The Garden was opened to the public for the first time on 24 May 2000, and was officially opened on 21 July by Charles, Prince of Wales. Foster + Partners won the Gold Medal for Architecture at the National Eisteddfod of Wales of 2000 for their work on the Great Glasshouse. In 2003, the garden ran into serious financial difficulties, and in 2004 it accepted a financial package from the Welsh Assembly Government, Carmarthenshire County Council and the Millennium Commission to secure its future.