A GARDEN described by Alan Titchmarsh as 'a living, breathing national treasure' opens its doors tomorrow (Friday) after a winter of investment and improvement.
Improvements have been made to the famous Acer Glade at The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum, as well as expansions work to extend the car park and re-organisation in the plant sales centre and tearoom.
Even more new developments are planned for the spring and summer, including adding a new area to its 12 acres of planting centred on an enchanting walled garden surrounding the romantic ruins of a medieval vicarage.
Grant aid has made completion of an ambitious quarry garden possible, and a new summerhouse is to be built at the highest point of the complex.
Garden manager Keith Wiley said the summerhouse would be exciting. 'It adds a vital shelter point and makes the most of the stunning views we enjoy in our idyllic valley.
'It will demonstrate the very best of local craftsmanship because it is being designed and built in traditional style.'
The Garden House was begun by plantsman Lionel Fortescue in the 1940s, when he transformed the then derelict walled garden into the 'English delight' it remains today.
Since Lionel's death in the1980s, Keith has continued expansion, offering gardens inspired by areas as diverse as Crete, South Africa, Dartmoor and New England.
The Garden House will open daily from March 1 to November 17 and is signposted off the main Plymouth to Tavistock road on the Plymouth side of Yelverton.