A POPULAR Monmouthshire garden has been nominated in a national search for the best garden in the UK.

The Veddw House Garden near Devauden has been shortlisted for the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2015/16 in the Garden of the Year category and is the only one in Wales to make it to the final list.

Husband and wife team Anne Wareham and Charles Hawes were astounded when they learned they had been nominated as one of only five gardens in the UK as well as the only Welsh garden.

“We had a sense of disbelieving then delighted to be shortlisted” said Anne, a garden writer. “We were chuffed enough to be one of Alan Titchmarsh’s 10 Best British Gardens” she added.

Titchmarsh had spent the day at the garden back in 2012 filming for his ITV series Love Your Garden and described it as: “A quirky garden created by self-confessed ‘Bad-Tempered Gardener’ Anne Wareham. The hedges alone are worth a visit, and there is much to learn about the use of plants in this Welsh garden.”

Anne and Charles, who is a prominent garden photographer, created the garden over 28 years ago from two fields and it has been open to the public for the past 15 years.

Chris Young of the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘The Garden’ said it was:

“A substantial garden that establishes a strong sense of place and uses plants for visual (rather than purely horticultural) effect, plenty of interest, some sublime design touches, and is a place being constantly refined and improved.”

Anne reflected on the surprise at being put forward for the UK award and said: “We’ll break open a bottle, for sure, and consider other possibilities if it happens! I don’t imagine for one moment we’ll win, but it’s good enough to be on that list and putting Welsh gardens in the picture.”

The garden is open every Sunday afternoon in June, July and August 2pm-5pm with coach parties, and groups of ten or more, welcome by arrangement from May to September inclusive.

The other gardens shortlisted are Glendoick Gardens in Perthshire, Croome Court, in the Midlands, Holker Hall, in Cumbria, and Beth Chatto Gardens in Essex.

The winner will be announced in an online ceremony in March and will appear in the May issue of the Countryfile magazine, on sale 8th April.

If you want to vote for Vedw Garden, go to: www.countryfile.

com/explore-countryside/places/garden-year-201516