Dyffryn Gardens: Summer 2019

This morning I paid my annual spring/summer visit to Dyffryn Gardens. Situated in the Vale of Glamorgan, just outside Cardiff, Dyffryn Gardens is run by the National Trust and is home to a grand Edwardian manor, surrounded by some 55 acres of botanical gardens – and it’s one of my favourite places for a weekend stroll.

I’ve visited the gardens a couple of times already this year, but this was my first visit during the summer when the flowers were in full bloom.

I like going back every year to see what the groundspeople have done to the gardens as they never look the same from one year to the next.

There was a lot of colour in the gardens this year, and following on from last year, the planting seemed much more natural and less formal that it has in previous years.

I had great fun photographing the many flowers in the gardens – some of which were spectacular. Here are some of my favourites from this year’s visit:

Blue flowers near the lily pond in the Italian Gardens at Dyffryn Gardens

There were lots of bees, dragonflies and butterflies buzzing around the gardens, too, and it’s safe to say I got a bit carried away trying to photograph them:

Dragonfly on the pavement at Dyffryn Gardens

Butterfly on a purple flower at Dyffryn Gardens

The gardens were as lovely and as welcoming as ever, and I really enjoyed my visit. If you’re ever in the Cardiff area, I highly recommend Dyffryn for a day out.

And if you’re interested in how the gardens have looked in previous years, take a look at my blog posts from 2017, 2016 and 2015.