A two-acre ornamental and wooded garden on a variety of levels, sandwiched between two burns at 600 feet, planted for interest throughout the season. A limited palette of plants with hosta, hellebores, perennial geraniums, primula, meconopsis, martagon lilies, clematis, spring bulbs, ground cover, herbaceous and shrub planting, bluebell meadow, mature and recent azalea and rhododendron planting. The lower sections of the garden are only accessible by a series of steps.

The garden at Stobshiel House is effectively split into four main parts viz., the walled garden, the shrubbery, the pond and lawns and the woodland areas. Each area is laid out and planted to provide the visitor with all year round interest from swathes of aconites, snowdrops, narcissi in spring to a vast array of perennials, roses, clematis and annuals throughout summer and autumn. The extensive collection of shrubs and mature trees offer a fantastic backdrop during all seasons.

Kirkton Manor House has a delightful, three-acre, informal country garden set in the beautiful Manor Valley. It enjoys spectacular open views and calling curlews from its riverside position. Bluebells flank the impressive entrance leading to a new shrub border. Stone steps continue through to terraced slopes filled with bulbs, roses and hellebores providing height, interest and fragrance. Grass paths meander along the burn where snowdrops, blue and white camassia, meconopsis, and ligularia thrive in this sunny meadow environment. Later, in June, sisyrinchiums, irises, orchids and many flowering shrubs and roses are abundant. The natural woodland includes many interesting trees.

Situated in the Glassel Park Estate, the planting of this long garden reflects East Lothian habitats including heather moorland, grassland and woodland as well as areas of related plant types such as rockery, roses, ferns and paeonies. Together they form a pattern of gardens within a garden. A large water lily pond houses newts and a second pond within a rockery is fed by a waterfall. A cold conservatory contains cacti and insectivorous plants. Vertical structure is provided by a large number of specimen small trees such as cornus, maples, magnolias, contorted robinia, Chinese rowan and honey locust. Animal and bird carvings in wood reflect the local fauna.

A constantly evolving artist’s garden that never stands still, with lots of surprises including a shell house built in 2014, rose parterres, a rill and fountains. At its heart are the plants filling every border, spilling over arches and lining paths, which are the inspiration for Ann’s paintings. The season starts with the snowdrop collection of over 70 cultivars, moves on through hellebores, tulips, irises and roses. One of the garden's features is a mirror steel diamond sculpture to commemorate the Frasers' diamond wedding anniversary and 60 years in this garden. 

Developed over the last 36 years, this one-acre plantsman's garden is home to an eclectic mix of truly hardy perennials, trees and shrubs. Planted for year-round colour and interest and to provide habitats for wildlife, there is something new to see each month. There is a woodland garden, rockery, bog garden, herbaceous borders and much more. Meconopsis grow well here and more are being planted out every year. In addition to the garden, there is a small orchard, wildlife ponds and mown paths through the wildflower meadows and, if you're lucky, you may spot red squirrels.
National Plant Collection: Scilla (Chionodoxa)

This Dundee garden is on a fairly steep slope with steps and paths. It features a riot of colour in April/May with thousands of tulip bulbs planted over the years. This display continues with azaleas and rhododendrons. There is a large fig tree and a grapevine ‘Brant’ growing on south facing walls. In the greenhouse John grows four grapevines, ‘Phoenix’, ‘Seigerrebe’, ‘Muller Thurgau’ and ‘Solaris’, used for his Muscat flavoured wines, and three varieties of tomato. John is a horticulturist, evidenced by some unusual fruit varieties including Saskatoon. John is also an artist and his art gallery will be open to visitors .

Set in an ancient landscape in the foothills of the impressive and foreboding hill of Bennachie, is a circular walk through glorious daffodils with outstanding views. This interesting garden is in the early stages of restoration, with large groupings of rhododendrons and specimen trees. Westhall Castle is a 16th-century tower house, incorporating a 13th-century building of the bishops of Aberdeen. There were additions in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The castle is semi-derelict, but stabilised from total dereliction. A fascinating house encompassing 600 years of alteration and additions.

Spring and summer plant sales in the middle of Kilmacolm

A garden on the Clubb of Mulla, a hillside overlooking Olnafirth with views of the sea and Lower Voe. Started in October 2016, the steep overgrown plot looked like a continuation of the moor at the back of the house. This garden shows what can be achieved in a very windy and exposed situation, battling against the extremes of the Shetland weather. Gardening with wildlife in mind, trees were planted in the spring of 2017, now providing shelter for birds. Six years on, there are herbaceous borders, rockery, a vegetable bed, 3.6 x 2.4 metre greenhouse, mini wildflower meadow strips and a natural water feature which is a long drainage ditch planted up with willows and water-loving plants. Always a work in progress, more trees will be added this year. The owner is an artist-printmaker with an open studio that folk are welcome to look round too.

An evolving three-acre garden. The house is surrounded by a series of mixed borders designed with different vibrant colour combinations for effect in all seasons. Spectacular mix of roses, herbaceous perennials and annuals planted through the wide borders are a highlight in mid to late summer. A new ‘no dig’ 160-foot border in shades of white, blue, purple and pale yellow was created in 2019/2020. The most recent addition to the garden is another ‘no dig’ border in shades of peach, burgundy, yellow, chocolate and acid yellow. Come and see! April and May for late spring bulbs and flowers; June and July for roses and high summer colour; August for late summer colour.The plant stall includes a lovely selection from the garden. Visitors are welcome to bring their own refreshments and picnic in the garden. A season ticket for all these dates, and by arrangement, is £20 plus p&p and admits the ticket holder plus guest. It comes with a limited edition of the Willowhill Garden Guide: 35 pages of beautiful photographs with descriptions of key garden features and plantings. A season ticket with booklet is a perfect gift for garden lovers for a birthday or at Christmas and do treat yourself too! Season tickets are available online at tinyurl.com/4srm6rux or by post (cheque for £23 payable to Scotland’s Garden Scheme) from S. Lorimore, Willowhill, Forgan, Newport-on-Tay, Fife DD6 8RA.

The formal garden at Balmaclellan House sits within a six-acre woodland garden with many interesting maturing trees. This formal garden was created in 2011 on the site of a redundant tennis court. The design is based on the Balmaclellan Mirror, a very early iron age mirror made of bronze which was found nearby and is currently in the National Museum of Scotland. The mirror is represented by a raised pond with other decorative features on the original replicated by raised beds and granite setts. While the planting has been designed to give year-round colour the use of daffodils and tulips brings a vibrancy to the garden in early spring. A small wooden building dates back to 1896 and is where the resident Minister is said to have written his sermons. The woodland walks and lawned areas have stone seats at appropriate points to take in the lovely views over the Rhins of Kells.

Now into its 8th year, this therapeutic and tranquil space consists of a walled garden and woodland. The garden contains a diversity of herbaceous planting, food growing areas, greenhouse, polytunnel and the old well. The woodland is more informal with a cosy bothy room and an abundance of wildlife. As a charity, we support volunteers and aim to promote the benefits of working alongside others in natural surroundings. We sell plants (mostly perennials) to raise funds. The main garden is fully accessible, with toilet facilities.

Re-opening this year, this charming town garden has a variegated privet hedge in the front and behind this there are numerous pots and planters of spring bulbs to see in the beds and borders. The garden has a frog pond and many interesting specimen trees such as acers, magnolia black tulip, Cytisus (pineapple tree), Hoheria (snowdrop tree) and monkey puzzle planted throughout the garden. The sheltered semi-walled garden has raised beds along with a summer house and chicken run.

After some changes to make maintenance easier, we are back to holding an open day. While the house is on a busy bus route, it hides a fascinating garden on a sloping site. There are views over Braidburn Valley Park to the Pentland Hills. Paths wind down from the oval lawn, past a handsome magnolia tree, to a terrace which overlooks a water feature and flowering shrubs. Further steps lead past a scree bed of azalea and rhododendron to a productive area of vegetable beds, fruit trees and a neatly-concealed composting area. We aim to have colour, contrast and interest all year round.

The garden at Stobshiel House is effectively split into four main parts viz., the walled garden, the shrubbery, the pond and lawns and the woodland areas. Each area is laid out and planted to provide the visitor with all year round interest from swathes of aconites, snowdrops, narcissi in spring to a vast array of perennials, roses, clematis and annuals throughout summer and autumn. The extensive collection of shrubs and mature trees offer a fantastic backdrop during all seasons.

Kirkton Manor House has a delightful, three-acre, informal country garden set in the beautiful Manor Valley. It enjoys spectacular open views and calling curlews from its riverside position. Bluebells flank the impressive entrance leading to a new shrub border. Stone steps continue through to terraced slopes filled with bulbs, roses and hellebores providing height, interest and fragrance. Grass paths meander along the burn where snowdrops, blue and white camassia, meconopsis, and ligularia thrive in this sunny meadow environment. Later, in June, sisyrinchiums, irises, orchids and many flowering shrubs and roses are abundant. The natural woodland includes many interesting trees.

A constantly evolving artist’s garden that never stands still, with lots of surprises including a shell house built in 2014, rose parterres, a rill and fountains. At its heart are the plants filling every border, spilling over arches and lining paths, which are the inspiration for Ann’s paintings. The season starts with the snowdrop collection of over 70 cultivars, moves on through hellebores, tulips, irises and roses. One of the garden's features is a mirror steel diamond sculpture to commemorate the Frasers' diamond wedding anniversary and 60 years in this garden. 

Created by Colonel Sir James Horlick with the assistance of Gardener Kitty Lloyd Jones in 1944, Achamore Gardens is the home of Horlick’s renowned rhododendron and camellia collection. Flourishing in Gigha's warm microclimate, the 54-acre gardens host many notable and unusual plants and trees from around the world. The woodland walks with rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, New Zealand tree ferns, hydrangeas and fuchsias complement the walled garden's tender exotics, herbaceous borders and bamboo maze. The garden viewpoint has stunning views over to Islay and Jura while the pond area offers a secluded oasis. After years of decline, The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust is now actively working to restore and develop Achamore Gardens.

Forty major areas, gardens, bridges, landforms, sculpture, terraces, fences and architectural works. Covering 30 acres, The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, designed by the late Charles Jencks, uses nature to celebrate nature, both intellectually and through the senses, including the sense of humour.

The Biblical Garden opened to the public in June 1996. The success of the garden since its opening relies on a good working partnership among the Friends of the Biblical Garden, Moray Council and UHI Moray. The Garden is used by the horticulture students to develop their skills. The gardens have grown and developed over the years and are now host to a broad range of garden features, interesting plants and mature trees. The main central area is paved and together with the surrounding borders reflects a Celtic cross. A large rose arbour represents the neighbouring cathedral. The gardens also host a rock garden, woodland garden, winter border, herbaceous border and an oriental-themed garden.

A wonderful, secluded landscaped garden on the lower slopes of Arthur’s Seat including conifers, heathers, alpines, a physic garden, herbaceous borders and ponds.

A rare opportunity to appreciate a mature garden which, with the exception of one magnificent old copper beech tree, is completely planted and created by its owner Alison Glen. Designed with an artist's appreciation of form, this woodland garden shelters a large collection of rhododendrons. There are many beautiful specimen trees and shrubs including Hoheria glabrata, Halesia carolina and several magnolia species. The garden is fully wheelchair accessible and there are several ways to move through it; from the Japanese-inspired stream garden presided over by a mature Pinus wallichiana at one end, to the newly developed borders at the other.

In 2014 this garden was a 3½ acre field with a small wood and lots of rushes. Under the hands of a gardening fanatic and her willing husband, you will see a maturing garden with raised herbaceous borders, young orchards, a developing shrubbery, a rose garden, a bog garden and a variety of species trees. This is a garden for real plant enthusiasts and to enjoy it to the full, good footwear is recommended, particularly if it has been raining.

The spectacular views to Perthshire and Angus, and the large flooded quarry full of fish (and occasional otter) and planted with impressive marginals, make this garden very special. Flights of old stone steps, cliffs, boulders, exotic ferns and mature trees form a backdrop for carpets of primroses, bluebells, spring bulbs and woodland plants like trilliums, camassia, meconopsis and colourful primulas, with rhododendrons in flower from March until July. In front of the house is a charming, mature walled garden with traditional cottage-garden planting. Next to the house is the St Andrews Pottery where George will be demonstrating his pottery skills for those who need a break from the garden! A new water garden with a stream running through it was created in 2023.

The garden here surrounds the traditional farmhouse and steading in a rural landscape. We enjoy a series of gardens, all interlinked, and with different character and planting; roses, heathers, ponds, borders and beds, wild area plus a large vegetable plot with polytunnel for self-sufficiency. We grow annuals from seed collected from our own plants. The spring open afternoons will show a colourful garden getting ready for the summer planting. Refreshments will be served in our winter garden which houses tender plants such as begonias, passionflowers and brugmansia.

Blair Castle private gardens will be open for visitors to enjoy the beautiful, landscaped gardens which include a collection of trees dating back to the 18th century. The gardens have undergone a major restoration project, with new beds created including a collection of rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas. This is also the perfect time to see the bluebells on the estate.

Situated a few hundred yards from South Flisk is the charming Craig Cottage - a total contrast to South Flisk but the two gardens complement each other perfectly. Most of the garden has been planted since the owners moved here in 2014, although the small area of shrubs close to the cottage is original. Half of the lawn is now 'meadow' with a recent planting of fritillaries. The rest of the garden has borders containing a range of interesting plants, a rose screen, rhododendrons, azaleas, and specimen and fruit trees. Below that there is a productive vegetable plot. In addition, a recently extended rockery leads to an area of paths between thymes, camomile and other ground cover plants broken up by hedges and trees to provide windbreaks. The garden has fine examples of dry stone walling, most of which is the restoration/rebuilding of the original.

Threave Garden & Nature Reserve SGS Open Day is a one-day event at the home of the National Trust for Scotland’s School of Heritage Gardening in Dumfries & Galloway, celebrating all aspects of horticulture. There will be plant nurseries, a craft fair, local producers, and plant-related talks from Threave’s Garden Instructors. In addition to this there will be children’s activities including a storyteller, face painting and bug hunting. Threave Garden Café, gift shop and plants sales will be open as normal on the day.
Champion Trees: Acer platanoides 'Princeton Gold'; Carpinus caroliniana; X Cuprocyparis leylandii 'Picturesque' and a further 25 Scottish Champion Trees

Behind the imposing exterior of a handsome Victorian house in St Andrews lies a true hidden gem of a garden, Edenhill. This is a mature garden designed and planted some years ago with the help of Michael Innes and lovingly nurtured and developed by the owner, John Angus. The garden is enclosed by handsome old walls clothed in clematis and honeysuckle and there are several mature trees, including a monkey puzzle. Beneath some rather special species rhododendrons there are carpets of colourful anemones, rare trilliums some beautiful peonies. The sculptor, James Parker, has created some eye-catching sculptures for Edenhill and the most recent addition to this fascinating garden is a rill, the sound of which adds to the tranquillity of this very special garden.