Nant-y-Bedd

About the garden

Owned by

Sue and Ian Mabberley

Nant-y-Bedd is a very special 10 acres of organic garden, forest, river and pasture which truly blends into its surrounding landscape, making an already sizeable garden feel even bigger. The garden nestles in the forested Grwyne Fawr valley, 1,200ft up in the Black Mountains of Wales.

Crafted over 40-plus years, the garden stretches up the hill into the forest and slopes gently down to the Grwyne Fawr river. This naturalness makes Nant-y-Bedd so beloved by so many people, be they garden professionals or simply garden lovers. No stripey lawns and regimented beds here. Wildflowers – weeds to some – combine with vegetables and fruit trees, unusual varieties alongside age-old favourites and plants for pollinators abound.

Sustainability really comes to the fore at Nant-y-Bedd. No bought-in compost and potting mixes; Sue makes her own, with compost bins constantly supplying a rich, friable product. Seeds are saved and resown, hazel is coppiced to support runner beans and peas. Other gems include a rope bridge leading to a glorious natural swimming pond, where Sue and Ian swim with tadpoles, newts and inquisitive dragonflies, whilst surrounded by native water lilies, purple loosestrife and other native water plants.

A treehouse, in an ancient Sycamore, overlooks the river, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designated for salmon and otter. Over another bridge and, in spring, a bluebell fringed walk along the river leads to the spooky forest, with sheep skulls among the trees keeping younger visitors entertained.

Around the house are the Edible Forest Garden with a Schezuan Peppercorn, honeyberries, tea bushes, blueberries and wild raspberries, whilst the Cottage Garden provides interest all year round and never a piece of bare soil to be seen.

What started life 40 years ago as a simple country garden has turned into something much more interesting, ‘quirky and confident'.