submit within that period rather than before it opens.
3. Prepare your garden information. The NGS context is community and private gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, so have a clear description of your garden project and its community benefit ready.
4. Apply during the window. Applications are only open between the two dates above; the guidelines page is the place to confirm the exact submission route.

Common sticking points

• The window is short. Roughly one month separates opening and closing, so drafting before 29 September 2026 avoids a rush.
• Guidelines may have changed. The NGS describes them as "updated," so don't rely on an older version.
• This is separate from opening your garden. Applying for a Community Garden Grant is a different process from the NGS garden-opening scheme, even though both sit under the same organisation.

For the definitive requirements and the application itself, use the Community Garden Grants page on ngs.org.uk.

Use the "find a garden" search on ngs.org.uk to browse the roughly 3,500 private gardens that open to the public across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. Admission is designed to be affordable: the average adult ticket in 2026 is £6.37, up 24p on 2025, and in most cases children under 16 go free.

Finding a garden to visit

The National Garden Scheme (NGS) opens private gardens that are not normally accessible to the public. The site's search tool is the main way in.

• Where it covers: England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
• How many gardens: the site describes over 3,300 gardens opening, and its search covers around 3,500 listings.
• What you're searching for: individual gardens and open days, not a single venue, so results depend on your location and the date you want to visit.

A practical approach:

1. Open the find-a-garden search on ngs.org.uk.
2. Enter a place or postcode near where you want to visit.
3. Check the opening date and time for each garden — most private gardens open only on selected days, often seasonally.
4. Note anything the listing says about facilities, accessibility or refreshments before you travel.

What admission costs

The NGS frames these visits as affordable days out and good value for money. Two things to keep in mind:

• £6.37 is an average, not a fixed price. Individual gardens set their own admission, so expect some to be cheaper and some higher.
• "In most cases" children go free. Treat free child entry as the norm rather than a guarantee, and check the specific garden's listing if you're bringing children.

Where the money goes

Admission fees, along with proceeds from teas and cake, are donated to nursing and health charities. The NGS reported a record £3,875,596 donated from garden openings in 2025, supporting people living with cancer, Parkinson's, poor mental health, or the pressures of unpaid caring.

If knowing the purpose matters to you, this is the core of the scheme: you pay a modest entry fee, and the funds go to health charities rather than to a commercial operator.

Other things the site lets you do

Beyond visiting, ngs.org.uk supports a few related actions:

• Open your own garden. Garden owners can apply to open their private garden to visitors as part of the scheme.
• Take part in the Big British Garden Survey. A biodiversity project run with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH); you register your garden and take part before 30 September.
• Apply for a Community Garden Grant. Applications for 2027 grants, supported by the Julia Rausing Trust, open between Tuesday 29 September and Friday 30 October 2026.
• Sign up for updates. A newsletter form collects your email and name to hear about gardens, events and activities through the year.

Quick answers

Is it free to visit? No — there is an admission charge, averaging £6.37 for an adult in 2026, though children under 16 usually go free.

Do I need to book? The source material doesn't state a booking requirement; check the individual garden's listing, since private gardens often have limited opening days.

Can I visit any time? No. These are private gardens that open on selected dates, so always confirm the date before travelling.

The National Garden Scheme (NGS) opens over 3,300 exceptional private gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and it invites garden owners to apply to join them. If you are interested in opening your own garden, the starting point is the "Open your garden" section of ngs.org.uk, where you can find out more about what is involved and how to become part of the scheme. The scheme raises money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake, so opening your garden means your private space contributes to that fundraising.

What opening your garden involves

The NGS describes garden owners as part of the "National Garden Scheme family", and the scheme could not operate without their support. When you open your garden, visitors pay admission (and often buy teas and cake), and the funds gathered go towards the scheme's charitable donations.

The scale of that fundraising is significant: in 2025 the NGS donated a record £3,875,596 from funds gathered at garden openings throughout the year. 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.

How to take the first step

1. Go to ngs.org.uk.
2. Find the "Open your garden" section (linked from the homepage).
3. Read the information there about opening your garden and being part of the National Garden Scheme.
4. Follow the instructions provided to express your interest or apply.

The website is the authoritative source for the current process, criteria and any deadlines, so check it directly rather than relying on second-hand summaries.

What visitors pay (context for garden owners)

Understanding the visitor side helps set expectations. According to the NGS, the average admission price in 2026 to a National Garden Scheme garden is £6.37 for an adult — up just 24p on 2025 — and in most cases children under 16 go free. The scheme positions these visits as affordable days out and good value for money.

Other ways to get involved

If opening your garden is not right for you, the NGS also runs related initiatives:

• 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 — the NGS opens applications for its 2027 Community Garden Grants, supported by the Julia Rausing Trust, between Tuesday 29 September and Friday 30 October 2026. Updated guidelines are available on the website.
• Staying informed — you can sign up on the site to hear more about gardens, events and NGS activities throughout the year.

For anything specific to your garden — eligibility, what opening entails, and current application details — use the "Open your garden" pages on ngs.org.uk, as those are kept up to date by the scheme itself.

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.