Open Your Garden For Charity!
Join a long tradition of supporting charity by sharing your garden with others. Garden Openers throughout Scotland have raised over £1.5 million for charity over the last five years by sharing their beloved gardens, raising funds through entrance fees, refreshments and plant sales. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to meet many people who share your passion for gardening and the opportunity to inspire others.
We’re looking for all types of gardens of horticultural interest; large and small gardens, community gardens, allotments, kitchen gardens and seasonal interest such as snowdrops and autumn colour. You might also consider opening as a village or even as a group of local gardens.
Find out more in our information pack below.
New Garden Owner Pack
We’d love to hear from you!
If you would like to find out more about opening your garden please fill out the short form below, to tell you a bit about yourself, your garden and you can also include some photographs. Please note that photographs should show views of your garden, not just close-ups of plants, so we can get an idea of the style and size of your garden.
Once we receive your details we will arrange for a local Organiser to contact you to discuss further arrangements and schedule a visit. Alternatively, email info@scotlandsgardens.org or call 0131 226 3714.
The support you’ll receive
You’ll benefit from our many years of experience in opening gardens and receive our promotional support which includes:
Inclusion in our ‘Yellow Book’ guidebook (6,000 copies distributed each year)
Inclusion on our website with your own listing page
Inclusion in our national leaflet (50,000 copies distributed each year)
Posters for your opening, available in a variety of sizes
Arrows and banners to advertise your open day
Garden Opener Resource Page on our website
Useful signage and materials to support your opening
Inclusion in our social media
Weekly e-news going out to over 13,000 garden-loving subscribers
Press releases and editorial opportunities
We welcome gardens of horticultural interest regardless of their size. We support Openers with regularly updated guidance.
Lizzie and her husband Malcolm opened their garden in Buckie for the first time in 2021.
What our Garden Openers say
Excerpts from the article by Penny Orpwood, Garden Opener at Middle Cairncake for 'SAFAS Floral Roundabout summer 2021
‘For the last eight years Nick and I have opened our garden to visitors through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme (SGS).’
‘Over the years we have given all money raised to SGS charities and our chosen one - Parkinson’s UK. Our homemade teas are usually run by a local group raising much needed funds for local causes: one year it bought a special chair for the Radiotherapy Department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.’
‘The first year we opened the garden was truly nerve-wracking! Would anyone come?’
‘Opening the garden has become less frightening over the years and we really enjoy meeting visitors and talking with them. I have many happy memories of visitors and I appreciate the enjoyment the garden gives to people. And, of course, the visit is rounded off with a homemade afternoon tea in the wintergarden. I am grateful for those friends who bring homebakes or set the tables or make sandwiches with the homegrown cucumbers or who star at washing up.’
Find out about personal motivation behind opening gardens for charity through the eyes of one of the Openers in Gattonside on our BLOG.
