National Gardens Scheme

The National Garden Scheme opens gardens in England and Wales for charity. It was founded in 1927 in England with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to the public for charity". The scheme has raised over £50 million since it began, and over half a million garden visits occur each year.

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 open in 2013. County organisers are responsible for vetting gardens to make sure they are of sufficient interest.

Visitor information is published in a publication called "The Garden Visitor's Handbook" (formerly the Yellow Book). There is another Yellow Book for Scotland's Gardens Scheme.

Originally the admission fees raised money for district nurses, although the creation of the National Health Service in 1948 changed the nature of the support required. In 1980, the National Gardens Scheme Charitable Trust was launched as an independent charity with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as patron. The current patron is Charles, Prince of Wales. The Queen's Nursing Institute is still one of the charities supported. along with Perennial, Macmillan Cancer Support and others.

The National Garden Scheme was featured in a Twofour produced BBC2 programme Open Gardens.

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