DIVINE BLOSSOMS BECKON IN SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND’S GARDENS SCHEME
Scotland’s Gardens Scheme offers access to a fantastic selection of hundreds of gardens across Scotland to raise money for hundreds of charities.
More than 450 of Scotland's private gardens are now open to the public – all in the name of charity. There are 57 gardens opening for the first time.
Plus there are many hidden gardens to explore!
Some gardens are in cities and villages, some are on islands and lochs, some are in the countryside. Most are privately owned and are normally inaccessible to the public, only open for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme charity events.
Around 250 local and national charities are supported by the scheme with over £1 million raised for charity over the last five years.
Scotland’s Gardens Scheme supports over 250 different charities each year. Many of these charities are small and local. Some garden owners elect to designate their favorite charities.
There are 122 walled gardens, 222 dog-friendly gardens, 33 urban gardens, 10 community gardens, and 61 estate gardens. You can find an interactive map to help you locate gardens and plan your visit here.
Blairwood House, is one new hidden garden in Blairs, Scotland, that invites you to explore its treasures. It’s a small mature, densely planted, one acre garden full of flowering shrubs, herbaceous perennials and bulbs.
The garden is laid out in naturally curving lines to harmonise with the surrounding fields. It includes a pond, a small but beautifully designed vegetable garden, and an herb garden. A lovely short walk leads to the river and back.
The house has open views towards Lochnagar and is surrounded by mixed herbaceous borders divided into a series of “rooms.” There is a vegetable garden, a small orchard set in a wildflower area and a wildlife pond.
Shepherd House and its one acre garden form a walled triangle in the middle of the 18th century village of Inveresk. The main garden is to the rear of the house where the formality of the front garden is continued with a herb parterre and two symmetrical potagers.
A formal rill runs the length of the garden, beneath a series of rose and clematis arches and connects the two ponds. There is a growing collection of specialist snowdrops which are mainly grown in beds and borders, some of which will be displayed in the 'Snowdrop Theatre'.
An addition to the garden in 2014 was a Shell House, designed by Lachlan Stewart. The garden has been featured in many magazines as well as in Alan Titchmarsh's Britain's Best Back Gardens.
Dunvorist Cottage is a small rural garden with all year color and interest. The garden has an open sunny aspect and includes a white rear garden with rural views, raised herbaceous borders, a small wildlife pond, golden border, a rose gardens patio, herb garden, heuchera shady garden, quirky garden pod, vegetable garden and a wildflower corner.
The 17th century tower house and gardens have been painstakingly restored over the last 20 years. The walled garden is a series of “rooms,” including a wildlife meadow bursting with fritillaries, cowslips and primroses, productive potager, magical Griselinia garden, wildlife ponds and rill, and recently planted mid and late season perennial borders.
The garden's backbone is the splendid midsummer herbaceous border peaking in early July. Outside the walled garden, enjoy woodland walks around the newly re-landscaped lochan.
Durnamuck garden is situated on the edge of Little Loch Broom, facing southeast, with stunning views. It is a coastal plantsman's garden with a rich mix of herbaceous borders, trees and shrubs, vegetables, and dry stone wall plantings. The collection includes South African plants, Mediterranean plants, and wild meadow flowers.
Many of the plants have been collected from all over the world. Durnamuck Garden has been featured in Gardener's World and Country Life.
A rare opportunity to see a sizeable woodland garden / arboretum in its infancy. It has a good collection of rhododendrons, sorbus, alder, birch and tilia but also includes many unusual trees from around the world. The arboretum is zoned into geographic areas and species type.
It includes a Japanese garden, bog garden, bog wood, loch and quarry garden. Most plants are grown from hand collected seed and propagated in the Georgian greenhouse.
Kippen is a village with views! At least six gardens will be open with a variety of design and horticultural interest, ranging from well established to more recent.
Arnmoulin Garden, at the top of the village offers views towards the Trossachs. A variety of interesting shrubs and perennials, vegetable garden and small orchard area.
Dun Eaglais garden adorns the historic home of the artist D.Y.Cameron. It was built in stages between 1902-1924 and finished in the Scottish Renaissance and Arts and Crafts manner. It is thought that the terraced gardens were influenced by landscape designer, T.H.Mawson. Wonderful specimen trees, rhododendrons and perennials, full of twists and turns revealing more around every corner.
Glentirran garden begins with a sweeping driveway leading up to the house, past grass terraces surrounded by rhododendrons and perennial borders, mixed planting and climbers including wisteria. You’ll love the wonderful views across the Carse of Stirling.
Farringford garden includes a beautiful 'dry' garden, an Acer garden, and a massive collection of hostas.
Pinetrees Cottage Banchory is a mature cottage garden in Devenick. It covers a 3/4 acre plot with a wide range of hardy plants, including acer, rhododendrons, azaleas, topiary, roses and rock plants. Set in a backdrop of mature pine trees to the north and open fields to the south.
Beyond the beautiful blooms to behold, there is so much to see and learn, from these Scottish gardens. Of course there’s garden animals, butterflies, and birds to enjoy. And, if you are interested, you can get ideas about how to design and manage your own garden back home.
The Scheme begins in early spring each year with the Scottish Snowdrop Festival. You can see the first signs of spring at the beautiful Snowdrop Gardens.
Next, comes The Fife Spring Trail, with 12 gardens opening in April and May. Then the rest of the gardens roll out through June, July, and August.
Check out participating gardens and calendar at Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.
Read more about Blossoming Beauty all this week on BeautifulNow. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
