Aberclwyd Manor garden covers four acres on a sloping hillside overlooking the beautiful Upper Clwyd Valley. The garden has many mature trees underplanted with snowdrops, fritillaries and cyclamen in spring. An Italianate garden of box hedging lies below the house and shrubs, ponds, perennials, roses and an orchard are also features visitors can enjoy on National Garden Scheme open days.

Bluebell Cottage Gardens, a garden and nursery owned by award-winning plantswoman Sue Beesley, in Dutton, Cheshire. A feature set photographed in April.

Bodnant Garden, near Conwy, North Wales, with its daffodils, Camellias, blossom, Rhododendrons, Magnolias and other spring flowers, photographed in March

May with Rhododendrons and Azaleas in full flower at the National Trust's Bodnant Garden, near Conwy, North Wales

The secluded plant-filled garden of Brooke Cottage, Cheshire, photographed in May. The owners moved into the cottage in 1996, when the garden was bare apart from a large Leylandii hedge, scrubby lawn and a large section at the front of the house completely obscured by a conifer and a Rhododendron ponticum. Surrounded by mature trees and shrubs, it is now divided into three distinct areas with seats placed to provide a range of views of the garden. The front garden comes alive in May with a variety of Azaleas and Rhododendrons providing a striking display of colour – adding structure in this area is a larch, pruned into the shape of an umbrella. This merges into a more muted and restful woodland area, with its distinctive lizard water feature and a small circular patio surrounded by Acers, Brunnera, and other shade-loving plants including more than 30 varieties of fern. At the back of the property the main patio comprises a small pond and 40 large containers fed by a watering system with bold leaved plants including a wonderful display of 25 varieties of Hostas. Finally, pathways of granite setts lead through an ivy-clad brick archway to another section of the garden where there are mixed herbaceous borders and island beds planted in a naturalistic style with grasses and perennials. Different types of Euphorbia, Alliums and Scabiosa provide interest in late spring, while an area planted with Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing’, Aquilegia, Persicaria ‘Superba’ and Astrantia creates a meadow-like effect, popular with bees and other insects.

Bryn Bellan is a tranquil, elegant garden near Mold, North Wales. It has a partly walled upper garden together with a circular sunken lawn featuring a Sequoia and white and green themed mixed borders. The lower garden has an ornamental cutting garden, two perennial borders, an orchard and potting shed. There are many spring bulbs, iris, peonies, hydrangeas and cyclamen.

Carden Hall, a private property near Malpas in south Cheshire with large formal gardens, featuring terraced herbaceous borders; a rose garden; a kitchen garden and lake. Photographed in May.

May in the gardens of the National Trust's Chirk Castle, near Wrexham, North Wales

Spring blossom, Magnolias, Camellias, daffodils and other spring flowers in the gardens at Cholmondeley Castle, south Cheshire - photographed in April

Donadea, a garden at a private property near Babell, North Wales. Fearuring long borders planted with shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs, together with an avenue of mature lime trees. Photographed in May

Second rights eature set - May, with an abundance of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, at Dorothy Clive Garden, Staffordshire

The gardens at Hodnet Hall, Shropshire, photographed in April

The garden at Holker Hall, Cumbria, photographed in April. Available as a first rights set

Manley Knoll, Cheshire, photographed in May. This is an Arts and Crafts garden created in the early 1900s. Covering six acres, it is divided into different rooms including parterres, clipped yew hedging, ornamental ponds, a sunken garden, kitchen garden, a small orchard and herbaceous borders. With views across the Cheshire Plain, the garden also has a bluebell-carpeted sandstone quarry garden, planted with a range of Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Pieris.

These images are available from the GAP Gardens garden and plant image collection at: http://www.gapphotos.com/featuredetails.asp?view=mount-pleasant-gardens-&featureref=3098

Parm Place is a well-stocked half acre plantswoman's garden in the pretty mid-Cheshire village of Great Budworth. With views towards the south of the county, the garden has curving lawns, a parterre, shrubs, colour co-ordinated herbaceous borders, roses, water features and a gravel area. At the bottom of the garden fruit and vegetables are grown. The garden explodes with colour in spring, with beautiful displays of daffodils, other spring bulbs, Camellias, Hellebores and flowering shrubs.

The private garden at Pen-y-Graig, near Denbigh in North Wales, photographed in May. It is home to around 500 Rhododendrons and Azaleas. The garden is the work of Colin Mugridge, who has also created over 100 hybrids. Colin has uniquely been able to grow all these normally acid loving plants in the alkaline soil of this former limestone quarry.

These images will be available from late summer 2020 due to pending publication.

These images will be available from summer 2020 due to pending publication.

Stockton Bury Gardens, Herefordshire, photographed in May

Stretton Old Hall is a five acre Cheshire countryside garden surrounding a 17th century house, with 19th century additions. It is contemporary in design, with a heavy use of perennials, colour, form and scale. It's divided into several distinct 'rooms', including a lawned area edged with herbaceous borders; a scree garden; a walled kitchen garden and glass house; wild flower meadows; and a wildlife walk around a lake with views over the surrounding countryside.

Tattenhall Hall, Cheshire, photographed in late May. Tattenhall Hall, Cheshire, is a plant enthusiasts garden around Jacobean house. It is open through the National Gardens Scheme. Covering four and a half acres, visitors can enjoy wild flower meadows, a large pond and stream, a walled garden and colour themed borders. There is also a spinney walk with shade plants, a yew terrace overlooking a meadow which was once a large millpond. The garden seems to merge with adjacent hills, providing views to the nearby Peckforton Hills.

Tattenhall Hall, Cheshire, photographed in March. This is a plant enthusiasts garden around Jacobean house. It is open through the National Gardens Scheme. Covering four and a half acres, visitors can enjoy wild flower meadows, a large pond and stream, a walled garden and colour themed borders. There is also a spinney walk with shade plants, a yew terrace overlooking a meadow which was once a large millpond. The garden seems to merge with adjacent hills, providing views to the nearby Peckforton Hills.

Tattenhall Hall, Cheshire, photographed in late spring. This is a plant enthusiasts' garden around a Jacobean house. It is open through the National Gardens Scheme. Covering four and a half acres, visitors can enjoy wild flower meadows, a large pond and stream, a walled garden and colour themed borders. There is also a spinney walk with shade plants, a yew terrace overlooking a meadow which was once a large millpond. The garden seems to merge with adjacent hills, providing views to the nearby Peckforton Hills.

The Old Dairy House is a Grade II listed property which originally formed part of the Trentham Estate. It forms the backdrop to a two acre garden with shaded areas for rhododendrons and azaleas plus shrubberies, hostas and ferns, mature trees, cottage garden planting and long borders. It is photographed here in late May.

Mid April in Wollerton Old Hall Garden, Shropshire. These images are available for sale for editorial purposes, please contact me for more information.