THOUSANDS of green-fingered tourists will be heading to Gwynedd for a spectacular 16-day festival of gardens.

A packed programme of events, ranging from behind the scenes guided tours and photography competitions to a squirrel watch and a vintage car rally will be staged as part of the Festival of Gardens North Wales.

Among the stars of the event will be Plas yn Rhiw at Pwllheli, Aber Arto Hall in Llanbedr, Plas Glyn y Weddw in Llanbedrog, Plan Tan y Bwlch near Maentwrog, Portmeirion and Plas Brondanw at Penrhyndeudraeth, Nanhoron in Pwllheli and the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways.

The festival, which is being supported by the Welsh Government, is being organised by North Wales Tourism.

It will be officially opened at the beautiful Plas Tan y Bwlch gardens near Maentwrog by Gardener’s Question Time chairman and former TV weatherman Peter Gibbs this Saturday, 27 May.

Last year’s inaugural Festival of Gardens North Wales brought almost 44,000 visitors flocking to the beauty spots involved and it’s expected to plough up to £2 million into the region this summer.

This year for the first time there will be a Friends of the Festival Discount Card costing £5 which will include offers such as free tea/coffee and discounted admission.

According to Peter Gibbs, the festival will uncover some hidden gems of the garden world.

Peter, who was also a BBC national TV weatherman until last year, said: “A lot of people, including gardeners, don’t realise how many different gardens there are in north Wales.

“Apart from the large, well-known National Trust ones there are also lots of fantastic smaller gardens and without this sort of festival they wouldn’t get noticed by the kind of people who would really enjoy them.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday