Sir Norman Foster's glass house is the garden's centre piece

1996 - The £43m garden is founded with a £22m grant from the Millennium Commission.

1996 - Sir Norman Foster chosen to design the great glass house that will form the centre piece. Work starts.

24 May 2000 - The garden opens its gates to members of the public.

21 July 2000 - Prince Charles officially opens the attraction during a visit to Wales

6 November 2000 - Garden announces 180,000 people visit in first months surpassing target by 20,000.

15 February 2001 - Institute of Welsh Affairs says the garden should have annual subsidy to aid its research work.

Funding problems

16 July 2002 - Welsh Assembly Government gives £360,000 funding after bad weather and the foot-and-mouth outbreak is blamed for a fall in visitor numbers.

20 August 2002 - The garden's first director Charles Stirton announces he is stepping down after six years in the post.

26 February 2003 - Assembly government gives a further £1m to help keep the garden open through the summer.

18 March 2003 - A name change to Middleton is announced as part of a re-branding exercise to reverse decline in visitor numbers.

15 July 2003 - An additional £600,000 handout is received from National Lottery.

29 September 2003 - Trustees reveal they may have to call in receivers as they seek more assembly support.

3 October 2003 - Fresh hope as Carmarthenshire Council says it will offer financial support.

4 October 2003 - Visitors allowed in for free but asked to make a donation. Around 7,000 people turn up over the weekend.

Closure crisis

6 October 2003 - Sixty staff are given one month's notice as cutbacks are made.

14 October 2003 - Trustees agree short-term rescue package with Welsh assembly, Carmarthenshire Council and Millennium Commission to keep it open until Christmas.

1 November 2003 - The founder of Cornwall's Eden Project visits garden which he says must be saved.

5 November 2003 - Redundant staff complete their last day in work.

17 November 2003 - Man who originated the idea for the National Botanic Garden of Wales, William Wilkins, criticises people running it saying they have not realised his dream.

2 December 2003 - Trustees ask Welsh Culture Minister Alan Pugh for £3m to fund a 21-point rescue plan over six years.

10 December 2003 - Panel of tourism experts say garden has no future in its present form.

10 December 2003 - Alun Pugh confirms the assembly will not support the garden any further. Liquidators are to be called in.

11 December 2003 - Prince of Wales says he "very much hopes a situation can be found to allow the garden to remain open".

Rescue Package

15 December 2003 - Hours before a meeting in which the trustees are expected to call in the administrators, news of an eleventh-hour proposal to save the site emerges.

19 December 2003 - Trustees at the garden hold a candlelight vigil. Other botanic gardens around the world - in the United States, Western Australia, New South Wales, South Africa, Germany, Chile, the Canary Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, and India - light candles in a show of solidarity.

16 February 2004 - Trustees name Wales' national day - 1 March - as the potential closure date.

1 March 2004 - Closure avoided at the last minute with the promise of further talks on a rescue package.

15 March 2004 - Alun Pugh says he believes a deal can be struck to save the garden.

17 March 2004 - Mr Pugh announces rescue package comprising £300,000 each from Carmarthenshire Council, the Millennium Commission and the Welsh Assembly Government.

18 March 2004 - Carmarthenshire Council says its £300,000 would only be given on the clear understanding that there would be a change in the way garden is run.

Seeds of Recovery

13 May 2004 - Garden starts re-employing some of the 70 staff laid-off in previous year.

17 June 2005 - Environmental charity Grantscape pledges a £350,000 grant, generated from landfill taxes, which the garden said would be used on its glasshouse and double walled garden.

15 September 2005 - Roy J Thomas appointed interim chief executive with Robin Lewis becoming new trustee - bringing number of new appointments to the board to seven.

14 November 2005 - A £1.35m lottery grant is announced for new attractions including a Tropical House designed by Welsh-born architect John Belle.