September in the Garden 

September is the final month to cast your vote for us in the RHS Partner Garden of the Year competition. We’re thrilled just to have been shortlisted, but your support could make all the difference. Please do register your vote before the end of the month – it would mean so much to us! (Links below.) 

We’re delighted to share that our Walled Gardens have been featured in the brand-new RHS publication “Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland – Your Guide to 100 of the Most Beautiful Gardens.” Being included came as both a surprise and a huge honour. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our small team of 3 (soon to be four!) and the incredible contribution of our volunteers over the past three years. We truly couldn’t have achieved this without them – a heartfelt thank you to all involved. 

August proved to be one of the driest months we’ve experienced, capping off what has been a very dry Summer overall, presenting a number of challenges for the Gardens team.  This has meant many plants have finished their display earlier than usual. That said, the Dahlias are absolutely thriving, with the Dahlia border looking spectacular. Salvias and Roses are also enjoying the milder weather and continuing to put on a vibrant late season show. 

In the Kitchen Garden harvest is in full swing! Potatoes are being lifted, Beans are being picked, and surplus produce is on sale at the Garden Ticket Kiosk and in the Apple Shed Deli. We’ve also had a bumper crop of Squash and Courgettes (still available at the kiosk), with Pumpkins growing larger by the day and soon ready for sale. A few lucky visitors have even been able to purchase our precious Peaches when available – a real seasonal treat! 

Our long-awaited irrigation system unfortunately wasn’t ready in time to help us through this Summer, so much of the garden has had to cope with minimal watering. This has been a valuable lesson in resilience and will help shape our planting schemes for next year. We’re especially excited about the new design for the Central Border, which we’ll begin planting this Autumn. 

Our tasks as we move into Autumn become many – the Spring bulbs will be planted, seeds are being collected, plant debris is being cleared away and we will start replenishing the soil by added our composts, manure and mulch.  We have work to do on the lawns, so they look their best next year, and the glasshouses get their Autumn clean up readying them for lots of propagation work and providing room for our tender plants such as Cannas to return.  

We will also be lifting and dividing the herbaceous perennials so will have bare root plants available for purchase later in the year – we will post news of what is coming and when on our social media sites.   

We are so grateful for your continued support and visits. We love meeting you in the gardens, and we’re always happy to answer your questions – you’ll find us out and about in the Garden! 

To place your vote, follow the link below and select Scotland at the top of the form. 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/partner-gardens/rhs-partner-garden-of-the-year/vote