Picton Castle Trust has recently completed a £1.2 million restoration of its Grade 2 listed walled garden.

The whole project has taken 10 years from its inception and was partly funded by donations from patrons and supporters, as well as significant grant givers such as the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

To celebrate this achievement, the trust are hosting a formal opening ceremony this Saturday, May 14 in the walled garden, where former head gardener Duncan Hilling and Gwen Ekkes, the wife of late head gardener Leo Ekkes, will cut a ribbon to formally open the restoration.

Western Telegraph: An artist's impression of the garden which will be unveiled on SaturdayAn artist's impression of the garden which will be unveiled on Saturday

Invited to the occasion will be members of the local community, staff and volunteers, season members and anyone that has helped make it possible to achieve the goal of restoring the walled garden and surrounding outbuildings to their former glory.

The site will be closed to the public, as access is by invitation only.

Western Telegraph:

The walled garden itself dates back to 1800 and was the major focus for horticultural activities at Picton.

Glasshouses were used to grow an extensive range of fruit and vegetables, and a great quantity of cut flowers were grown within the walls themselves.

The restoration project has concentrated on the buildings that run alongside the north side of the walled garden, including the old head gardeners office, gardeners cottage, and the courtyard adjacent to it. There is a new glasshouse, bat hotel and raised beds containing our medicinal herb collection.

Western Telegraph:

Picton Castle Gardens is visited by 50,000 people annually.

The 13th century castle sits in 60 acres of RHS partner gardens, which include The Welsh Owl Garden & Zoo, Maria’s courtyard restaurant and the Mansion of Mystery Escape rooms