This year marks the 10th anniversary of one of Wales’ most impressive visitor attractions. The National Botanic Garden of Wales, located in Llanarthne in the southwestern region of Carmarthenshire, is home to the world’s largest single-span glasshouse. The garden is celebrating its 10th birthday throughout the year with a series of special events including Shakespearean plays, outdoor classical concerts, Welsh choirs and jazz evenings.

One of the more interesting features of the garden is NOT a plant, but a rock — specifically, the “Rock of Ages”. Who knew that the names of the geological time zones Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian came from here: the Silures and Ordovices were Welsh tribes, and Cambria was the Roman name for Wales! The “Rock of Ages” tells the story of Welsh geology using stones donated from all over Wales. The rocks form a sequence from youngest to oldest along the Broadwalk, demonstrating the importance of geology in determining the shape of the landscape and the soils on the land.

Plants from six areas of the world: California, Australia, the Canary Islands, Chile, South Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, are collected in the Great Glasshouse, the largest single span glasshouse in the world. Pictured (above, left) is the Isopogon Iatifolius from Western Australia, in bloom in the Great Glasshouse. More than a million honey bees converge on the Bee Garden, planted with their favorite flowers. There’s a Japanese Garden, a “wild” garden, a bog garden…too much to list here!

The gardens, which cover 568 acres, are open every day except Christmas. Admission for adults is £8.