Ness Botanic Gardens in Wirral is a place of truly rare delights. Not only is it a world-class botanic garden, with collections which include extraordinarily rare specimens, it is a place with an atmosphere uniquely its own.Ness was created over 100 years ago by a philanthropic plant hunter who shared his garden freely with whoever arrived at his gate.
Today, that generous sense of sharing is still so evident that it only takes one visit in order to fall in love with Ness for ever. Its 64 acres offer so many things – plant trails, bird watching, a water garden, rock garden, a picture-perfect potager, woodland, wildflower meadow, stunning views across the Dee estuary to Snowdonia… and a fascinating history. And nowhere will you find ropes to keep you at bay, signs to warn children off the grass or a wish generally to keep visitors in their place.
At Ness, you can wander freely or enjoy an expert’s guided tour. There are places to picnic, an excellent cafe, a newly-opened shop (packed with original stock), rare seed on sale, an amazing events calendar, wheelchair-friendly routes, organic produce on sale – and the nicest, most helpful staff. Last year, for the first time, Ness played host to the prestigious BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party. The team were so captivated by the place that they asked to come back again this year – a quite unprecedented accolade from this sought-after national BBC radio show.So the Ness cat is well and truly out of the bag, as far as the garden-visiting cognoscenti goes… We can be sure the rest won’t be far behind!
Check the website for all event details – and don’t miss the chance to join GQT at Ness in September
