The garden could close as early as this weekend

The garden will run out of money in a few weeks' time and could close for good if there is no rescue plan.

The trustees say they need �3m over the next six years, but the Welsh Assembly Government had previously ruled out giving them any more money under the current set-up.

But after a 90-minute meeting on Tuesday, Culture Minister Alan Pugh agreed to consider the trustees' 21-point rescue plan.

However, at a separate briefing on Tuesday, First Minister Rhodri Morgan said the assembly government would find it difficult to give the trustees any more transitional money.

As well as financial assistance, the trustees' plan includes enhancing the garden's appeal to visitors - particularly children and families - and involves selling part of the site for housing and hotel development.

So far Middleton, which is in Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, has been kept afloat thanks to emergency handouts from the Welsh Assembly Government, Carmarthenshire Council and the Millennium Commission.

But most of the 100 full and part-time staff at the gardens have already been made redundant, and it is feared that the site could close this weekend unless more money is found.

The chair of the trustees, Alan Hayward, said they have developed "a realistic proposition" for the garden's future, involving new ideas and new partners, but it would require security from the assembly in the form of under-written guarantees.

Unless another funding source is found it's highly likely the gardens would close Rhodri Griffiths

He said: "Around �1m will be needed to stabilise the garden immediately, �2m to take us up to 2009."

In October the garden was on the brink of closing when it emerged it had reached the end of its �2m overdraft.

But the 10-acre attraction won a last-minute reprieve after an intervention by the assembly, lottery heritage fund and Carmarthenshire Council provided funds to keep it open until Christmas - although it meant 70 members of staff had to be made redundant.

The garden's general manager Rhodri Griffiths said they have found a number of potential partners who could help to keep the gardens open, but they need time to explore those offers of help .

"We need more time to put them in place so the garden doesn't close," he said.