Where better to enjoy the opera than in a British garden on a summer evening? Surrounded by the verdant beauty of neatly-clipped lawns and trees, and the sound of birdsong, nature meets art in these most perfect settings. Here is a selection for summer 2004 - make your choice, then prepare for an evening of style and artistic perfection. Bring your own picnic hamper or enjoy the refreshments sold on the night.

May 20 - August 29
Stately Glyndebourne, near Lewes in the Sussex countryside, is England\'s most renowned open-air opera location. This year is the 70th anniversary of the annual festival. A varied range of productions includes Rachmaninov\'s The Miserly Knight and Puccini\'s Gianni Schicchi performed in a double bill for the first time. There are a variety of dining options and full details are given on the website. Bookings, tel. (011 44) 127 381 3813. www.glyndebourne.com

June 4 - 26
Castleward Opera in Northern Ireland was founded in 1985 by Ian Urwin and Jack Smith, in a coach house belonging to Castle Ward - the National Trust estate on the shores of Strangford Lough, about 45 minutes\' drive from Belfast. They took the vision of creating a miniature opera house out of the cobweb-adorned barn and turned it into a reality. Patrons dress formally, and either bring their own picnic supper or avail of the suppers provided by the on-site caterers. This year the highlights will be Verdi\'s Rigoletto and Benjamin Britten\'s Albert Herring. www.castlewardopera.com

June 8 - August 6
Opera Holland Park was founded only eight years ago but is now a popular summer fixture in London. An ambitious program with singers of international repute is staged within one of the capital\'s most beautiful Royal Parks. Among the six new productions this season are Puccini\'s La Boheme and Johann Strauss\' Die Fledermaus. Bookings, tel. (011 44) 845 230 9769. www.operahollandpark.com

June 12 - July 11
The charm and unique quality of Garsington is its setting on a terrace adjoining Garsington Manor near Oxford and its beautiful gardens created by Philip and Lady Ottoline Morrell. Members of the Bloomsbury set were frequent visitors. With a purpose-built auditorium seating around five hundred, performances start in the early evening and there is a long interval when patrons can picnic in the gardens or have dinner in the restaurant. The highlights of this year\'s season include the British premiere of Rossini\'s L\'Equivoco Stravagante and Mozart\'s Cosi Fan Tutte. Bookings, tel. (011 44) 186 536 1636. www.garsingtonopera.org

June 17, 19 and July 13
BP Opera in the Piazza. Live relays from London\'s Royal Opera House to giant screens in the Covent Garden Piazza and other locations around London and the UK will enable thousands of people to soak up the atmosphere of classic opera and ballet at no charge. Yes, these open-air events are free of charge and there is no need to book! However, these are not garden settings so it is best to have your picnic elsewhere before joining the crowds. The program is the Royal Ballet\'s Onegin (June 17, Trafalgar Square); the Royal Opera\'s Faust (June 19, Covent Garden Piazza) and La Tosca (July 13, Covent Garden Piazza, Canary Wharf in London\'s Docklands and other locations including Belfast Botanical Gardens and Sherwood Forest). info.royaloperahouse.org

June 26
Weston Park, a magnificent stately home on the Staffordshire / Shropshire border in central England, is staging its annual Opera in the Park, Mozart\'s Don Giovanni. The Garden Opera Company returns to these beautiful grounds for an evening packed with unforgettable melodies. The performance will be seated with a separate allocated area for picnickers to bring tables and chairs prior to the performance. For tickets, tel. (011 44) 195 285 2100. www.weston-park.com

July 29
Mannington Hall, the home of Lady Walpole in Norwich, Eastern England, plays host to the Garden Opera Company which performs Mozart\'s Don Giovanni in the beautiful gardens. For information, tel. (011 44) 126 358 4175. www.manningtongardens.co.uk

August 13 - 14
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, a World Heritage Site near Ripon in North Yorkshire, comprises the ruin of a 12th century Cistercian abbey, a monastic watermill and one of the best surviving examples of a Georgian water garden. This is the idyllic setting for open-air opera in the shape of The Marriage of Figaro (Friday) and The Barber of Seville (Saturday), performed by Opera Brava. Information, tel. (011 44) 176 564 3164. www.fountainsabbey.org.uk