Bodnant Garden

About the garden

Owned by

The National Trust

Bodnant Garden nestles in the Snowdonian foothills of North Wales. A Grade I-listed horticultural paradise, it is one of the jewels in the crown of the National Trust, cherished by visitors the world over. Set on a Conwy Valley hillside, the garden’s 80 acres drop dramatically from manicured lawns and grand, flower-filled terraces, through buzzing wildflower meadows and shrub-filled glades, into awe-inspiring dells of water gardens and towering trees.

Established in 1874 by scientist, businessman and politician Henry Pochin, he and his family filled the garden with plants collected by global explorers such as Ernest Wilson, George Forrest and Harold Comber. Bodnant is a garden of firsts – home to the grandest Laburnum Arch, to Britain’s earliest magnolias, and to unique rhododendron hybrids which were born and bred here.

Cared for by the National Trust since 1949, today it is home to plants as diverse as the Blue Poppy of the Himalayas to the Fire Bush of the Andes, as well as five National Collections (Magnolia, Embothrium, Eucryphia species, Rhododendron forrestii and Rhododendron Bodnant Hybrids) and Wales’ largest collection of UK Champion Trees.

With its dramatic mountain backdrop, Bodnant Garden is as much about secluded nooks as grand panoramas; a place to escape and become immersed in nature. In spring, enjoy swathes of daffodils, camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons; roses, lily ponds, herbaceous beds and buzzing wildflower meadows in summer; a kaleidoscope of rich leaf colour in autumn; and a beautifully designed Winter Garden.   

Please note: Dogs welcome on short leads Thu–Sun, Apr–Sep (excl BH Mon) and daily, Oct–Mar.