Gardens
Horticultural heroes: Training the next generation of heritage gardeners
The next generation of heritage gardeners are being trained at one of the only schools in Scotland teaching the skills. The School of Heritage Gardening at Threave Garden, in Dumfries and Galloway, which is owned by charity National Trust for Scotland, was just a field when it opened in 1960. But over the last 60…
Read MoreHeatwave uncovers garden design dating back 150 years at Inveraray Castle
A garden design which dates back more than 150 years has been uncovered at Inveraray Castle during the recent heatwave. The previous landscape design, which forms part of the castle’s formal gardens in Argyll, revealed itself during the dry weather. It is the first time that the current generation of the Argyll family has seen…
Read MoreScottish Field’s Rosie Morton returns with Landward
LANDWARD, the rural affairs television programme, returns to BBC Scotland tonight, with Scottish Field writer Rosie Morton among this series’ presenters. Morton joined the show as last summer and travelled the length and breadth of our nation, sharing the stories of people who live and work in the countryside and on the coast. The programme,…
Read MoreDunvegan Garden scoops RHS award
DUNVEGAN Castle & Gardens has been selected as this year’s top Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) partner garden in Scotland. The RHS said that the award recognised the “sizeable investment, hard work, and passion” that has gone into the five acres of formal and semi-formal gardens since 1978. Estate director Hugh MacLeod, who is also his…
Read MoreNorth Berwick and Linlithgow win bloomin’ gold
A PAIR of Scottish towns triumphed at the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS’s) Britain in Bloom finals. North Berwick in Bloom won a gold medal and took the title in the “coastal” category. Elizabeth Morris from North Berwick In Bloom was also named as a “community champion”. Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow was presented with gold in the…
Read More‘Hummingbird’ flocks to Scotland
THE number of hummingbird hawkmoths spotted in Scotland has soared, according to new figures. The moths were reported in 1.2% of Scottish gardens last month, more than three times the season’s average. The British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO’s) Garden BirdWatch survey found the figure hit 5.2% across the UK as a whole, compared to 1.3%…
Read MoreEmma Thompson and Tilda Swinton share ‘soil stories’
ACTRESSES Emma Thompson and Tilda Swinton are among the well-kent voices that have recorded stories, poems, and songs for a new outdoor exhibition at Scotland’s four royal botanic gardens. “Of Scotland’s Soils and Soul” – which opens today in Benmore, Dawyck, Edinburgh, and Logan – shares 100 stories next to the plants that inspired them.…
Read MoreRare Coralroot Orchid found in Wester Ross
A RARE Coralroot Orchid has been found in Wester Ross for the first time in 250 years. The orchid was spotted earlier this month on on the National Trust for Scotland’s Balmacara Estate during a visit by conservation land managers from the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest. Gus Routledge, an ecologist representing Reforesting Scotland and Scotland…
Read MoreScone Palace celebrates first garden fair
NEARLY 4,000 people flocked to Scone Palace near Perth for the venue’s first garden fair as it aims to become “the home of Scottish horticulture”. A total of 32 exhibitors from Scotland and the North of England met visitors at the event. Brian Cunningham, head gardener at Scone Palace and one of the BBC Beechgrove…
Read More‘Airbnb for gardens’ expands after funding
A SERVICE described as “Airbnb for gardens” is poised to expand after securing a £250,000 investment. Conor Gallagher, an architect who trained at Glasgow School of Art, founded his AllotMe platform last year. His service allows gardeners to rent plots throughout the country. The cash – from venture capitalist fund Q Ventures and Belfast-based business…
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