This weekend sees two totally contrasting gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme in a glorious rural setting.

If you are looking for a conventional, but perfect, country garden but also enjoy creative garden design, then the Old Vicarage and Woodlands Farm ‘combination’ at Penrhos, near Raglan is a treat not to be missed.

The Old Vicarage has a series of skillfully crafted gardens surrounding a beautiful 150-year-old (1867) Victorian Gothic house, which invites you to explore, as the eye is drawn from one garden into the next. With sweeping lawns, a summer house and formal garden, two charming ponds and a kitchen garden all enhanced by imaginatively placed pots, this gem is one to allow plenty of time for.

Woodlands Farm is unique in its design and built to entertain with hidden nooks, paths and a water feature that invite you into its hidden spaces. An Acer walk, sculptures, a viewing platform within a modern ruin - all the easier to see the wonders below - the parterre garden, pavilion, striped bothy and eco credentials make the experience exceptional.

This garden gives first time and returning visitors lots to enjoy - and it never stops evolving. With new barns and grounds added since the last opening it will ensure returning visitors have no shortage of new garden to enjoy.

This delight for gardeners and lovers of the unusual will be open on both Saturday and Sunday (April 22 and 23) from 2pm to 6pm. Admission is £6.50 for the two. Scrumptious teas will be served at Woodlands Farm.

It’s a chance to enjoy two great gardens for the price of one while supporting a raft of deserving charities (more details at ngs.org.uk ). To get there, follow the Yellow ‘Gardens Open for Charity’ signs.