A unique garden at the centre of a biodynamic farm on the Island of Lismore in the Inner Hebrides. The garden created from a field has a strong geometric layout that reflects the ecclesiastical history of the island. It has a vegetable garden, a tree nursery, a physic garden, an orchard and a polytunnel. The garden is a haven for wildflowers, birds, bees and butterflies. Standing stones, meadows, new woodlands, mountains and the sea encompass the whole. There is also a herd of rare breed Shetland cattle, chickens, ducks and friendly cats.

Large mature garden five miles from Stirling, with a walled garden, well-established house garden, woodland walks with species and hybrid rhododendrons, massed plantings of azaleas and wonderful specimen trees. Snowdrops in February/March are followed by over 40 varieties of daffodils and the glorious displays of azaleas and rhododendrons in May. The three-acre walled garden contains perennial borders, cut-flower beds, greenhouses, fruit orchard and newly planted arboretum of specimen trees. The Walled Garden is now used by the charity Green Routes to give gardening education to adults with learning difficulties.

Kilbryde Castle gardens cover some 12 acres and are situated above the Ardoch Burn and below the castle. The gardens are split into three parts: informal, woodland and wild. Natural planting (azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias) is found in the woodland garden. There are glorious snowdrops, spring bulbs, and autumn colour provided by clematis and acers.

Set within the glorious historic Blair Polices dating back to the 1500s, at the Carriage House, the Borwicks have planted a beautiful new Arboretum. This continues to build on the vision of past generations of Blairs of creating a sanctuary of rare species trees. Over the past three years a collection of over 160 trees and shrubs has transformed a 10-acre field into a peaceful refuge with year-round variety and colour. Mown paths wend their way around providing different vistas and points of interest including the mermaids rescuing a girl carved by a local artist from the stump of a Portuguese Laurel. Look out for the 24-year old Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grown from seed here at Blair, an avenue of eight different lime trees which earned a Queen's Green Canopy Award, a Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Golden Dawn' and many other rare trees. To sit on one of the benches created from our own wood and enjoy the energies of the Arboretum is a special experience. The Carriage House garden, created from a field over the past 20 years and planted with many varieties of roses and mature shrubs, is also available for a wander. You are welcome to bring a picnic and we welcome garden societies and walking groups.

A sheltered one-and-a-half acre coastal garden in a scenic setting offering fabulous views over Loch Laich to Loch Linnhe, Castle Stalker and the Morvern hills beyond. Craggy limestone abounds on the undulating site, some of which forms natural rockeries. Native trees mix with introduced firs and conifers. A variety of rhododendrons and azaleas provide spring and early summer colour. A mix of limestone overlaid with peat gives an unusual mix of wild flowers. This well-tended garden also has lovely wild areas of bog garden and woodland.

This garden was created in 1997 from a small field and includes a large pond which was originally a small quarry. It covers approximately one-and-a-half-acres of mature garden and, using hedging and shrubbery the garden is split into garden 'rooms' including woodland, formal borders, laburnum arch, herbaceous borders, rhododendrons and azaleas. Large lawn area and wildlife pond. The garden also features many interesting and unusual artefacts and sculptures.

This maturing and constantly changing six-and-a-half acre garden began in 2006. There is a wide range of plants from trees to alpines, giving colour and variability all year. Next to the road flows the Drumbowie Burn, parallel to which is a woodland border with snowdrops, erythroniums, hellebores, trilliums, rhododendrons and acers. Near the house are a raised bed and large collection of troughs, with an interesting range of alpines. The garden boasts herbaceous beds, ericaceous garden, screes, three alpine glasshouses with award-winning plants, an extensive Streptocarpus collection, polytunnel, pond and arboretum - underplanted with daffodils, camassia, fritillaries and crocus. With a view towards matrimonial harmony, there are two sheds which may be of interest. The garden is only 15 minutes from Dumfries House.

Surrounded by a working farm, this compact, established garden has mature shrubs, wildlife pond, bog garden and stream, borrowing stunning countryside views towards Ayr and Arran. Well-behaved spring borders give way to a riot of summer perennial favourites. Many 'found objects' of agricultural interest. Extensive containers brighten the farmyard with seasonal displays.

Kames Bay garden has evolved from two acres of scrub and bracken on an exposed lochside hill into a natural, almost wild garden spread over 13 acres, which blends into the contours of the coastal landscape. A garden where visitors can wander at peace on the woodland walk, or the hillside walk edged with wild primroses and violets, or around the pond edged with hydrangeas. Relax on hidden benches to enjoy the magnificent views over Loch Melfort and the islands to the west. An enchanting garden full of vibrant colours, especially in the spring, with more than 100 varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons.

In 2024, Thorntree looks forward to welcoming visitors to their garden opening on Sunday 9 June as well as by arrangement on other dates. Carol will happily walk round the garden with you or you can wander on your own. The garden continues to evolve and cotoneasters by the saltire beds have been cut back which means the four flower beds are no longer hidden behind a hedge! Also, the view past the summerhouse can be seen and the Annabelle hydrangea has popped up now that there are fewer branches above it. It is an inspiring garden to visit at any time of the year. From the garden you can see panoramic views from Ben Lomond to Doune, watching the Forth meander down the bottom of the valley.

The garden was started in 2006. Fencing and stone walling define it from the rest of Barochreal land. Every year an area has been added, resulting in the gardens you will see today. There are rhododendron banks, a water feature, waterfalls and burns, a pond, a walled rose garden, active beehives (now housed in a purpose-built bee shelter built in 2021), tiered areas, a greenhouse and wild garden across the burn. Maintained walking tracks in the fields lead to viewpoints. Biodiversity studies revealed that rare butterflies inhabit the small glen by the waterfall. There are forty different species of moths including rare micro moths and over seventy species of wildflowers in the fields, including three types of wild orchid. There is an abundance of wildlife including red squirrels, pine martens and a wide range of birds can be seen. This garden is a haven of tranquillity, as seen in episode 9 of 2022 Beechgrove Garden.

An informal country garden with the aim of increasing the biodiversity of native plants and insects while adding interest and colour with introduced trees, shrubs and naturalised perennials. There is a structured garden round the house and beyond there are extensive flower-filled ‘meadows’ with five different species of native orchid. Grass paths lead to waterfalls, vegetable plot, woodland garden, views and ancient archaeological sites.

All the usual joys of a west coast garden plus some delightful surprises! A small contemporary garden on a sloping site - the emphasis being on scent and exotic plant material. Unusual and rare blue Borinda bamboos (only recently discovered in China) and bananas. The garden is at its best in mid to late summer when shrub roses and sweet peas fill the air with scent. The delightful, sunny deck overlooks stylish white-walled ponds with cascading water blades. Recent additions include a 20-foot citrus house, Chinese pergola walk and peony border.

Wonderful and interesting sloping garden with outstanding views, terraced for ease of access. Woodland with bluebells, rhododendrons, magnolias and camellias, and many other unusual plants, including a big variety of meconopsis. This is a true plantsman's garden with quiet corners to sit, admire and reflect. A garden to inspire you and give you ideas to take home.
National Plant Collection: Meconopsis

Coastal garden with some interesting and unusual shrubs including Australasian shrubs and trees, climbing roses, and herbaceous perennials. There is a woodland walk and a pond garden with aquatic and bog plants.

Varied seven acre rural garden with far reaching views and a variety of planting areas designed to take advantage of the natural terrain and be actively wildlife friendly. Raised formal herbaceous beds, several wildlife ponds, burnside walks, grass maze, spring garden, woodland with rhododendron collection (100 species). For those interested in growing their own food, there is a large no-dig productive area, with vegetables, fruit cage, orchard and wildflower meadow. There are lots of seating places to relax and enjoy the tranquility while the kids tackle the maze or just have a good run around!

In nine years our one-acre plot has been transformed from a barren children’s playground with only mature pine trees and rhododendrons, to a colourful seaside garden. Our exposed coastal situation causes windburn in many supposedly hardy plants, so we have formed a windbreak for the borders with mixed shrubs including griselinia, hawthorn and photinia. Billowing grasses sit alongside perennials including helenium, euphorbia and agapanthus, all interspersed with tulips, lilies and alliums. The coastal theme is accentuated by cordyline, phormium, Fatsia japonica and eucalyptus. We have bark woodland paths, and our garden is a haven for birds, bees and butterflies.

From the rich, varied landscape, a romantic garden has been created from scratch over the past 25 years. Visitors can stroll in the walled garden near the house, or explore the old oak wood planted with many interesting shrubs. These are growing up fast, adding shape and colour. Across the burn is the gorge and a wonderful waterfall. The woodland garden ends in the meadow, planted with irises and a collection of unusual trees, which continues down to the beach and a magnificent huge rock. My garden is a place to be peaceful in. Come and enjoy, but be prepared as some of the paths are steep with lots of steps and are unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs.

Discover two gardens, one at the farm and an upper garden further up the hill. The former is approximately one and a half acres and developed over the last 40 years. Its principal features include dwarf rhododendron, azaleas (evergreen and deciduous), large drifts of various primula and meconopsis and bluebells, and mixed herbaceous perennials/shrubs; there is also quite a serious kitchen garden. The second garden has been developed over the last 30 years out of a birch and sessile oak wood and is a traditional west coast glen garden intersected by two pretty burns with waterfalls. The garden has been extended over the last few years and now covers nearly ten acres with extensive new paths, and a suspension bridge over the ravine. Whilst the plants are important, many say that it is the topography with its differing vistas which make this garden such a peaceful and special place.

Opening for more than 40 years, this is a beautiful mature garden extending to 15 acres including the woodland walk. There is a formal herbaceous part, a small vegetable garden and an orchard. In addition, there are flowering shrubs, abundant and striking rhododendrons and azaleas as well as many fine specimen trees. There is a tree house for children. 

This is a well-established two-acre garden with a wide variety of trees, rhododendrons, azaleas and other shrubs and herbaceous perennials. There is a short walk through a wooded area.

Most interesting terraced garden in a castellated folly built in 1905 to celebrate the marriage of the 12th Duke of Hamilton’s only child to the Duke of Montrose. Good selection of tender and rare shrubs and herbaceous border. Small woodland area with trees including azara, abutilon, eucryphia, hoheria and nothofagus. 

Ormsary is on the shore of Loch Caolisport looking across to Islay and Jura. The house policies are resplendent in spring with bluebells and daffodils under fine oak trees. There are woodland gardens with azaleas, rhododendrons and a collection of trees and shrubs. The walled garden, which has evolved over a couple of centuries, is on two levels. The top half is a kitchen garden producing plants, fruit and vegetables for the house; a winter garden and ‘Muscat of Alexandria’ vinery have been heated by hydroelectric power for 100 years. A magnificent Polylepis australis beckons to the lower Secret Garden with its lawn, roses, magnolias and long mixed border. It opens onto the banks of Ormsary Water. There are also woodland walks accessed via the upper woodland garden with specimens of Wollemi Pine, Gingko and Turkish Oak.

A tiny slice of jungle nestled within a small triangular plot. To the front of the house are two beds planted with nectar-secreting plants and seasonal colour. To the rear, an anonymous door leads to a small patio, home to some bonsai, a collection of potted terrestrial ferns and stone troughs hold tender and hardy succulents. A serpentine path meanders through dense planting of palms, brugmansia, bananas and tree ferns. Of particular note is the use of hardy and tender bromeliads and a collection of aroids such as Arisaemia, Alocasia, Colocasia and Giant Zantedeschia. Flower highlights are provided by lilies (species and cultivars) and later in the season, Cannas, and hardy gingers such as Hedychium and Roscoea. Nestling amongst the foliage is the giant leafed Tetrapanax together with the rare terrestrial fern Lophosoria.

The walled garden, acquired in 2013 by the present owners, has been planted with extensive herbaceous borders, box hedging, roses and many unusual plants. There is a White Garden, a long shrub border with primulas and gentians and a former fernery with a collection of salvias and peach and pear trees. June is a good time to visit when the roses are in bloom and borders with lupins, peonies and other perennials are in flower. By late summer, the borders have argyranthemums as well as dahlias, Michaelmas daisies, rudbeckias and blue aconitums. The Celtic Cross Garden was planted in May 2021 with a range of new plants including echinaceas, cardoons, lobelias, anthemis and lavender for mid to late summer colour. There are fine views of the Campsie Hills and the garden is surrounded by the conifers of the Designed Landscape of Carbeth. 

Whitewin House was built for Baronet Henry Tate of Tate and Lyle. The house stands in one acre of formal Victorian Garden, redesigned over a five year period in the form of an English Manor House Garden which, of course, comes with its challenges, because of its coastal location. The rockeries, beautiful scalloped lawns and the plethora of statuary all complement the use of authentic Victorian bedding plants, trees and shrubs, ideally mirroring the ambience and grandeur of the house interior. In 2022, two water features were added to the garden. Home to celebrated international mezzo-soprano Linda Finnie, Whitewin House is fortunate in having a prime position in Golf Course Road, having been the first house built there, standing majestically overlooking the Firth of Clyde, Ailsa Craig, Arran and the Kintyre Peninsula.Whitewin House was encouraged to apply for Garden of the Year in May 2022, following an invitation by a representative from More4 television.

This 200-year-old walled garden was completely redesigned and planted in 2014/15 with contemporary features within a classic design. The garden incorporates a modern rill and banks of colour with perennial flowers in a variety of borders. The resident bees enjoy the large area of traditional meadow flowers as well as the rose garden planted with lavenders, salvias and stocks. Outside the wall you will find mature woodland including a giant sequoia and a wildlife pond. If you are interested in fruit and vegetables, take a look at the raised beds and the peach tree and vine in the greenhouse. There are many secluded spots around the garden to sit and enjoy a cup of tea and a homemade cake.