Designing a dream garden from scratch can seem like a daunting task, but for reader Becca Lewis, her determination and hard work has resulted in an outdoor space that has exceeded her expectations. After moving into a new build house in Guildtown, Perth, Becca was presented with a 220 square-foot blank canvas at the rear of the property. Having spent a lot of time in her parents’ garden during the pandemic, and watching garden design shows on television, she was clear about what she wanted when it came to designing her ideal outdoor space. Wish List Becca explained, “I drew a scale drawing of ..read more

Join gardeners across the country this May by locking up your lawnmower and saying ‘no’ to mowing for the month in order to help our bees, butterflies, and wildlife by letting the wild flowers in your lawn bloom, providing a feast of nectar for our hungry pollinators. Daisies and dandelions in a garden lawn. “The sheer quantity of flowers and nectar production on lawns mown once a month can be astonishing,” Dr Trevor Dines, Plantlife’s Botanical Specialist, explains. “We’ve discovered that plants like daisy, white clover, and bird’s-foot trefoil are superbly adapted to growing in shorter sward ..read more

After the resounding success of last year’s event, the Scone Palace Garden Fair is back for its third consecutive year, promising an enriching experience for gardening enthusiasts and families alike. Set against the majestic backdrop of the historic Scone Palace, the Fair will take place on Friday May 31st, and Saturday June 1st, 2024. The Fair will take place at the historic Scone Palace. This year, the Scone Palace Garden Fair continues its tradition of showcasing the finest Scottish gardening talents. Attendees will have the opportunity to peruse through top plant nurseries, garden centres ..read more

Nationwide charity Horatio’s Garden, which won a gold medal and Best in Show at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023, has launched a new series of tours offering the public the chance to visit Horatio’s Garden Scotland, one of the charity’s seven award-winning, fully accessible gardens. Horatio’s Garden Scotland, designed by celebrated garden designer and RHS Chair of Judges James Alexander-Sinclair, was the second garden opened by the charity in the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Injuries Unit at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2016 © Endrick Landscapes Opening on selected dates from April to October ..read more

With names like ‘Lime Fizz’, ‘Night Before Christmas’, ‘Lakeside Dragonfly’, ‘Proud Treasure’, ’T Rex’, ‘Mighty Mouse’, and ‘Teeney Weeney Bikini’, what’s not to love about the lush leaves of hostas? Hostas are a popular choice for Scottish gardens as they thrive in cooler climates and tolerate deep shade, and moist soil. They are perfect for damp, shady, woodland areas of the garden, and will even thrive at the edge of ponds providing huge texture interest. Leaf Colour Hosta leaves have a ribbed, tactile texture which catches moistures and the fabulous foliage of hostas comes in a plethora of ..read more

Gardening is often celebrated for the inclusiveness of the community or even its accessibility as a hobby which does not require fancy and expensive equipment (although we are often guilty of collecting such fancy, albeit unnecessary equipment). Truth be told however, for some new gardeners, it can be daunting to join a local gardening club or society, or even to make new gardening friends – I know it was for me as a new gardener. Why? Well simply because the language being used was alien to me. I didn’t understand what people were speaking about, I couldn’t understand why other gardeners seem ..read more

Plugging the flowering gap between spring bulbs and early summer flowers, are the charming, bonnet-shaped flowers of the aquilegia. Commonly known as columbine or granny’s bonnet, aquilegia is a hardy, perennial plant which thrives in Scotland’s climate. Aquilegia blooms in mid-spring, flowering for approximately six to eight weeks through April and May, which makes them an important source of nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects at a time in the garden where there may not be many blooms in flower. Each of the five flower petals has a spur with a feast of nectar on offer ..read more

Wild garlic season is well and truly here and I have been using it in so many different ways! It is one of my favourite wild plants and grows in most woodlands and shady areas. I have a patch of wild garlic in my garden, which is spreading every year, so I have a constant supply during the growing season! Wild garlic can be used in many different ways. Using wild foraged greens is such a great way of adding diversity to our gut microbiome, and diversity equals resilience for our health so it makes sense to make use of nature’s bounty! Wild garlic is easy to identify, it smells intensely of gar ..read more

If, like me, you are no stranger to the world of social media, you probably gorge yourself daily on the most fabulous pictures of billowing wild flowers, swaying gently in the breeze before being picked in their prime, ready to be brought indoors and effortlessly arranged in vintage vases. Beautiful wildflowers are popular on social media. If, like me, you have decided to try this for yourself (come on, how difficult can it be?), with withering results, then read on! Often, you buy a packet of wildflower seeds, scatter them with delight, and wait for a mass of colour reminiscent of Monet’s gar ..read more

When you plant raspberries, you also have to plan for their support system. Raspberries are usually planted in rows with a system of posts and horizontal wires or string to support them. If you do not have room for this, you can grow them in a pot or container supported by bamboo canes. We have both rows and single planted out raspberries. Either way, supports should be put in place at planting time. A support system built from used pallets.Our Simple Idea for Building a Support System for Raspberries  We used 1 pallet to make this, screws, and string. Tools required: saw, drill, screwdri ..read more