The assembly government had given the garden over �1m Timeline: National Botanic Garden 'Optimism' over garden's future

No details about the surprise intervention have been revealed but talks are being held, and the �43m garden at Llanarthne will now stay open for the next few days.

The garden's trustees were due to call in administrators on Monday afternoon, after the Welsh Assembly Government refused to provide �3m to bail out the attraction.

But just hours before the talks were to begin, the new source of funding emerged with a potential rescue package.

Complex negotiations still lie ahead, but there is now hope the site will be able to stay open.

Brian Charles, one of the trustees, said the money would allow the garden to carry on with the rescue plan that was rejected by the assembly government last week.

It is believed a group of interested parties have united to create the recovery plan.

Mr Charles said that, if successful, the offer would keep the original ethos of the project.

He added that the money was not from Prince Charles, who offered his support to the project last week.

The trustees will meet their accountants on Tuesday, and an announcement is due either at the end of the week or next week.

There had appeared to be little hope for the site after Culture Minister Alun Pugh last week refused the �3m lifeline

Urgent talks

The garden - known as Middleton - has debts of �2m after failing to attract enough visitors through its gates.

Earlier on Monday, Rhodri Griffiths, the garden's general manager, had said the future of the site looked "very, very bleak at the moment".

After the announcement on Monday, a spokesman for the gardens said urgent discussions would take place during the next few days.

Most of the 100 full and part-time staff have already been made redundant

"At this juncture no further details can be announced, but further statements will be made later this week.

"The garden will remain open during this period of continued discussions.

"Christmas events at the garden will therefore continue as planned."

After a promising start when it opened in 2000, visitor numbers at the attraction have slumped and it has been kept afloat by emergency handouts.

Mr Pugh said if the garden was to close then talks had already taken place with several potential investors who were interested in running the 568-acre site.

But these claims have been received with scepticism by opposition AMs.