SOME of Herefordshire’s most beautiful gardens will be opened to the public this year.

Gardeners have been busy tending their grounds ready to welcome visitors as part of the St Michael’s Hospice Open Gardens programme.

The free two-day Hospice Plant Fair kicks off next Friday and Saturday (May 5-6) at the Hospice's home in Bartestree.

This is followed next Sunday (May 7) by the opening of three properties in and around Hereford.

Castle Cliffe and 12 Quay Street lie on the banks of the River Wye close to the city centre.

Castle Cliffe started life as the imposing watergate of one of the largest English strongholds of the Welsh Marches, Hereford Castle.

Upstream is 12 Quay Street, offering unspoilt views up and down the Wye. The garden features a vegetable patch and gently sloping grass with benches dotted around.

Also on the Sunday, the garden at 23 Traherne Close in Lugwardine will open.

This small and perfectly formed garden was designed and made by the owner in the spring of 2014.

A conifer hedge surrounds the bungalow, and the garden is comprised of mixed herbaceous borders with topiary, silver birch and fruit trees, plus a pond.

For directions and full details of each garden opening this year, visit st-michaels-hospice.org.uk