Feline fans; we have the garden centre for you! New Hopetoun Gardens in Broxburn, Edinburgh, teamed up with a local cat rescue to provide a forever home for Rowan and Holly, a pair of adorable moggies that can be spotted sauntering around the centre as you browse. Get those container plants placed in the greenhouse for protection. You will regret not doing so, especially if this coming Winter turns out to be as severe as 2009/10. Planted May to July from plants raised in 1 litre pots. (yogurt pots with holes in base) from a cold glasshouse sown seed in March/ April.

The RSPB also provide advice on things like siting and maintaining much smaller water features and creating a good birdbath. Don’t discount the value of having something as simple as a small dish filled with clean water and pebbles – even our smallest creatures need access to drinking water. Just make sure to clean such a dish out regularly!In the eighteenth century there was a reaction against the "absolutism" and "popery" of the French court and a retreat from the expense of maintaining large formal gardens. Less symmetrical layouts became common with the development of the "natural" style of the jardin anglais, which attempted to create vistas of a rural idyll. [10] The antiquarian John Clerk of Pennycuik (1676–1755), one of the key figures in defining elite taste in Scotland, eulogising the estate garden in his poem The Country Seat (1727), which built on the ideas of Alexander Pope. He created gardens at Mavisbank and Penicuik, Midlothian, with the help of architect William Adam (1689–1748), which combined formality with undulating ground. [10] Adam laid down that "the rising and falling of the ground are to be humoured and make the greatest Beauteys in gardens". [2] Adam's work included the landscaped park and avenue at Yester House and Hopetoun House, where the landscaped garden was reminiscent of a Roman campagnia. [15] Marilyn M. Brown & Michael Pearce, 'The Gardens of Moray House, Edinburgh', Garden History, 47:1 (2019), pp. 1-17. New ideas about gardening developed in the nineteenth century. The writings of Humphrey Repton (1752–1818) were highly influential in the return of the formal garden near to the major house. His sons were directly involved in the restructuring of the landscape at Valleyfield, Fife. [2] Walter Scott's dislike of the sweeping away of the old formal gardens was also influential in creating an emphasis on preservation and restoration. His ideas were taken up by John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843), the most prolific gardening author of the century in Britain, and were highly influential throughout the world. By 1850 ambitious formal gardens had been recreated at Drummond Castle, Dunrobin and Drumlandrig. [2] Upstairs is the coffee house, where you can expect refined dishes using locally sourced ingredients. The hot chocolate, made with Bare Bones Chocolate, is calling to us.

Tidy up the garden pond marginal plants. Remove fallen leaves and if your pond is not too large, cover it over with netting to prevent rotting leaves contaminating the water. Native to Scotland, Bog Myrtle or Sweet Gale, is often found in wet and boggy areas growing no more than a metre in height. Due to our wet and windy weather, the Bog Myrtle shrub thrives both wild and in our garden, bulking out flower beds with pretty, sweet smelling yellow flowers.

Lay Stone Paths

The first Renaissance-style gardens in Scotland were built for the Stewart dynasty at their royal palaces. French gardeners were hired by James IV at Stirling Castle in 1501, where the King's Knot Garden was developed [2] and at Holyrood Palace around 1504, where the gardens were probably remodelled from monastic gardens. A "Queen's Garden" was created there in 1511. The gardens at both Stirling and Holyrood were overseen by a priest, Sir John Sharp. [3] James V remodelled the gardens at Holyrood again in 1536, [2] employing the Frenchman Bertrand Gallotre at both Holyrood and Stirling. At Holyrood the ditches surrounding the gardens were improved and the ponds drained. [3] Archaeological remains indicate there were sophisticated formal gardens. [2] John Morrison became the chief gardener of the south side of the palace in 1546 and remained there until 1598. [3] During the personal reign of Mary, Queen of Scots (1561–67), there was an emphasis on herbs and vegetables. The ponds may have been permanently drained in this period and the monastic areas were planted with trees to make orchards and pleasant walking areas. [3] Similar landscaping is also found at Falkland Palace and Linlithgow Palace. [2] When the Clematis Montana has finished flowering, give it a good tidy up. After a number of years this one can become a tangled mess. In fact I have known it to completely smother and kill a deciduous tree if used as a host. June Keeping things seasonal, Scottish and even local to the Aberdeenshire region is a priority for The Mains of Drum garden centre. With huge product choice beyond the everyday plant on offer, from gardening tools and accessories to pond and water features, it caters to everyone in style.