Gardens
This walled garden is an all-year-round haven
Margaret and Iain Gimlet ’s garden lies in the Strathtay valley opposite Farragon Hill in Perthshire. Windswept and quite high it is not an easy garden and in 2014 it won a Sky television award for the best of three gardens in Scotland, all located on difficult sites. Margaret and Iain happily admit that the…
Read MoreScottish Snowdrop Festival blossoms for 2019
Their arrival usually heralds the end of winter and the promise of spring, and the return of one of Scotland’s most popular outdoor festivals to gardens and estates across the country. Showcasing a range of beautiful snowdrop collections, the Scottish Snowdrop Festival will be blossoming at venues from tomorrow, 25 January, to 11 March. Organised…
Read MoreWe’ll be back in our gardens before we know it
The promise of lighter, longer days is on the horizon – and that means our gardens will come back to life. As we welcome the new year and look forward to the blossoming season ahead, head of garden at Dobbies, Louise Golden, shares her expert trend insights and planting advice for 2019. After months of…
Read MoreMarking the Bard’s birthday at Scots garden centre
A garden centre is celebrating Burns Night with a day-long celebration of Scotland’s National Bard. And they’ve even tried their hand at writing a verse of poetry Rabbie Burns style! Staff at Cardwell Garden Centre, near Gourock are going all out to mark the birth of Robert Burns with a festival of all things Scottish…
Read MoreSix Scottish finalists for Britain in Bloom
Six Scottish communities are donning their gardening gloves as they prepare to battle it out in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) 2019 Britain in Bloom competition. Now in its 55th year, the fiercely fought contest will see 71 UK finalists put their horticultural skills, community spirit and green credentials to the test. Representing Scotland will…
Read MoreBeat the winter blues with a touch of greenery
Who said you had to be blue this winter, when you can go green instead? Look to plants for your inspiration and surround yourself with lush greenery to create a calming and creative space to help to ease the post-Christmas blues this January and fill the empty space where the tree once stood. Breathing life…
Read MoreThere’s a lot to be said about allotments
At New Year many of us start to think about ways to improve ourselves and the world around us by growing our own organic fruit and vegetables. For the lucky ones this might mean a renewed effort to make good on the garden, or for city dwellers like me it means hunting out some green space on an allotment or…
Read MoreA bit of movie magic comes to garden centre
A Scots garden centre is offering some Christmas movie magic for youngsters. Cleaner-cum-carpenter Alex Freeman has created a replica of the Polar Express steam train from the movie of the same name featuring Hollywood star, Tom Hanks. The train Alex crafted from wood has become a popular attraction with kids when they see the Polar…
Read MoreChanging the garden as the children mature
Having lived in their family home in Edinburgh since 2003, Derek McGowan and his partner Lesley Marshall felt it was time to give their garden an update. As the children got older it became clear their garden needed a modern overhaul in order to keep up with the families changing lifestyle. ‘Previously the kids used…
Read MoreRemoving Japanese Knotweed is not an easy process
One of the – literal – growing problems in Scotland is Japanese Knotweed. Japanese Knotweed is one of the toughest, most damaging and insidious plants in the world. There’s even an old wives’ tale about this weed growing so menacingly, that it can ‘creep over cat’s feet.’ It’s also challenging to eradicate and can grow…
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