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Total of 117 openings.
Humbie Dean

Humbie Dean

Humbie EH36 5PW
Frank Kirwan
Wednesday 19 March, Wednesday 2 April, Wednesday 16 April, Wednesday 14 May, Wednesday 11 June, Wednesday 9 July & Wednesday 27 August, 10:30am - 4pm (2025)
c
frank.kirwan@gmail.com
A two-acre ornamental and wooded garden on a variety of levels, sandwiched between two burns at 600 feet, planted for year-round interest. The palette of plants includes hostas, hellebores, perennial geraniums, primula, meconopsis, martagon lilies, clematis, spring bulbs, ground cover, herbaceous and shrub planting, erythronium, daffodil and bluebell meadow, mature and recent azalea and rhododendron planting, and vegetable beds. The lower sections of the garden are only accessible by a series of steps.

Directions: Enter Humbie from the A68, pass the school and the village hall on the left then immediately turn right just before the Humbie Hub. Take the second left and Humbie Dean is on the left between two small bridges. Limited parking.  Find using what3words: shorthand.frog.limbs

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Mamie Martin Fund 60%
Megginch Castle

Megginch Castle

Errol PH2 7SW
Giles Herdman and Catherine Drummond-Herdman
Sunday 27 April, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
25ea7
info@megginch.com
W:megginchcastle.com
We welcome you to come and enjoy the peace and beauty of Megginch. Wander through the golden daffodils and the cascades of pear and apple blossom in the ancient orchard. Finish up in the warm conservatory with the castle as your backdrop, overlooking the 19th century formal gardens. Have a (several - free refills included!) hot cup of tea in fine china cups and sample the delicious home baked creations from the castle kitchens! We love having your dogs on leads and your children running free! Please note that Megginch is a family home and so not open to the public apart from the SGS day on Sunday 27th April.
National Plant Collection: Scottish cider apples, Scottish Heritage apples and pears
Champion Trees: Acer palmatum

Directions: Ten miles from Perth and Dundee directly off the A90, Perth-bound carriageway, 600 yards after the Errol/Rait flyover, on the left hand side, 300 yards after Beware Pedestrians Crossing sign.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

Isle of Lismore, Oban, Argyll PA34 5UL
Eva Tombs
1 May - 1 September (Wednesday & Saturday), 10am - 5pm (2025)
2c
T:07786 374931 eva.tombs@gmail.com
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.

Directions: Please telephone for directions. Approximately two miles from Port Appin ferry.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance 30% & Oban Gaelic Choir 30%
Dr Neil's Garden

Dr Neil's Garden

Duddingston Village EH15 3PX
Dr Neil's Garden Trust
Saturday/Sunday, 3/4 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c5
info@drneilsgarden.co.uk
W:www.drneilsgarden.co.uk
A wonderful, secluded landscaped garden on the lower slopes of Arthur’s Seat including conifers, heathers, alpines, a physic garden, herbaceous borders and ponds.

Directions: Park at the kirk car park on Duddingston Road West and then follow signposts through the manse garden.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Dr. Neils Garden Trust 60%
Old Farm Cottage

Old Farm Cottage

The Ladywell, Nemphlar, Lanark ML11 9GX
Ian and Anne Sinclair
Sunday 4 May, 11am - 4pm (2025)
03c467
T:01555 663345 M: 07833 204180 anniesinclair58@gmail.com
Ian and Anne have been developing this delightful one acre garden for twenty five years and it now has something to interest visitors from springtime through until autumn. In April and May daffodils, narcissi, camassias, hellebores, trilliums, spring flowering shrubs and trees light up the garden. A large array of colourful trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plantings, many of them scented, can be enjoyed throughout the rest of the year. Prunus Amanogawa, Amelanchiers, Katsura trees and the spectacular fruit of Cornus kousas are just a few of the plants that you can expect to see. The garden will be of interest not only for gardeners but bird watchers, walkers and photographers.

Directions: Leave the A73 at Cartland Bridge (Lanark to Carluke Road) or the A72 (Clyde Valley Road) at Crossford. Both routes are well signposted. The garden is on the Nemphlar spur of the Clyde Walkway, just off the West Nemphlar Road on Ladywell Lane. One mile walk from Cartland Bridge bus stop.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Dogs Trust 60%
The Steading at Clunie

The Steading at Clunie

The Steading PH10 6SG
Jean and Dave Trudgill
Sunday 4 May, 2pm - 4pm (2025)
67k
T:01250 884263 davetrudgill@googlemail.com
‘A little bit of paradise’ a visitor once commented on a spring day when our wildflower meadow was covered with cowslips and cuckoo flower, and the banks of the Lunan Burn with primroses and wood anemones. The Steading at Newmill is on the north bank of the Lunan Burn midway between Lochs Clunie and Marlee. The grounds extend to about six acres with ponds, woodland, and bridges. There is an old mill building and mill lade and there are 800 metres of riverside walks. The Steading has a small cottage garden and a pond where children can feed the fish. A video of Newmill is on Youtube (search for ‘Newmill: creating and managing an orchid meadow’). Narrow paths, bridges and flowing water. One dog on lead only. Holiday accommodation: the Bothy sleeps five and is available for weekly lets.

Directions: Three miles west of Blairgowrie on the A923. About 600 metres west of the Kinloch Hotel take the track on the left, just after a mobile phone mast and a breeze-block wall.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Save the Children UK 60%
Threave Garden

Threave Garden

Castle Douglas DG7 1RX
The National Trust for Scotland
Monday 5 May, 10am - 4pm (2025)
3c85ed
T:01556 502 575 threave@nts.org.uk
W:www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/threave-garden
Threave Garden and 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 and 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
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00372

Directions: Off the A75, one mile west of Castle Douglas.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: The National Trust for Scotland: School of Gardening Heritage 60%
Dowhill

Dowhill

Cleish KY4 0HZ
Mrs Colin Maitland Dougall
Wednesdays only in May and June, 10am - 4pm (2025)
67
T:01577 850207 pippamd@icloud.com
We're delighted that this garden is opening again after a break of five years. Please come along and see the garden's magnificent trees, woodland walks, ponds, blue poppies and swathes of primulas. There are lovely herbaceous borders near the house with perennials, shrubs and climbers, and below the house, one can walk around the linked ponds which are popular with wildfowl. Behind the house, there are woodland walks through rhododendrons and mature trees, leading up to Benarty Hill to the ruins of Dowhill Castle, with fine views over Loch Leven. Featured in Scotland for Gardeners by Kenneth Cox.

Directions: Three-quarters of a mile from M90, exit 5. Follow B9097 towards Crook of Devon, the entrance is between the trees on left.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: MND Scotland 60%
Cloan

Cloan

by Auchterarder PH3 1PP
Neil Mitchison
Sunday 11 May, 10am - 5pm (2025)
267
T:07958 155831 niall@fastmail.co.uk
Two acres of wild garden, with a wide variety of rhododendrons and azaleas, and an impressive collection of trees, including metasequoia, cryptomeria, Acer cappadocicum, Sequoia sempervirens, Quercus robur ‘Filicifolia’, liriodendron, several Japanese maples, magnificent beech and Scots pine trees, and extensive yew topiary; also an acre of walled garden with embothriums, Acer griseum, several sorbus varieties, parrotia and a large herbaceous border. Fine views of Strathearn from the front of the house. 

Directions: From the A823, just south of the A9, follow the small road heading north east, signposted Duchally. Continue for approximately 2½ miles, turn right at the sign Coulshill. Continue for just under ½ mile. Follow the signs for car parking.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Tiphereth Limited: Camphill Scotland 60%
Dalswinton House

Dalswinton House

Dalswinton DG2 0XZ
Mr and Mrs Peter Landale
Sunday 11 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
246d7
T:01387 740220 sarahlandale@gmail.com
Late 18th-century house sits on top of a hill surrounded by herbaceous beds and well-established shrubs, including rhododendrons and azaleas, overlooking the loch. Attractive walks through woods and around the loch. It was here that the first steamboat in Britain made its maiden voyage in 1788 and there is a life-size model beside the water to commemorate this. Over the past years, there has been much clearing and development work around the loch, which has opened up the views considerably. 
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00131

Directions: Take the A76 north from Dumfries to Thornhill. After seven miles, turn right to Dalswinton. Drive through Dalswinton village, past the red church on the right and follow estate wall on the right. Entrance is by either the single lodge or double lodge entrance set in the wall.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Kirkmahoe Parish Church of Scotland 60%
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Cruachan Lodge

North Connel, Oban PA37 1RE
Mrs Karen Brown
Saturday/Sunday, 17/18 May & Saturday/Sunday, 20/21 September, 10am - 4pm (2025)
2c49
healthylifebykaren1@gmail.com
A lovely garden full of exciting all year round colour and interest on the shores of Loch Etive. Many unusual plants and shrubs attracting a diversity of insects and birds. My poly tunnel keeps us supplied with organic fruit and vegetables. Red squirrels are regular visitors.

Directions: From the A85 head north over the Connel Bridge turning first right heading for Bonawe on the B845. Cruachan Lodge is 2.5 miles on the left-hand side of the road. Parking is limited so please car share where possible.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Alzheimer Scotland 30% & Macmillan Cancer Support 30%
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Kilchoan Gardens

Kilmelford PA34 4XD
Kilchoan Estate/ Luke Senior - Head Gardener
Saturday/Sunday, 17/18 May & Saturday/Sunday, 12/13 July, 10am - 5pm (2025)
2679
T:07425 054 743 or 01852 200 500 luke@kilchoanestate.co.uk
An eclectic private garden, open on specific dates and year round by appointment.
Since 2016, when Kilchoan Estate was taken into new ownership, the grounds have been developed and expanded; areas that had fallen into ruin and garden spaces reclaimed by nature have been uncovered; surviving plantings and mature trees have been enhanced; the footprint of further expansive garden and policies laid out.
A cosmopolitan collection of plants and artwork are displayed throughout the grounds, featuring a Himalayan garden, walled garden, arboretum with International Conifer Conservation Program collection, formal planting within native woodlands. Planting has been designed with conservation, diversity and beauty in mind, providing year-round interest. There is plenty to see and many places to sit, rest and reflect.
The chapel will be open. Teas available on SGS specific dates.

Directions: 4.5 miles along the road from the A816 turn off south of Kilmelford signed Degnish. Turn left after 1.5 miles at the bridge and Melfort Holiday Village. Follow this for 3 miles and look out for signage.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: The Kilchoan Melfort Trust 30% & Netherlorn (Church of Scotland): Kilmelford Church New Annexe 30%
Regent, Royal and Carlton Terrace Gardens

Regent, Royal and Carlton Terrace Gardens

17a Royal Terrace Mews, Carlton Terrace Lane Entrance, Edinburgh EH7 5BZ
RRCT Gardens Association
Saturday 17 May, 12pm - 4pm (2025)
347
The largest of Edinburgh's New Town gardens still in private ownership, it remains largely unchanged since its formation in 1830. The design consists of an upland lawn of seven acres planted with specimen trees. The flanking woodlands of five acres are planted with spring bulbs giving a carpet of colour. Sitting on the lower slope of Calton Hill, the garden has beautiful views of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside.

Directions: Trams: To Picardy Place then walk along Blenheim Place and Royal Terrace turning right onto Carlton Terrace Lane, where the green garden gate is straight ahead. Buses: to Elm Row or London Road and directions above.

Admission: £7.50, children free
Charities: Flourish 60%
Milton of Finavon House

Milton of Finavon House

Forfar DD8 3PY
Saturday 17 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
0c857
enquiries@miltonoffinavonhouse.co.uk
W:miltonoffinavonhouse.co.uk
Milton of Finavon House is a Grade C listed property in 1.8 acres of gardens. In parts, the house dates from circa 1500. The gardens are currently being restored and replanted. There is a small meadow orchard with fruit trees and mown walkways, a formal semi-walled garden with more restoration and new planting, with further woodland walks and a kitchen garden with new and old restoration planting. We hope that you will enjoy seeing the garden evolve over the coming years.

Directions: 2 minutes off the A90, north of Forfar and south of Brechin. Take the sharp turn off the A90 and then again into Milton Lane and then about 1 mile into the village. Park up and then on foot follow the signs. Parking is free in the village and is a two minute walk to the gardens. Blue Badge holders may park in the courtyard, you will be directed on arrival, so please follow the road and turn right at the T junction. A public WC is available in the courtyard. Water bowls for dogs will be available.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Logan Botanic Garden

Logan Botanic Garden

Port Logan, by Stranraer DG9 9ND
A Regional Garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Open Sunday 18 May, 10am - 5pm. Admission details can be found on the garden's website. (2025)
3c45ea
T:01776 860231 logan@rbge.org.uk
W:www.rbge.org.uk/logan
Logan Botanic Garden lies at the south-western tip of Scotland, unrivalled as ‘Scotland’s Most Exotic Garden’. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, a remarkable collection of southern hemisphere plants flourish, making this a plantsman’s paradise. Logan enjoys an almost subtropical climate where the garden's avenues and borders feature a spectacular and colourful array of half-hardy perennials. The garden is warmed by the Gulf Stream which enables plants from Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America and Southern Africa to thrive. Voted ‘Best Garden in the UK’ 2021, Logan promises a delightful day out for all.
National Plant Collection: Gunnera, Leptospermum, Griselinia, Clianthus and Sutherlandia
Champion Trees: Polylepis and Eucalyptus

Directions: Ten miles south of Stranraer on the A716 then 2½ miles from Ardwell Village. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Board Of Trustees Of The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 60%
South Flisk

South Flisk

Blebo Craigs, Cupar KY15 5UQ
Mr and Mrs George Young
Sunday 18 May, 11am - 5pm (2025)
2c46
T:01334 850859 southfliskgarden@gmail.com
W:www.standrewspottery.co.uk
The spectacular views to Perthshire and Angus and large flooded quarry full of fish (and occasional otter) 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 to 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 demonstrate his pottery skills for those who need a break from the garden! A new water garden with a stream running through was created in 2023.

Directions: Six miles west of St Andrews off B939 between Strathkinness and Pitscottie. There is a small stone bus shelter opposite the road into the village and sign Blebo Craigs. See map on our website - standrewspottery.co.uk. Bus to Blebo Craigs.

Admission: £8.00, children free
Charities: Médecins Sans Frontières 60%
Shrubhill

Shrubhill

Dunblane FK15 9PA
Tiff and Michaela Wright
Sunday 18 May, 11am - 5pm (2025)
2c6
T:07821 693997 wrightrascals@gmail.com
Two acres of mixed, informal planting of some unusual rhododendrons, azaleas, specimen trees and other shrubs. Beautiful all-round views particularly over the Carse of Stirling and towards Ben Ledi and Ben Lomond. Herbaceous borders, meconopsis, late spring bulbs, water feature with a wide variety of primulas. Small walled garden predominantly for fruit and a greenhouse with a well-established vine.
As well as homemade teas being on offer, there will be a plant sale.

Directions: Two miles from Keir roundabout on the B824 on the left, just after the David Stirling Memorial, follow the signs and parking advice. One mile from the A820 and on the right.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation CIO 60%
Ross Priory

Ross Priory

Gartocharn G83 8NL
University of Strathclyde
Sunday 18 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c467
Mansion house with glorious views over Loch Lomond with adjoining garden. Wonderful rhododendrons and azaleas are the principal plants in the garden, with a varied selection of trees and shrubs throughout. Spectacular spring bulbs, border plantings of herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees. Extensive walled garden with glasshouses, pergola and ornamental plantings. Children’s play area near the House.

Directions: Ross Priory is one and a half miles off the A811 at Gartocharn. Bus from Balloch to Gartocharn.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Friends Of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs 30% & Loch Lomond Rescue Boat 30%
Arbigland House

Arbigland House

Kirkbean, Dumfries DG2 8BQ
Alistair Alcock and Wayne Whittaker
Sunday 18 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
06d7
T:01387 880764 alcockalistair@gmail.com
W:www.arbiglandhouseandgardens.co.uk
Arbigland House is an Adam-style 18th-century mansion surrounded by 24 acres of woodland gardens running down to a beach on the Solway Firth. The gardens date from the 18th century but the more formal areas were developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are currently undergoing a programme of restoration and development by the current owners Wayne Whittaker and Alistair Alcock. There are 200 year-old trees lining the Broad Walk which runs down to the Solway and a huge variety of rhododendrons and azaleas. Within the woodland are a range of features including a stream-fed lake and a Japanese garden, with a more formal sundial garden and sunken rose garden, all in the process of renewal. Amongst these are a diverse collection of mature trees and shrubs.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00015

Directions: Take the A710 to Kirkbean. In the village turn off towards Carsethorn and, after 200 yards, turn right and follow signs to John Paul Jones Cottage. After a mile or so, turn left at the T junction through white gates and down the drive through ornamental gates to Arbigland House.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Absolute Classics 30% & The Arts Society, Dumfries and Galloway 30%
Tinnisburn Plants

Tinnisburn Plants

Upper Millsteads, Canonbie DG14 0RY
Helen Knowles
Saturday/Sunday, 24/25 May, 10am - 4pm. Meconopsis will be on display. (2025)
a7
T:07544 373815 helen@tinnisburn.co.uk
W:tinnisburn.co.uk
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)

Directions: Take the B6357 north from Canonbie. At Harelaw turn left onto the B6318 and after 1 mile turn right onto our track. It is 1.5 miles long and is untarmacked but suitable for all vehicles. Just drive slowly and carefully.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Fauna & Flora International 30% & Macmillan Cancer Support 30%
Inveryne Woodland Garden

Inveryne Woodland Garden

Kilfinan, Tighnabruaich PA21 2ER
Mrs Jane Ferguson
Saturday(1pm - 5pm)/Sunday(10am - 1pm), 24/25 May (2025)
2c7
In ten acres of a 100-year-old amenity wood at Inveryne Farm, on a sloping site, somewhat sheltered from Loch Fyne, the garden was begun in 1994. Scrub birches were gradually cleared, bridges installed and amongst rocky outcrops were planted rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwoods, Japanese maples, sorbuses, eucryphias, hydrangeas and more. Gunnera, primulas and rodgersias cling to the banks of the burn and ferns provide the backdrop for our growing shrubs. Storms have varied its character and created features, and it is still a work in progress. Spring and autumn colour and an interest in varied vistas and textures of bark and leaf inspire us.

Directions: Approximately six miles north of Tighnabruaich towards Kilfinan on the B8000. After turning right at the crossroads at Millhouse, follow the road past the turning to Ardmarnock, over the little bridge at the bottom of the hill. The next track on the left is unpaved and leads to Inveryne.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Cowal Elderly Befrienders SCIO 60%
The Garden with the Dragon

The Garden with the Dragon

2, Upper Wellheads, Limekilns KY11 3JQ
Mr and Mrs Duncan Philp
Saturday 24 May & Saturday 31 May, 2pm - 4pm (2025)
0245
T:01383 872047 df.philp@btinternet.com
A quirky coastal garden hidden behind a walled plot. Scatterings of California poppies, bluebells and a varied mix of annuals and perennials with a small clear pond. Different themes blend in the garden, all overseen by a majestic dragon sculpture perched on a tree.

Directions: Take the A985 from Rosyth or Kincardine and follow directions for Limekilns and Charlestown. The No.6 bus from Dunfermline bus station on the hour.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: PETA 60%
Tigh-na-Beithe

Tigh-na-Beithe

Birnam Glen, Birnam, Dunkeld PH8 0BW
The Robbs
Sunday 25 May, 11am - 5pm (2025)
079
ericarobb555@gmail.com
An informal, shady woodland garden of 1.5 acres with a fine collection of mature shrubs and trees including copper beeches, an enormous flowering prunus and a beautiful Scots pine. Rhododendrons and azaleas are a beautiful sight in spring. The garden is a haven for wildlife with red squirrels and a wide variety of birds. Other features include a rockery, a perimeter pathway, a bluebell walk and seating areas. The ground is hilly, uneven and damp underfoot and sensible footwear is essential.

Directions: There is limited parking at the house. Please park at Birnam Village or Birnam and Dunkeld train station and walk to the garden up Birnam Glen footpath which is a five minute walk.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: The Salvation Army 30% & Guide Dogs 30%
Kilbryde Castle

Kilbryde Castle

Dunblane FK15 9NF
Sir James and Lady Campbell
Sunday 25 May, 11am - 5pm (2025)
3c67
T:01786 824897 carolaandjames@googlemail.com
W:www.kilbrydecastle.com
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.

Directions: Three miles from Dunblane and Doune, off the A820 between Dunblane and Doune. On Scotland’s Gardens Scheme open days the garden is signposted from the A820. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Leighton Library Trust 60%
Earlshall Castle

Earlshall Castle

Leuchars KY16 0DP
Paul and Josine Veenhuijzen
Sunday 25 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
6d7
T:01334 839205
Extensive, historically important and Quixotic topiary gardens designed by Sir Robert Lorimer in the 1890s to complement the Castle. The grounds also include a rose garden, croquet lawn, vegetable garden, orchard, park and wooded area.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00168

Directions: On Earlshall Road, three-quarters of a mile east of Leuchars Village (off A919).

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Leuchars St Athernase and Tayport Church of Scotland 60%
Swallows Rest

Swallows Rest

Lindores KY14 6JD
Stuart & Elaine Ingram
Sunday 25 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
47
T:07703 435055 elaine.ingram@icloud.com
The current owners moved in at the beginning of 2011 to a garden of grass and weeds. Since then, beds have been hand-dug, a slope filled with dwarf conifers and heathers, a pond and small stream made, and step-over fruit trees planted. The garden also hosts many perennials, shrubs, trees and acid-loving plants. Over 50 varieties of narcissus prolong spring interest, along with many hellebores and rhododendrons.

Directions: Two miles east of Newburgh on the A913 past Den of Lindores, on the left, house with a white door with a stained glass panel of a swallow scene. The garden is opening on 25 May in conjunction with Lindores House - see above listing. As there is limited parking at Swallows Rest, visitors are advised to park at, and walk from, Lindores House.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Corsock House

Corsock House

Corsock, Castle Douglas DG7 3DJ
The Ingall family
Sunday 25 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c67
T:01644 440250 jingall@hotmail.com
Corsock House garden, renowned for its substantial collection of rhododendrons, includes an amazing variety of designed landscape, from a strictly formal walled garden, through richly planted woodlands full of different vistas, artfully designed water features and surprises to extensive lawns showing off the Bryce baronial mansion. This is an Arcadian garden with pools and temples, described by Ken Cox as ‘perhaps my favourite of Scotland’s many woodland gardens’. 

Directions: Off the A75, Dumfries is 14 miles, Castle Douglas is 10 miles, Corsock Village is half-mile on the A712. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Corsock & Kirkpatrick Durham Church Of Scotland 60%
Mellerstain

Mellerstain

Mellerstain House and Gardens, Gordon TD3 6LG
Gill Harrop, Administrator
Saturday 31 May 11am-5pm, admission £6, children free, light refreshments available outwith cafè opening. (2025)
3c67
T:01573 410225 enquiries@mellerstain.com
W:www.mellerstain.com
Mellerstain will be hosting three special open days to celebrate the garden and grounds at their finest. In February carpets of snowdrops spread throughout the grounds, followed by the glorious colour of rhododendrons and azaleas at the end of May, and finishing with stunning autumn colours in late October. 100 acres of mature parkland, formal gardens and lakeside walks set off this Robert Adam masterpiece. The formal gardens to the south of the house were designed in 1910 by Sir Reginald Blomfield in an Italianate style sympathetic to the earlier 18th century layout. These beautiful terraces with herbaceous borders and yew trees lead to lower terraces via a cryptoporticus, and then a sweeping expanse of lawn descends to the lake. Among the sturdy oaks and majestic beeches in the north parkland, you’ll find an enchanting tiny thatched cottage discreetly tucked away with its own parterre garden. A map is available of the woodland and lakeside walks, picnic spots are available and the cafe is open during the summer season. Look out for the Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep too!

Directions: The house is signposted on the A6089 Kelso-Gordon road. The approach from the A68 Jedburgh-Edinburgh road is through Earlston on the A6105, then via the B6397 towards Smailholm. 

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Mellerstain Trust 60%
River Garden, The Restoration of Auchincruive

River Garden, The Restoration of Auchincruive

The Bothy Office, Auchincruive KA6 5AE
Head Gardener
Saturday 31 May & Sunday 1 June & Saturday/Sunday, 7/8 June, 12:30pm - 3:30pm (2025)
3467
enquiries@ifdas.net
The gardens date back to the 1900s, Auchincruive is steeped in horticultural history as the site used to be the West of Scotland Agricultural College. The gardens are going through major redevelopment to bring it back to its former glory, including restoring the secret garden, walled garden, herbaceous borders and ponds that are within the gardens. Our main focus is to produce vegetables for the Bothy Cafe, we have two large vegetable growing areas, one plot is no dig and the other is dig. We also have an arboretum that contains rare and endangered trees, including Sorbus arranensis, Sequoia sempervirens, Sequoiadendron giganteum and Cryptomeria japonica. The gardens also contain fruit, orchid and greenhouses and the grounds has a total of 48 acres that consist of woodlands, cafe and gardens. Our gardens are used therapeutically to help residents overcome addiction and improve their mental well being.

Directions: River Garden is located two minutes by car from the main Whitletts roundabout at the junction of the A77/B743. At the roundabout, take the B743 turn signposted Mossblown. At the bend in the road turn right into the Nellie’s Gate entrance at bus stop KA65.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: IFDAS 60%
Dundonnell House

Dundonnell House

Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross IV23 2QW
Dundonnell Estates
Saturday 31 May, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c6e7
T:07789 390028 sueandwill@icloud.com
Camellias, magnolias and bulbs in spring, rhododendrons and laburnum walk in this ancient walled garden. Exciting planting gives all year round interest, centred around one of the oldest yew trees in Scotland. A water sculpture, unique Victorian glass house, riverside walk, arboretum - all in the valley below the peaks of An Teallach.
Champion Trees: Yew and Holly

Directions: Turn off the A835 at Braemore on to the A832. After 11 miles take the Badralloch turn for a ½ mile.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Médecins Sans Frontières 30% & Environmental Investigation Agency 30%
Geilston Garden

Geilston Garden

Main Road, Cardross G82 5HD
The National Trust for Scotland
Sunday 1 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c46
T:01389 849187 geilstongarden@nts.org.uk
W:www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/Geilston-Garden/
Geilston Garden has many attractive features including the walled garden with herbaceous border providing summer colour, tranquil woodland walks and a large working kitchen garden. This is the ideal season for viewing the Siberian iris in flower along the Geilston Burn and the Japanese azaleas. 

Directions: On the A814, one mile from Cardross towards Helensburgh. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Brooklands

Brooklands

Crocketford DG2 8QH
Mr and Mrs Robert Herries
Sunday 1 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c67
T:Gardener, Matthew Grieve: 07765 491902
Large old walled garden with a wide selection of plants, including some interesting shrubs and climbers and a kitchen garden. Mature woodland with many established rhododendrons and azaleas, and carpeted with snowdrops in February.

Directions: Turn off the A712 Crocketford to New Galloway Road one mile outside Crocketford at the Gothic gatehouse (on the right travelling north).

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Thorntree

Thorntree

Arnprior FK8 3EY
Mark and Carol Seymour
Sunday 1 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c6
T:01786 870710 carolseymour666@gmail.com
W:www.thorntreebarn.co.uk
See the amazing views from Aberfoyle and the hills beyond to Doune. Thorntree is a cottage garden that has evolved from growing dried flowers into triangle beds to meander through with more and more plants filling in gaps! This year's task was pruning trees to make sure the sun gets through. The garden is kept with the aid of WRAGS trainees, now our 6th - they come for a year to be trained two days a week. I am so grateful to them all. I kept the garden as much as possible as the farmer's wife who lived here before had it - 33 years ago! Every year is different. In 2024 the hydrangeas all flowered so well, and roses were still in full first bloom in October. We are also usually here so come and see: just email to make sure we are not out.

Directions: On the A811, to Arnprior, then take the Fintry Road; Thorntree is second on the right. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Forth Driving Group RDA SCIO 60%
The Potting Shed

The Potting Shed

Broughton Place, Broughton, Biggar ML12 6HJ
Jane and Graham Buchanan-Dunlop
Wednesday 4 June, Wednesday 11 June, Wednesday 25 June & Wednesday 2 July, 11am - 5pm (2025)
c67
T:01899 830574 buchanandunlop@btinternet.com
A one-acre garden begun from scratch in 2008, on an exposed hillside at 900 feet. It contains herbaceous plants, climbers, shrubs and trees - all selected for wind resistance and ability to cope with the poor, stony soil. There are usually fine views to the Southern Uplands.

Directions: Signposted from the main A701 Edinburgh - Moffat Road, immediately north of Broughton village. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Nomad Beat Ltd: Peebles Community Music School 60%
Cloan

Cloan

by Auchterarder PH3 1PP
Neil Mitchison
Saturday/Sunday, 7/8 June, 10am - 5pm (2025)
267
T:07958 155831 niall@fastmail.co.uk
Two acres of wild garden, with a wide variety of rhododendrons and azaleas, and an impressive collection of trees, including metasequoia, cryptomeria, Acer cappadocicum, Sequoia sempervirens, Quercus robur ‘Filicifolia’, liriodendron, several Japanese maples, magnificent beech and Scots pine trees, and extensive yew topiary; also an acre of walled garden with embothriums, Acer griseum, several sorbus varieties, parrotia and a large herbaceous border. Fine views of Strathearn from the front of the house. 

Directions: From the A823, just south of the A9, follow the small road heading north east, signposted Duchally. Continue for approximately 2½ miles, turn right at the sign Coulshill. Continue for just under ½ mile. Follow the signs for car parking.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Tiphereth Limited: Camphill Scotland 60%
Norton House

Norton House

1 North Deeside Road, Kincardine O'Neil, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire AB34 5AA
Andrew and Nicola Bradford
Sunday 8 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
1c867
Norton House, on the edge of the historic village of Kincardine O’Neil, dates from 1840. In the main this is a mature garden with large trees, shrubs, herbaceous borders, rockeries and a small orchard. An area that was neglected for decades has seen much tree-felling and work is in progress to make a woodland garden. Following last year’s hugely successful first SGS opening you are invited to return to see progress and enjoy a scrummy tea and a social event.

Directions: Situated on the A93 at the eastern end of Kincardine O'Neil. Accessible by bus, the Stagecoach 201 service.

Admission: £10.00, children free
Charities: Children 1ST 60%
Belhaven House with Belhaven Hill School

Belhaven House with Belhaven Hill School

Belhaven Road, Dunbar EH42 1NN
Mr and Mrs Jon Bruneau and Mr Olly Langton
Sunday 8 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
6
Belhaven House has four acres of formal Georgian gardens. It comprises raised herbaceous borders with topiary features for structure, beautiful abundant rose archways and a walled vegetable and fruit garden with box-edged borders. There is also a woodland area with specimen trees dating from the early 20th century and in springtime this area is carpeted with daffodils and bluebells. The garden has been associated with a succession of people interested in plants since the 19th century, most notably Sir George Taylor, a former director of Kew Gardens.
Belhaven Hill School Originally called Winterfield House, the school has retained the garden in front of the walled garden which is accessed through an ornate gate and archway and is laid to lawn with box-edged borders, some containing wildflowers. A gate from the playing field leads to the Belhaven House garden.

Directions: By car, approaching Dunbar from A1 on A1087, Belhaven House is opposite Brewery Lane on the junction with Duke Street and the school entrance is a further 300 yards past a high stone wall. Public transport — bus X7 to Dunbar from Edinburgh.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Can Do 60%
An Caorann

An Caorann

Abernethy, Perthshire PH2 9LG
Paul Lacey
Sunday 15 June, 12pm - 4pm (2025)
24679
laceyp2@btinternet.com
A young garden under development designed by my late wife, Moira Lacey, with stunning views over the rivers Tay and Earn. Her talent as an artist is reflected in the plant choices and design. A haven for wildlife including woodpeckers, red squirrels and birds of prey. The garden includes herbaceous borders, alpines, conifers, a small vegetable garden and a pond full of water lilies.

Directions: From the centre of Abernethy turn into Kirk Wynd and the garden is second on the right after the Williamson Hall car park. Parking is at the Williamson Hall with limited parking on the garden driveway. Accessible by public transport with a 10 minute walk.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation: Cornhill Macmillan Centre 60%
Edzell Village Gardens

Edzell Village Gardens

Edzell DD9 7TQ
The Gardeners of Edzell
Sunday 15 June, 1pm - 5pm, ticket price to be confirmed (2025)
2c6
Union Street, Edzell DD9 7TD (Christy Bing): A walled garden with roses and ancient apple trees.
North Lodge 36 Church Street, Edzell DD9 7TQ (Robin and Paul McIntosh): North Lodge was designed by James Salmon in the Arts and Crafts style and built as a summer home in 1906. The garden is full of mature trees and shrubs, climbers and herbaceous perennials, with numerous flowering azaleas, rhododendrons and spring bulbs.
Tillytoghills Steading, Fettercairn AB30 1YJ (Veronica and Steve Engel): A large country garden with established herbaceous borders, new shubbery borders, native trees and a large pond, as well as productive vegetable and fruit garden with free-range chickens roaming close by.
Westwater House (NEW), Edzell DD9 7TZ (Charles and Rosie Elphinstone): Formerly home to the Dalhousie Estates factor, the garden includes a walled garden, ponds, stone dykes and hedging, with flowering azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolia in a woodland setting. Fruit trees blossom in the orchard and abundant old-fashioned roses and herbaceous beds in the walled garden bloom.

Directions: Maps and tickets will be available. Check the website for details

Admission: £8.00, children free
Charities: Edzell Village Improvement Society: Garden Group 60%
Glenkyllachy

Glenkyllachy

Tomatin IV13 7YA
Mr and Mrs Philip Mackenzie
Sunday 15 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
0c7
emmaglenkyllachy@gmail.com
In a magnificent Highland glen, 1200 feet above sea level, Glenkyllachy is a beautiful garden of shrubs, herbaceous plants, rhododendrons, trees, and spectacular views down the Findhorn River. There are some rare specimens and a recently planted arboretum. Rhododendrons and bulbs flower in May/June, herbaceous plants bloom through July/August with glorious autumn colours in September and October. There is a very productive vegetable garden, polytunnel, fruit cage and greenhouse as well as original sculptures and a Highgrove-inspired wall which provide year round interest. Featured on TV Beechgrove, in The English Garden Magazine and recently in Scottish Field (November 2023). The garden is constantly evolving with new areas being developed and planting schemes changed.

Directions: Turn off the A9 at Tomatin and take the Coignafearn/Garbole single-track road down the north-side of the River Findhorn, there is a cattle grid and gate on the right 500 yards AFTER the humpback bridge and the sign to Farr.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Marie Curie 60%
Teasses Gardens

Teasses Gardens

near Ceres KY8 5PG
Wednesday 18 June. A Summer Solstice evening tour of the garden accompanied by the Estate Manager and former Head Gardener. Tickets are £15 per head (children free) including wine and nibbles. Timings to be confirmed. (2025)
367
events@teasses.com
W:www.teasses.com
Please note that tickets for both events are limited and must be booked in advance - please see the SGS website for details.

Directions: Between Ceres and Largo. Access via farm entrance on Woodside Road.

Admission: £15.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Gardyne Castle

Gardyne Castle

by Forfar DD8 2SQ
William and Camilla Gray Muir
Saturday 21 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
06
Gardyne Castle, dating from the 16th century, is one of the most attractive small castles in Angus. After a turbulent history of battles with the neighbouring Guthries, the fortified house now sits in the centre of an enchanting garden created by its current owners over the past 21 years. To the east, the walled garden runs down to the Denton Burn. The castle’s extraordinary stone-capped turrets overlook a long, romantic double border, with herbaceous planting in front of the fruit trees trained up the wall facing a mature rose border on the other side of the gravel path. The castle’s southern front, which was extended in the 17th, 18th and early 20th centuries, is enhanced by a wisteria and overlooks a large enclosed knot garden of box, bay and yew mixed with white roses, peonies and lavender. Beyond is an immaculate formal lawn surrounded by yew topiaries and specimen trees, leading to a developing perennial wildflower meadow with a gentle path leading down through an orchard. To the north, an upper garden created since 2018, centred on a pepper pot doocot, provides an area for quiet contemplation with further yew topiary, an extended lavender border, white planting, a fishpond and the family’s collection of chickens. Beyond the formal gardens the grounds merge into mature woods with romantic walks along the Denton Burn, a range of specimen trees and some lovely naturalistic planting.

Directions: Turn off A932 at signpost to Pitmuies Garden. Go over two stone bridges and follow road uphill past small hamlet. Take first road on left. At sharp right-hand bend take private drive straight ahead (beside cream lodge).

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Guthrie Heritage SCIO 60%
Gifford Village with Gifford Bank and Broadwoodside

Gifford Village with Gifford Bank and Broadwoodside

Gifford EH41 4QU
Gardeners of Gifford; Elaine and Richard Austin (Gifford Bank); Anna and Robert Dalrymple (Broadwoodside)
Sunday 22 June, 11am - 5pm (2025)
267
Gifford Village The gardens vary in size and type, from the compact and informal to the large and formal. Gifford was laid out in the early 18th century and has retained much of its original charm. The village includes a beautiful church built in 1708, the Lime Avenue of Yester House and a community woodland — all gardens are within walking distance of each other. In addition to several gardens within the village centre, entry is also included to the larger gardens of Gifford Bank and Broadwoodside, both within easy walking distance.
Broadwoodside (EH41 4JQ) 'is a remarkable achievement. It is a country house that is both memorable and noteworthy, without ever falling into the trap of architectural pretension. That is perhaps because the humble origins of the steading still shine through the transformation to lend texture and interest to the buildings. No less remarkable is the way that the house graduates into the garden and the garden into the landscape. This is a house that feels not merely at home in its setting, but born from it. Finally, there is the delight of the place, enlivened with colour, inscriptions and beautiful things.' Country Life, 2023.
Gifford Bank (EH41 4JE) is a Georgian house set in four acres on the edge of the village. Lawns to the front and side of the house are edged by woodland whilst a walled garden provides a more formal area; this includes a circular lawn, raised beds for soft fruit, a herb and rose garden and an orchard. There are large herbaceous borders and scented climbing roses. The garden to the rear of the house includes water features and a large, fire bowl planter.

Directions: Gifford sits between the A1 and the A68 roads about five miles south of Haddington. The village is well signposted from Haddington, Pencaitland and Duns. When leaving Gifford on the B6355 Edinburgh Road, Gifford Bank is the last property on the right before the de-restriction signs. The drive into Broadwoodside is opposite the Golf Course.

Admission: £10.00, children free
Charities: Gifford Horticultural Society 60%
House of Aigas and Field Centre

House of Aigas and Field Centre

by Beauly IV4 7AD
Sir John and Lady Lister-Kaye
Sunday 22 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c6ek
T:01463 782443 info@aigas.co.uk
W:www.aigas.co.uk
The House of Aigas has a small arboretum of named Victorian specimen trees and modern additions. The garden consists of extensive rockeries, herbaceous borders, ponds and shrubs. Aigas Field Centre rangers lead regular guided walks on nature trails through woodland, moorland and around a loch.
Champion Trees: Douglas fir, Atlas cedar and Sequoiadendron giganteum

Directions: Four-and-a-half miles from Beauly on the A831 Cannich/Glen Affric road.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Highland Hospice: Aird branch 60%
No Photo

Mill House

Lyness, Hoy, Orkney KW16 3NU
Helen Hiscoke
Saturday 28 June, 11am - 4pm (2025)
1c9
Mill House gardens are a seaside sanctuary of quiet contemplative rooms on many levels, with amazing views. The many secluded seated areas are accessed by steps, tree lined paths and walled garden routes leading around the sprawling grounds, with an array of trees, shrubs, flowers for seasonal colour and interest with formal and natural ponds attracting abundant wildlife. There is a sea front rockery overlooked by a glazed deck from where you can view Scapa Flow. The fruit and vegetable garden is home to a self-built recycled green house, a sheltered potting area, cold frames, raised beds for growing the family’s produce including a dappled shaded herb garden behind the house, all giving hours of peace and health benefits working with the steady processes of gardening.

Directions: From Lyness ferry terminal, follow signs for Emily's Tea Room for two miles, passing over a river. Mill House is on the right past Emily's.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Headway - The Brain Injury Association 60%
Earlshall Castle

Earlshall Castle

Leuchars KY16 0DP
Paul and Josine Veenhuijzen
Sunday 29 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
6d7
T:01334 839205
Extensive, historically important and Quixotic topiary gardens designed by Sir Robert Lorimer in the 1890s to complement the Castle. The grounds also include a rose garden, croquet lawn, vegetable garden, orchard, park and wooded area.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00168

Directions: On Earlshall Road, three-quarters of a mile east of Leuchars Village (off A919).

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Charity: Leuchars 60%
No Photo

Dorward House

24 Dorward Road, Montrose DD10 8SB
The Trustees of Dorward House
Sunday 29 June, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
24579
The original house was built in 1839 and became a care home for the elderly in 1950. There have been many changes over the years including the addition of the garden pavilion. The gardens are maintained by the gardener/handyman with assistance from a private contractor and a few keen volunteers. Their hard work and dedication has certainly paid off with stunning herbaceous borders and colourful annuals. There is also a 'sensory garden' to the rear which is dedicated mainly for the vulnerable dementia residents. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Directions: Dorward House is on the corner of Dorward Rd and Warrack Terrace, and is adjacent to the Midlinks park and tennis courts.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Dorward House, Montrose 60%
No Photo

Kiltarlity Gardens

Kiltarlity, Beauly IV4 7JH
Sheila Ross, Laura Evans, Dickon and Barbara Sandbach & Sue Marshall
Sunday 13 July, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c6
Aird View 30a Camault Muir, Kiltarlity IV4 7JH (Sheila Ross): The garden at Aird View offers a mix of borders, a water feature, an arbour and a newly-added herbaceous border. There are also fruit trees and vegetable beds. Vintage tractors on display.
Buchollie House (NEW) Buchollie House, Boblainy, Kiltarlity IV4 7HX (Sue Marshall): Buchollie House has an informal but varied woodland garden of about one acre. It incorporates herbaceous borders, raised vegetable beds, and a shaded glade planted with rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as more natural areas and a wildflower patch. There is a large wildlife pond and the garden attracts a huge variety of woodland birds and animals. It is a good example of a large garden that is relatively easy to manage and maintain.
Highland Liliums 10 Loaneckheim, Kiltarlity IV4 7JQ (Laura Evans): Highland Liliums is a working retail nursery with spectacular views over the Beauly valley and Strathfarrar hills. A wide selection of home-grown plants are available including alpines, ferns, grasses, herbaceous, herbs, liliums, primulas and shrubs.
Monarda House Kiltarlity, Beauly IV4 7HX (Dickon and Barbara Sandbach): An evolving, productive garden with a mix of ornamental and native plantings over four acres. An easy circuit, in proximity to the house on even paths, displays a variety of conifers, shrubs and herbaceous plants, with a summer house. A wider circuit, for which stouter footwear is recommended, includes raised vegetable beds, polytunnel, chicken run, a young orchard, nuttery and mature woodland, with a pine-lined avenue up to the fledgling arboretum. Beyond is a rough-pathed area of regenerative wood, wildflower meadow, mature trees and willow coppice, to the old stable apiary, returning along a track sided with ornamental cherries.

Directions: Aird View: Take the A833 Beauly to Drumnadrochit Road, pass Brockies Lodge. Turn right at the bus shelter and follow the single track road to the junction at the school. Turn left and go up the hill to the top, at the junction Aird View is on the right.  Buchollie House and Monarda House: From the A833 Beauly to Drumnadrochit road, turn into Kiltarlity. Drive through the village, over a small bridge, then take the first left to Clunevackie. Continue for approx one mile where you will see Buchollie House on the left side of road. Disabled parking is available at the house, but main parking approx 200 metres further up the hill at Monarda House which is on the right hand side of the road after it bears left ahead of a forestry track. What3words: valuables.teaches.brave. Highland Liliums is signposted from Kiltarlity Village.

Admission: £8.00, children free
Charities: Highland Hospice: Aird branch 60%
Balcarres

Balcarres

Colinsburgh KY9 1HN
The Earl and Countess of Crawford and Balcarres
Sunday 13 July, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
245d
T:01333 340205 (Estate Office)
Set on the south-facing slopes of Fife, with spectacular views over the Firth of Forth, Balcarres Garden is a summer haven welcoming visitors to explore its natural beauty. In July, the Rose Garden will be in full bloom, showcasing a mixture of David Austin shrub roses, hybrid tea, and floribunda varieties, offering a stunning display of colour and fragrance. Alongside the roses, the herbaceous borders will be alive with vibrant phlox, geranium, alstromeria, veronicastrum, aconitum, astrantia, campanula, nepeta, eryngium, macleaya, thalictrum, telekia and lythrum. The herbaceous borders, with their generous and informal planting style, offer a delightful contrast to the structure and formality of the lower terrace. Framed by magnificent 200-year-old yew hedges, the terrace provides a stunning architectural backdrop that enhances the natural beauty of the garden. Visitors will also enjoy the rich foliage along Mary's Walk and Chapel Walk, together with Jim's Grove, its woodland character a further must-see for plant enthusiasts. Balcarres Garden offers a perfect retreat for a summer's day.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00036

Directions: Half-a-mile north of Colinsburgh off A942. Bus to Colinsburgh.

Admission: £7.50, children free
Charities: Children 1ST: for a family holiday in East Neuk 30% & Colinsburgh Community Trust Ltd: for Colinsburgh Community Gardens 30%
Milton of Finavon House

Milton of Finavon House

Forfar DD8 3PY
Saturday 26 July, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
0c857
enquiries@miltonoffinavonhouse.co.uk
W:miltonoffinavonhouse.co.uk
Milton of Finavon House is a Grade C listed property in 1.8 acres of gardens. In parts, the house dates from circa 1500. The gardens are currently being restored and replanted. There is a small meadow orchard with fruit trees and mown walkways, a formal semi-walled garden with more restoration and new planting, with further woodland walks and a kitchen garden with new and old restoration planting. We hope that you will enjoy seeing the garden evolve over the coming years.

Directions: 2 minutes off the A90, north of Forfar and south of Brechin. Take the sharp turn off the A90 and then again into Milton Lane and then about 1 mile into the village. Park up and then on foot follow the signs. Parking is free in the village and is a two minute walk to the gardens. Blue Badge holders may park in the courtyard, you will be directed on arrival, so please follow the road and turn right at the T junction. A public WC is available in the courtyard. Water bowls for dogs will be available.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Pitlochie House

Pitlochie House

Gateside KY14 7SQ
George and Fay Orr
Sunday 27 July, 10am - 6pm (2025)
2c6
T:07730 135953
This established garden has year-round interest. A restoration project with quirky features, characters and surprises! Comprising lots of different areas, the garden is carpeted in spring with snowdrops, daffodils, camassia and then bluebells. Following on there are over 140 varieties of hosta, plus heuchera, hellebores, roses, clematis, and lilies. There are formal herbaceous borders within two walled gardens, hedges, woodland, shaded planting, glass house, fruit trees, rhododendrons and azaleas. And pots of all description in every available corner.

Directions: On the A912 Gateside to Perth. The garden is on the right hand side, 200 metres from the village main street

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Gateside And District Community Association 60%
House of Aigas and Field Centre

House of Aigas and Field Centre

by Beauly IV4 7AD
Sir John and Lady Lister-Kaye
Sunday 27 July, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
2c6ek
T:01463 782443 info@aigas.co.uk
W:www.aigas.co.uk
The House of Aigas has a small arboretum of named Victorian specimen trees and modern additions. The garden consists of extensive rockeries, herbaceous borders, ponds and shrubs. Aigas Field Centre rangers lead regular guided walks on nature trails through woodland, moorland and around a loch.
Champion Trees: Douglas fir, Atlas cedar and Sequoiadendron giganteum

Directions: Four-and-a-half miles from Beauly on the A831 Cannich/Glen Affric road.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Highland Hospice: Aird branch 60%
2 Durnamuck

2 Durnamuck

Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross IV23 2QZ
Will Soos and Susan Pomeroy
Sunday 3 August, 11am - 4pm (2025)
2c7k
T:07789 390028 sueandwill@icloud.com
W:2Durnamuckgarden.com. You can also find us on Facebook.
Our garden is south-east facing on the edge of Little Loch Broom. It is a coastal plantsman's garden with a rich mix of herbaceous borders, trees and shrubs, vegetables, drystone wall planting. South African/Mediterranean plants, a wild meadow and stunning views. Many of the plants have been collected from all over the world, and growing them has provided obvious challenges but with a pleasing outcome. Featured in 2019 entries in Gardens Illustrated, Homes & Gardens and Beechgrove. Entry in the English Garden magazine in September 2020.

Directions: On the A832, between Dundonnell and Ullapool, take the turning along the single-track road signed Badcaul, continue to the egg shack, turn right, go to the bottom of the hill and 2 Durnamuck is the house with the red roof. There is parking down by the house if needed.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Sandpiper Trust 60%
Cloan

Cloan

by Auchterarder PH3 1PP
Neil Mitchison
Sunday 10 August, 10am - 5pm (2025)
267
T:07958 155831 niall@fastmail.co.uk
Two acres of wild garden, with a wide variety of rhododendrons and azaleas, and an impressive collection of trees, including metasequoia, cryptomeria, Acer cappadocicum, Sequoia sempervirens, Quercus robur ‘Filicifolia’, liriodendron, several Japanese maples, magnificent beech and Scots pine trees, and extensive yew topiary; also an acre of walled garden with embothriums, Acer griseum, several sorbus varieties, parrotia and a large herbaceous border. Fine views of Strathearn from the front of the house. 

Directions: From the A823, just south of the A9, follow the small road heading north east, signposted Duchally. Continue for approximately 2½ miles, turn right at the sign Coulshill. Continue for just under ½ mile. Follow the signs for car parking.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Tiphereth Limited: Camphill Scotland 60%
Glensaugh

Glensaugh

Glensaugh Lodge, Fettercairn, Laurencekirk AB30 1HB
Donald and Sue Barrie
Sunday 17 August, 1:30pm - 4:30pm (2025)
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The twenty-year development of the hillside garden at Glensaugh, with its fine outlook over the Howe of the Mearns, continues as lawn evolves into wildflower meadow and borders are replanted. Trees, species rhododendrons and other shrubs provide year-round interest while herbaceous planting extends colour into the autumn. Yew hedges and well-placed natural stone give structure in the lower garden where a productive kitchen garden and polytunnel exist alongside informal borders and a sunken pond.

Directions: Three miles north of Fettercairn on the B974, turn right at the Clatterin Brig and follow minor road signed Glensaugh for ½ mile, then turn right into the Glensaugh farm steading (parking) and follow beech avenue from the steading to Glensaugh Lodge.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Kincardine And Deeside Befriending 60%
Dundonnell House

Dundonnell House

Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross IV23 2QW
Dundonnell Estates
Thursday 21 August, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
6e7
T:07789 390028 sueandwill@icloud.com
Camellias, magnolias and bulbs in spring, rhododendrons and laburnum walk in this ancient walled garden. Exciting planting gives all year round interest, centred around one of the oldest yew trees in Scotland. A water sculpture, unique Victorian glass house, riverside walk, arboretum - all in the valley below the peaks of An Teallach.
Champion Trees: Yew and Holly

Directions: Turn off the A835 at Braemore on to the A832. After 11 miles take the Badralloch turn for a ½ mile.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Médecins Sans Frontières 30% & Environmental Investigation Agency 30%
Dawyck Botanic Garden

Dawyck Botanic Garden

Stobo EH45 9JU
A Regional Garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Sunday 5 October, 10am - 5pm (2025)
3c6ead
T:01721 760254
W:www.rbge.org.uk/dawyck
Dawyck is a regional garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh which had its 350th anniversary in 2020. Stunning collection of rare trees and shrubs. With over 300 years of tree planting, Dawyck is a world-famous arboretum with mature specimens of Chinese conifers, Japanese maples, Brewer’s spruce, the unique Dawyck beech and sequoiadendrons from North America which are over 150 feet tall. Bold herbaceous plantings run along the burn. Range of trails and walks. Fabulous autumn colours.
National Plant Collection: Larix spp. and Tsuga spp
Champion Trees: Numerous
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00134

Directions: Eight miles south-west of Peebles on the B712. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Mellerstain

Mellerstain

Mellerstain House and Gardens, Gordon TD3 6LG
Gill Harrop, Administrator
Saturday 25 October 11am-5pm, admission £6, children free, light refreshments available outwith cafè opening. (2025)
3c67
T:01573 410225 enquiries@mellerstain.com
W:www.mellerstain.com
Mellerstain will be hosting three special open days to celebrate the garden and grounds at their finest. In February carpets of snowdrops spread throughout the grounds, followed by the glorious colour of rhododendrons and azaleas at the end of May, and finishing with stunning autumn colours in late October. 100 acres of mature parkland, formal gardens and lakeside walks set off this Robert Adam masterpiece. The formal gardens to the south of the house were designed in 1910 by Sir Reginald Blomfield in an Italianate style sympathetic to the earlier 18th century layout. These beautiful terraces with herbaceous borders and yew trees lead to lower terraces via a cryptoporticus, and then a sweeping expanse of lawn descends to the lake. Among the sturdy oaks and majestic beeches in the north parkland, you’ll find an enchanting tiny thatched cottage discreetly tucked away with its own parterre garden. A map is available of the woodland and lakeside walks, picnic spots are available and the cafe is open during the summer season. Look out for the Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep too!

Directions: The house is signposted on the A6089 Kelso-Gordon road. The approach from the A68 Jedburgh-Edinburgh road is through Earlston on the A6105, then via the B6397 towards Smailholm. 

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Mellerstain Trust 60%
Oldtown of Leys Garden

Oldtown of Leys Garden

Inverness IV2 6AE
David and Anne Sutherland
Open daily (closed Thursday and Friday 1 May - 31 October), 8am - 8pm. (2025)
467
T:01463 238238 ams@oldtownofleys.com
Established in 2003, on the outskirts of Inverness, with views over the town, this large garden of three acres has year-round interest. Spring rhododendrons and azaleas, summer herbaceous plantings, autumn trees and shrubs and winter appeal from the conifers, evergreens and structures. Features include a rockery, ponds, musical instruments, a stumpery and a new area of late summer colour.

Directions: Turn off Southern Distributor road (B8082) at Leys roundabout towards Inverarnie (B861). At the T-junction turn right. After 50 metres turn right into Oldtown of Leys.

Admission: by donation
Charities: Alzheimer Scotland 30% & Highland Hospice 30%
King's Park Walled Garden

King's Park Walled Garden

Kings Park, 325 Carmunnock Road, Glasgow G44 5HL
Friends of King's Park
Open daily, 9am - 4:45pm. Admission is free but donations to Scotland's Gardens Scheme are welcome. (2025)
45e7
contactus@friendsofkingsparkglasgow.co.uk
W:friendsofkingsparkglasgow.co.uk
The C-listed walled garden within King's Park would have served as a kitchen garden for the original James Hamilton estate in the 18th century, with colourful beds and borders and fruit trees. In recent years, Friends of King's Park have adopted the garden from Glasgow City Council with the aim of reinstating it to its former glory. The garden is split into quarters, two of which the Friends have planted with trees, shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs between 2022 and 2023. The east-facing bed has been planted with weeping cherry trees, underplanted with a selection of bulbs and a variety of perennials. The north-facing bed has a row of beautiful cherry trees. The south-facing wall will showcase cordons of a range of fruiting trees, which the Friends extended over winter 2023. We aim to further enrich the experience of visiting this garden and as a charitable organisation, will continue to raise funds to fully restore the walled garden.
Champion Trees: Yew trees (in main King's Park)

Directions: Free on-street parking is available in all streets surrounding the park. King's Park is accessible by public transport: buses 5 and 31 for the Carmunnock Road entrances, 34 and 75 for the Menock Road entrance. King's Park train station is a two-minute walk from the Menock Road entrance.

Admission: by donation
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Ardmaddy Castle

Ardmaddy Castle

by Oban PA34 4QY
Mr and Mrs Archie Struthers
Open daily, 9am - 6pm (2025)
c57k
T:01852 300353 minette@ardmaddy.com
W:www.ardmaddy.com
The gardens lie in a truly spectacular setting in the centre of a horseshoe bay, sheltered by mixed mature wooded hills and the castle atop a volcanic mound. The 18th-century walled garden has been much restored and improved over the last 50 years, hence its well-earned reputation as a plantsman's garden for all seasons.
In addition to the magnificent rhododendron collection, it is now also home to many rare and unusual shrubs and plants. These all sit alongside productive fruit and vegetable beds, all given formal structure by dwarf box hedges . The walled garden is flanked by shrub lined avenues bordering the burn, leading to woodland walks and a water garden. Don't miss the 60 foot Hydrangea petiolaris on Lady Murray's Walk and the towering stand of gunnera next to the ponds. The latest additions in an always-evolving garden are new medicinal herb beds and the beginning s of a new arboretum in the old orchard area.

Directions: Take the A816 south of Oban for eight miles. Turn right onto the B844 to Seil Island/Easdale. Four miles on, turn left to Ardmaddy (signposted) and follow for a further two miles.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Ardkinglas Woodland Garden

Ardkinglas Woodland Garden

Cairndow PA26 8BG
Ardkinglas Estate
Open daily, dawn - dusk (2025)
6ed7k
T:01499 600261
W:www.ardkinglas.com
In a peaceful setting overlooking Loch Fyne, the garden contains one of the finest collections of rhododendrons and conifers in Britain. This includes the mightiest conifer in Europe - a silver fir - as well as many other Champion Trees. There is a gazebo with a unique scriptorium based around a collection of literary quotes. For younger visitors, the garden features a Fairy Trail, Gruffalo Trail and Snakey Slide. It is a VisitScotland 3-star garden.
Champion Trees: The mightiest conifer in Europe and others.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00022

Directions: Entrance through Cairndow village off the A83 Loch Lomond/Inveraray road.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Highland Liliums

Highland Liliums

10 Loaneckheim, Kiltarlity IV4 7JQ
Laura Evans
Open daily, 9am - 5pm. Admission is free but donations to Scotland's Gardens Scheme are welcome. (2025)
c57
T:01463 741698 shop@highlandliliums.co.uk
W:www.highlandliliums.co.uk
Highland Liliums is a working retail nursery with spectacular views over the Beauly valley and Strathfarrar hills. A wide selection of home-grown plants are available including alpines, ferns, grasses, herbaceous, herbs, liliums, primulas and shrubs.

Directions: Signposted from Kiltarlity Village, which is just off the Beauly to Drumnadrochit road (A833), approximately 12 miles from Inverness.

Admission: by donation
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Achnacloich

Achnacloich

Connel, Oban PA37 1PR
Mr T M Nelson
Open daily, 10am - 4pm (2025)
6dk
T:01631 710223 or Gardener David Field 07929 336217 davefield6@hotmail.co.uk & cassandhu@gmail.com
The 20-acre woodland garden overlooking Loch Etive has been planted over the last century with a wide range of trees and shrubs from Asia, China, Japan, North America, Chile and New Zealand. Many have grown to considerable size. The light woodland canopy consists of native oaks and a number of magnificent 150-year-old Scots pines and European larch. Amongst these are open glades, carpeted with bluebells and numerous other bulbs. Two ponds and streams are planted with primulas, iris species, lysichitum, and astilbes. The woodland contains innumerable species of rhododendron and azalea, of which the triflorums and yunnanense are outstanding. Amongst these are species of acer, betula, camellia, cercidiphyllum, cornus, crinodendron, drimys, embothrium, enkianthus, eucryphia, hoheria, magnolia, malus, nothofagus, pieris, sorbus, stewartia, telopea and viburnum. Beside the house is a giant Douglas fir from Douglas' original introduction. One of the first Dawyck beeches stands beside the drive. Fine autumn colours.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00007

Directions: On the A85 two miles east of Connel. The car park is at the bottom of the drive.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Macmillan Cancer Support 60%
Ardtornish

Ardtornish

by Lochaline, Morvern PA80 5UZ
Mrs John Raven
Open daily, 10am - 6pm (2025)
867k
W:www.ardtornish.co.uk
Ardtornish Estate spreads out around Loch Aline, a huge, wooded, U-shaped bay, a natural haven. Wonderful gardens of interesting mature conifers, rhododendrons, deciduous trees, shrubs and herbaceous plantings, set amid magnificent scenery. Much of the garden is covered by native birch, alongside extensive planting of exotic species, under mature groups of larch, firs and pine, whose strong form and colour complement the pink sandstone towers and gables of Ardtornish House.

Directions: Three miles from Lochaline along the A884.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Mellerstain

Mellerstain

Mellerstain House and Gardens, Gordon TD3 6LG
Gill Harrop, Administrator
Open daily, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
67
T:01573 410225 enquiries@mellerstain.com
W:www.mellerstain.com
Mellerstain will be hosting three special open days to celebrate the garden and grounds at their finest. In February carpets of snowdrops spread throughout the grounds, followed by the glorious colour of rhododendrons and azaleas at the end of May, and finishing with stunning autumn colours in late October. 100 acres of mature parkland, formal gardens and lakeside walks set off this Robert Adam masterpiece. The formal gardens to the south of the house were designed in 1910 by Sir Reginald Blomfield in an Italianate style sympathetic to the earlier 18th century layout. These beautiful terraces with herbaceous borders and yew trees lead to lower terraces via a cryptoporticus, and then a sweeping expanse of lawn descends to the lake. Among the sturdy oaks and majestic beeches in the north parkland, you’ll find an enchanting tiny thatched cottage discreetly tucked away with its own parterre garden. A map is available of the woodland and lakeside walks, picnic spots are available and the cafe is open during the summer season. Look out for the Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep too!

Directions: The house is signposted on the A6089 Kelso-Gordon road. The approach from the A68 Jedburgh-Edinburgh road is through Earlston on the A6105, then via the B6397 towards Smailholm. 

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Inverness Botanic Gardens

Inverness Botanic Gardens

Bught Lane, Inverness IV3 5SS
Pamela Sutherland
3 January - 21 December, 9:30am - 4pm (2025)
b3c846
T:01463 701019 inverness.botanics@highlifehighland.com
W:highlifehighland.com/inverness-botanicgardens/
We are the most northerly botanic gardens in the UK and host a wide variety of plants, shrubs and trees with year-round interest. There is a large Tropical House and a Cactus House with plants from around the globe. In spring come to see our bulb displays, in summer our herbaceous borders and specimen trees, in autumn for late herbaceous and leaf colour and in winter for evergreens, specimen trees in flower and those with wonderful bark. The GROW Project is also housed within our gardens which is run by a special needs group, it has an allotment, herbaceous borders, wildflower areas, ponds, children's play areas and much, much more! There is a lovely cafe onsite serving soups, sandwiches and cakes alongside local artworks and plants. We are a charity and so the entry is free with donation boxes to be found inside the cafe.

Directions: From Inverness city centre follow signs to Drumnadrochit. Then follow the brown signs to the Leisure Centre (turn left at the Cemetery before the canal).

Admission: by donation
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Abriachan Garden Nursery

Abriachan Garden Nursery

Loch Ness Side IV3 8LA
Mr and Mrs Davidson
1 February - 30 November, 9am - 7pm (2025)
bc467
T:01463 861232 info@lochnessgarden.com
W:www.lochnessgarden.com
This is an outstanding garden with over four acres of exciting plantings with winding paths through native woodlands. Seasonal highlights include snowdrops, hellebores, primulas, meconopsis, hardy geraniums and colour-themed summer beds. Views over Loch Ness.

Directions: On the A82 Inverness/Drumnadrochit road, about nine miles south of Inverness.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Highland Hospice 60%
Logan Botanic Garden

Logan Botanic Garden

Port Logan, by Stranraer DG9 9ND
A Regional Garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Open daily 1 March - 15 November, 10am - 5pm (4pm in November). Admission details can be found on the garden's website. (2025)
3c45ea
T:01776 860231 logan@rbge.org.uk
W:www.rbge.org.uk/logan
Logan Botanic Garden lies at the south-western tip of Scotland, unrivalled as ‘Scotland’s Most Exotic Garden’. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, a remarkable collection of southern hemisphere plants flourish, making this a plantsman’s paradise. Logan enjoys an almost subtropical climate where the garden's avenues and borders feature a spectacular and colourful array of half-hardy perennials. The garden is warmed by the Gulf Stream which enables plants from Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America and Southern Africa to thrive. Voted ‘Best Garden in the UK’ 2021, Logan promises a delightful day out for all.
National Plant Collection: Gunnera, Leptospermum, Griselinia, Clianthus and Sutherlandia
Champion Trees: Polylepis and Eucalyptus

Directions: Ten miles south of Stranraer on the A716 then 2½ miles from Ardwell Village. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Board Of Trustees Of The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 60%
Kinlochlaich Walled Garden

Kinlochlaich Walled Garden

Appin PA38 4BD
Miss F M M Hutchison
3 March - 31 October, 10am - 4pm (2025)
c45k
T:07881 525754 fionakinlochlaich@gmail.com
W:www.kinlochlaichgardencentre.co.uk
Octagonal walled garden incorporating a large Nursery Garden Centre with a huge variety of plants growing and for sale. Bluebell woodland walk and spring garden. Many rhododendrons, azaleas, trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, including many unusual ones such as embothrium, davidia, stewartia, magnolia, eucryphia and tropaeolum. A quarter of the interior of the walled garden is borders packed with many unusual and interesting plants, espaliered fruit trees, and with an ancient yew in the centre, and another quarter is vegetable growing.

Directions: On the A828 in Appin between Oban, 18 miles to the south, and Fort William, 27 miles to the north. The entrance is next to the police station. Infrequent bus Oban to Fort William - request stop.

Admission: by donation
Charities: The Appin Village Hall 30% & Down's Syndrome Scotland: West of Scotland Branch 30%
Braco Castle

Braco Castle

Braco FK15 9LA
Mr and Mrs M van Ballegooijen
12 March - 31 October, 10am - 5pm (2025)
5d
T:01786 880437
A 19th-century landscaped garden with a plethora of wonderful and interesting trees, shrubs, bulbs and plants. An old garden for all seasons that has been extensively expanded over the last 35 years. The partly-walled garden is approached on a rhododendron and tree-lined path featuring an ornamental pond. Spectacular spring bulbs, exuberant shrub and herbaceous borders and many ornamental trees are all enhanced by the spectacular views across the park to the Ochils. From snowdrops through to vibrant autumn colour, this garden is a gem. Look out for the embothrium in June, hoheria in August, eucryphia in September and an interesting collection of rhododendrons and azaleas with long flowering season.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00067

Directions: Drive for 1½ miles from the gates at the north end of Braco Village, just west of the bridge on the A822. Parking at the castle is welcome.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: The Woodland Trust Scotland 60%
Knock Newhouse

Knock Newhouse

Lochgair PA31 8RZ
Mrs Hew Service
20 March - 30 September, 10am - 4pm (2025)
2c467
T:01546 886628 corranmorhouse@aol.com
Like all good gardens, it has evolved over time. The garden is centred on a 250-foot lochan, a small waterfall and lily pond. The first trees and rhododendrons were planted in the 1960s, with major additions in the 1990s. A variety of cut leaf and flowering trees were added after the storms of 2011/12. As a result, the garden now has a wide range of specimen trees, camellias, hoheria, eucryphia, stewartia to name a few in addition to the azaleas and rhododendrons. January flowering is followed by spring flowers and bluebells and then into the autumn by spectacular colours. I am delighted to welcome visitors at any time.

Directions: On the A83. The house is not visible from the road. From Lochgilphead, a ½ mile south of Lochgair Hotel and on the left-hand side of the road, and from Inveraray on the right-hand side of the road a ½ mile after the Lochgair Hotel; the drive opening is marked and enters the woods. Bus Route - Inveraray to Lochgilphead

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: The Lochgair Association (SCIO): Village Hall Fund 30% & Cancer Research UK 30%
No Photo

Glenarn

Glenarn Road, Rhu, Helensburgh G84 8LL
Michael and Sue Thornley
21 March - 21 September, dawn - dusk (2025)
46ed7
T:01436 820493 masthome@btinternet.com
W:www.glenarn.com
Glenarn survives as a complete example of a ten-acre garden which spans from 1850 to the present day. There are winding paths through miniature glens under a canopy of oaks and limes, sunlit open spaces, a vegetable garden with beehives, and a rock garden full of surprise and season-long colour. The famous collections of rare and tender rhododendrons and magnolias give way in midsummer to roses rambling through the trees and climbing hydrangeas, followed by the starry white flowers of hoherias and eucryphias to the end of the season. There is a Silent Space at the top of the garden with views over the Gareloch.
Champion Trees: Notably Magnolia rostrata
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00193

Directions: On the A814, two miles north of Helensburgh, up Pier Road. Cars to be left at the gate unless passengers have limited mobility.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Amma : Birth Companions (SCIO) 50%
Inveraray Castle Gardens

Inveraray Castle Gardens

Inveraray PA32 8XF
The Duke and Duchess of Argyll
27 March - 29 September 10am - 5pm & 2 October - 27 October 10am - 4pm (2025)
146d
T:01499 302203 manager@inveraray-castle.com
W:www.inveraray-castle.com
With Inveraray Castle as an imposing backdrop, the sixteen acre garden has formal, meadow, park and woodland areas and is one of the most important designed landscapes in Scotland. The formal gardens consist of vivid green manicured lawn; the Flag Borders, historically laid out in the shape of the St Andrew’s cross; a spectacular rose garden and herbaceous borders. A number of significant trees, including notable specimens of Magnolia acuminata and Oxydendrum arboreum, provide structure and form in this section of the garden. Colour is abundant from April until well into the autumn. The wildflower meadow is managed with native flora and fauna in mind and links the formal and informal parts of the garden. The carpet of fragrant bluebells is a feast for the senses throughout the spring, following straight on from thousands of narcissi. With views over Loch Fyne and the majesty of the West Highlands, the garden holds numerous rhododendrons, hydrangeas and other plants known to flourish in the Argyll climate.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00223

Directions: Inveraray is 60 miles north of Glasgow and 45 miles from Oban. Regular bus services from Glasgow, Oban and Campbeltown. SatNav PA32 8XF.

Admission: £10.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
An Cala

An Cala

Ellenabeich, Isle of Seil PA34 4RF
Mrs Sheila Downie
1 April - 31 October, 10am - 6pm (2025)
46d7
W:www.gardens-of-argyll.co.uk/view-details.php?id=447
A wonderful example of a 1930s designed garden, An Cala sits snugly in its horseshoe shelter of surrounding cliffs. A spectacular and very pretty garden with streams, waterfall, ponds, many herbaceous plants as well as azaleas, rhododendrons and cherry trees in spring. Archive material of Thomas Mawson’s design was found recently and is available to visitors.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00013

Directions: Proceed south from Oban on Campbeltown Road for eight miles, turn right at the Easdale sign, a further eight miles on the B844; the garden is between the school and the village. Bus Oban - Easdale.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance 30% & Cancer Research UK 30%
Dunvegan Castle and Gardens

Dunvegan Castle and Gardens

Isle of Skye IV55 8WF
Hugh Macleod of Macleod
1 April - 15 October, 10am - 5:30pm (last entry 5pm) (2025)
3467
T:01470 521206 info@dunvegancastle.com
W:www.dunvegancastle.com
Any visit to the Isle of Skye is incomplete without enjoying the wealth of history and horticultural delights at award-winning 5* Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, now an RHS partner garden. The five acres of formal gardens began life in the 18th century. In stark contrast to the barren moorland and mountains which dominate Skye's landscape, the Castle's Water Garden, Round Garden, Walled Garden and woodland walks provide an oasis for an eclectic mix of flowers, exotic plants, shrubs and specimen trees, framed by shimmering pools fed from waterfalls. After visiting the Water Garden with its ornate bridges and islands replete with colourful plants along the riverbanks, wander through the elegant formal Round Garden. The Walled Garden, formerly the Castle's vegetable garden, now has a diverse range of plants and flowers completing the attractive features, including a water lily pond, garden museum, 17th century lectern sundial, glass house and the 'Dunvegan Pebble', a rotating 2.7 ton Carrara marble sculpture. The informal areas of the garden are kept wild to encourage wildlife, creating a more natural aesthetic framed by the coastal scenery. The present Chief, Hugh MacLeod, and his dedicated team of gardeners, continue to build on this unique legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Directions: One mile from Dunvegan village, 23 miles west of Portree. Follow the signs for Dunvegan Castle.

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Tinnisburn Plants

Tinnisburn Plants

Upper Millsteads, Canonbie DG14 0RY
Helen Knowles
1 April - 31 August (Friday, Saturday & Sunday), 10am - 4pm (2025)
a7
T:07544 373815 helen@tinnisburn.co.uk
W:tinnisburn.co.uk
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)

Directions: Take the B6357 north from Canonbie. At Harelaw turn left onto the B6318 and after 1 mile turn right onto our track. It is 1.5 miles long and is untarmacked but suitable for all vehicles. Just drive slowly and carefully.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Fauna & Flora International 30% & Macmillan Cancer Support 30%
Glenkyllachy

Glenkyllachy

Tomatin IV13 7YA
Mr and Mrs Philip Mackenzie
1 May - 31 October (Monday & Tuesday), 10am - 5pm (2025)
7
emmaglenkyllachy@gmail.com
In a magnificent Highland glen, 1200 feet above sea level, Glenkyllachy is a beautiful garden of shrubs, herbaceous plants, rhododendrons, trees, and spectacular views down the Findhorn River. There are some rare specimens and a recently planted arboretum. Rhododendrons and bulbs flower in May/June, herbaceous plants bloom through July/August with glorious autumn colours in September and October. There is a very productive vegetable garden, polytunnel, fruit cage and greenhouse as well as original sculptures and a Highgrove-inspired wall which provide year round interest. Featured on TV Beechgrove, in The English Garden Magazine and recently in Scottish Field (November 2023). The garden is constantly evolving with new areas being developed and planting schemes changed.

Directions: Turn off the A9 at Tomatin and take the Coignafearn/Garbole single-track road down the north-side of the River Findhorn, there is a cattle grid and gate on the right 500 yards AFTER the humpback bridge and the sign to Farr.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Marie Curie 60%
Leathad Ard

Leathad Ard

Upper Carloway, Isle of Lewis HS2 9AQ
Rowena and Stuart Oakley
1 May - 30 September (not Sunday), 10am - 6pm (2025)
c47
T:01851 643204 leathad.ard@gmail.com
W:www.leathadard.org.uk
A one-acre sloping garden with stunning views over East Loch Roag. It has evolved along with the shelter hedges that divide the garden into a number of areas giving a new view at every corner. With shelter and raised beds, the different conditions created permit a wide variety of plants to be grown. Features include herbaceous borders, cutting borders, bog gardens, grass garden, exposed beds, patios, a pond and vegetables and fruit grown both in the open ground and the Keder greenhouse. Some of the vegetables are grown to show standards.

Directions: On the A858 Shawbost-Carloway take the first right after the Carloway football pitch, and it is the first house on the right. By bus take the Westside circular bus, exit Stornoway and head for Carloway football pitch.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: British Red Cross 60%
Floors Castle

Floors Castle

Kelso TD5 7SF
The Duke of Roxburghe
1 May - 30 September, 10am - 5pm, admission details can be found on the garden's website. The Walled Garden, Terrace Cafe and Apple Shed are also open all year round and access to those during the winter months is via the B6397 only, NOT via the main entrance to the Castle on Roxburgh Street. (2025)
6d7
T:01573 223333
W:www.floorscastle.com
The gardens are situated within the grounds of Floors Castle. Meander through to the formal Millennium Parterre and soak up the spectacular visions of colour, texture and the most delicious scents around the four herbaceous borders in one of the finest Victorian kitchen gardens in Scotland. Features include perennial gardens, fruit cage, Tapestry Garden and glasshouse access as well as the Terrace Cafe, Apple Shed Gift Shop and Deli and children’s play area. Explore the grounds, which offer woodland and riverside walks from May to the end of September.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00181

Directions: Floors Castle can be reached by following the A6089 from Edinburgh; the B6397 from Earlston; or the A698 from Coldstream. Go through Kelso, up Roxburgh Street to the Golden Gates. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
The Castle and Gardens of Mey

The Castle and Gardens of Mey

Mey KW14 8XH
The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust
1 May - 30 May, 10:30am - 4pm (2025)
36k
T:01847 851473 enquiries@castleofmey.org.uk
W:www.castleofmey.org.uk
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the late Queen Mother, bought what was then Barrogill Castle in 1952 before renovating and restoring the z-plan castle and creating the beautiful gardens you see today, renaming it The Castle and Gardens of Mey. This romantic and unique garden is a reminder that, however daunting the weather, it is often possible with a little vision and energy to create and maintain a garden in the most unlikely of locations. The castle now includes an animal centre, gift shop and tearoom serving delicious locally sourced food and drinks, often using produce from the castle’s very own gardens. 

Directions: On the A836 between Thurso and John O’Groats. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
No Photo

Balmeanach House

Balmeanach, nr Struan, Isle of Skye IV56 8FH
Mrs Arlene Macphie
1 May - 4 October, 11am - 4pm (2025)
2c7
T:01470 572320 info@skye-holiday.com
W:www.skye-holiday.com
Very much a plantsman's garden, begun in the early 1990s after a third-of-an-acre of croft land was fenced. A shelter belt now permits a plethora of diverse plants in exuberant herbaceous borders, which give nectar and pollen to keep the buzzing and fluttering going until autumn, plus rockeries and raised beds. Native trees rub shoulders with more exotic ornamental varieties, providing a canopy for shade-loving plants and nesting sites for the many birds who make the garden their home. A small pond in a sunken garden; a larger pond divided in two by a path over a culvert and a bog garden, give scope for marginal and moisture-loving plants. Meandering pathways lead through a small bluebell wood, an arbour garden, shrubbery and small birch wood, full of azaleas and rhododendrons. Plenty of seating throughout provides an invitation to sit, relax and enjoy the garden and stunning scenery beyond.

Directions: A87 to Sligachan, turn left and Balmeanach is five miles north of Struan and five miles south of Dunvegan.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Scottish SPCA 30% & Redwings 30%
No Photo

Kilchoan Gardens

Kilmelford PA34 4XD
Kilchoan Estate/ Luke Senior - Head Gardener
By arrangement (2025)
679
T:07425 054 743 or 01852 200 500 luke@kilchoanestate.co.uk
An eclectic private garden, open on specific dates and year round by appointment.
Since 2016, when Kilchoan Estate was taken into new ownership, the grounds have been developed and expanded; areas that had fallen into ruin and garden spaces reclaimed by nature have been uncovered; surviving plantings and mature trees have been enhanced; the footprint of further expansive garden and policies laid out.
A cosmopolitan collection of plants and artwork are displayed throughout the grounds, featuring a Himalayan garden, walled garden, arboretum with International Conifer Conservation Program collection, formal planting within native woodlands. Planting has been designed with conservation, diversity and beauty in mind, providing year-round interest. There is plenty to see and many places to sit, rest and reflect.
The chapel will be open. Teas available on SGS specific dates.

Directions: 4.5 miles along the road from the A816 turn off south of Kilmelford signed Degnish. Turn left after 1.5 miles at the bridge and Melfort Holiday Village. Follow this for 3 miles and look out for signage.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: The Kilchoan Melfort Trust 30% & Netherlorn (Church of Scotland): Kilmelford Church New Annexe 30%
Barholm Castle

Barholm Castle

Gatehouse of Fleet DG7 2EZ
Drs John and Janet Brennan
By arrangement (2025)
b467
T:01557 840327 barholmcastle@gmail.com
Barholm Castle, a 16th-century tower, was restored from a ruin in 2005. The gardens surrounding the tower have been mostly developed from scratch and are now mature. There is a recently-extended walled garden, with a gate designed by the artist blacksmith Adam Booth; a courtyard garden; a wooded ravine with huge hybrid rhododendrons from Benmore; a pond and a large fernery with over 100 varieties of fern, including very large tree ferns; a large Victorian-style greenhouse filled with succulents and tender perennials; and a large open garden with island beds of shrubs and perennials and a pond. Directly around the castle are rockeries and shrub borders. Views over Wigtown Bay are magnificent. The garden is planted for year-round colour, from February, when the castle ravine is a river of snowdrops, to October, when autumn colour is splendid.

Directions: Off the A75 at the Cairn Holy turn off, fork right three times and drive up a steep narrow road for half-a-mile. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Home-Start Wigtownshire 60%
Ruthven House

Ruthven House

near Coldstream TD12 4JU
Keith and Karen Fountain
By arrangement between 1 January - 12 September (2025)
067
T:01890 840680 ruthvenhouse@btconnect.com
The three acres of Ruthven’s garden have lovely views towards the Cheviots. The garden’s central feature is two ponds joined by a winding stream. The garden is composed of various differing areas - herbaceous borders, woodland areas, a gravel garden, a knot garden, rockeries, an orchard laid to meadow, a kitchen garden, a highland garden, a nuttery, a small lavender field, a shade bed to the back of the house and, adjacent to the house, a formal rose garden. A small fold of Highland cattle in the adjacent field complete the scene. The garden is constantly evolving but this year we will not be having an open garden day to allow for a sustained period of development and renewal. Visitors by arrangement, as ever, will be very welcome.

Directions: Four miles north of Coldstream, and one mile south of Swinton Mill, on the old Duns road.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Scottish Action for Mental Health 60%
The Pond Garden

The Pond Garden

The Pond, Milnathort KY13 0SD
Fay Young and Ray Perman
By arrangement between 1 February - 31 December (2025)
67
T:07767 407396 fay@fayyoung.org
W:fayyoung.org/category/pond-cottage/
A wild woodland and wetland garden adapting to climate change. We learn from resilient plants and wildlife. There are flowers, fruits, seeds, and nuts to support birds, bats, bees, butterflies, red squirrels and tiny unknowns! Woodland paths lead through snowdrops, daffodils, bluebells, foxgloves, and ferns. Mature beeches and oaks mark boundaries of former Victorian estate. Mosses and mushrooms grow among log piles, stone shapes, and a stumpery. Since mid 1990s we have rebuilt and retrofitted the derelict farm cottage with external insulation and renewable energy. Now we plan Himalayan and native Scottish plantings overlooking the streams.

Directions: From Milnathort village. At the mini roundabout in the centre of the village take the north exit (signed for Path of Condie) up Wester Loan, then North Street. At the top of the hill, past the church on your left, you will cross the motorway again. Carry straight on for 1/2 mile, the gate to Pond Cottage is on the right after a field opening.

Admission: £5.50, children free
Charities: CHAS: Children's Hospices Across Scotland 60%
Madeira

Madeira

Grangemuir, Pittenweem KY10 2RB
Tara Macdonald
By arrangement between 1 February - 30 September (Tuesday & Thursday). (2025)
b47k
T:07867 798746 tara@madeirainfife.com
W:www.madeirainfife.com
Madeira is a wonderful, ten-acre eco garden with a Victorian walled garden at its centre. We have an orchard and vegetable garden, pretty paths through woodland and plenty of bluebells and snowdrops. We don’t use chemicals and fully support wildlife and the habitat they live in; the bee garden and our wilding areas are just two examples. The garden is a work in progress and we are continually creating spaces and fun things for kids to enjoy e.g. our dragon's den, Viking shelter, rope swings and more. We grow our own vegetables and love turning our fruit into juices, jellies, jams and ice-cream. We’d be delighted to show you round or let you wander and enjoy.

Directions: Take the bus to Pittenween and walk up Charles Street, past the recycling centre and we are 400 metres up on the left.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Gargunnock House Garden

Gargunnock House Garden

Gargunnnock FK8 3AZ
The Gargunnock Trustees
By arrangement between 1 February - 1 June (2025)
b6d7
T:Garden contact: William Campbell 01786 842538 william.campbellwj@btinternet.com
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. Guided tours are available for groups.
Designed Landscape: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00188

Directions: Five miles west of Stirling on the A811. Car parking is at the entrance by the lodge.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Rhododendron Species Conservation Group 60%
Tal-y-Fan

Tal-y-Fan

Laurieston Road, Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire DG7 2BE
Janet & Sarah Wood
By arrangement between 1 March - 30 September (2025)
T:01557 815287 woodhill2uk@yahoo.co.uk
An over mature one acre plot is being developed into a many faceted garden with a varied mix of interesting plants. The Secret Path leads to Acer Valley and the Won-Kei Parterre, overlooked by the Loch Corbie Monster. A narrow log-lined way leads to West Wood, from where you follow the Burnside Path by the Flame Tree Forest and through the bamboo arch to Dry Wood to find Wood's Henge. Then up through Bluebell Wood to the top of The Rock, where Big Red, the giant squirrel resides, with views across the Fleet Valley. Back down and cross the lawns below the pond before heading up the granite path to the greenhouse, polytunnel, compost bins and the car park, with its collection of pots and troughs. Visit the front lawn and its well-stocked beds on your way out. Light refreshments may be available by arrangement.

Directions: Take the Laurieston Road north from Gatehouse of Fleet. After one mile fork right and then right at postcode sign. Turn left at top of slope. Tal-y-Fan (red roof) is at the very end.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Kilbryde Castle

Kilbryde Castle

Dunblane FK15 9NF
Sir James and Lady Campbell
By arrangement between 16 March - 30 September (2025)
67
T:01786 824897 carolaandjames@googlemail.com
W:www.kilbrydecastle.com
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.

Directions: Three miles from Dunblane and Doune, off the A820 between Dunblane and Doune. On Scotland’s Gardens Scheme open days the garden is signposted from the A820. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Leighton Library Trust 60%
Grandhome

Grandhome

Danestone, Aberdeen AB22 8AR
Mrs WJB Paton
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 October (2025)
26
T:01224 722202 admin@grandhome.co.uk
Eighteenth-century walled garden incorporating a rose garden and policies with daffodils, tulips, rhododendrons, azaleas, mature trees and shrubs. 

Directions: From the north end of North Anderson Drive, continue on the A92 over Persley Bridge, turning left at the Tesco roundabout. After 1¾ miles, turn left through the pillars on a left-hand bend. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
Rosewells

Rosewells

Baldinnie, Ceres KY15 5LE
Birgitta and Gordon MacDonald
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 August (2025)
67
g.macdonald54@hotmail.co.uk
Rosewells, designed by the garden owners, has developed over the last 30 years. It started as a one-and-a-half acre, overgrown paddock. The design is based on the texture and foliage of trees and shrubs to create year-round interest. In spring and summer, colour and scent become increasingly important. In spring, highlights are around 55 magnolias and numerous rhododendrons, many of which are chosen for their foliage. Other highlights include flowering cornus, trillium, fritillaries, erythroniums, peonies, roses, ferns and acers. There have been a number of developments in recent years. More winding paths have been developed creating wildlife friendly areas. There is a new lavender walk which leads to a covered seating area at the bottom of the garden.

Directions: B940 between Pitscottie and Peat Inn, one mile from Pitscottie. Rosewells is the ochre-coloured house.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Save the Children UK 60%
Leathad Ard

Leathad Ard

Upper Carloway, Isle of Lewis HS2 9AQ
Rowena and Stuart Oakley
By arrangement between 1 April - 30 April (2025)
47
T:01851 643204 leathad.ard@gmail.com
W:www.leathadard.org.uk
A one-acre sloping garden with stunning views over East Loch Roag. It has evolved along with the shelter hedges that divide the garden into a number of areas giving a new view at every corner. With shelter and raised beds, the different conditions created permit a wide variety of plants to be grown. Features include herbaceous borders, cutting borders, bog gardens, grass garden, exposed beds, patios, a pond and vegetables and fruit grown both in the open ground and the Keder greenhouse. Some of the vegetables are grown to show standards.

Directions: On the A858 Shawbost-Carloway take the first right after the Carloway football pitch, and it is the first house on the right. By bus take the Westside circular bus, exit Stornoway and head for Carloway football pitch.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: British Red Cross 60%
South Flisk

South Flisk

Blebo Craigs, Cupar KY15 5UQ
Mr and Mrs George Young
By arrangement between 1 April - 30 June (2025)
2c46
T:01334 850859 southfliskgarden@gmail.com
W:www.standrewspottery.co.uk
The spectacular views to Perthshire and Angus and large flooded quarry full of fish (and occasional otter) 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 to 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 demonstrate his pottery skills for those who need a break from the garden! A new water garden with a stream running through was created in 2023.

Directions: Six miles west of St Andrews off B939 between Strathkinness and Pitscottie. There is a small stone bus shelter opposite the road into the village and sign Blebo Craigs. See map on our website - standrewspottery.co.uk. Bus to Blebo Craigs.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Médecins Sans Frontières 60%
House of Aigas and Field Centre

House of Aigas and Field Centre

by Beauly IV4 7AD
Sir John and Lady Lister-Kaye
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 October (2025)
6ek
T:01463 782443 info@aigas.co.uk
W:www.aigas.co.uk
The House of Aigas has a small arboretum of named Victorian specimen trees and modern additions. The garden consists of extensive rockeries, herbaceous borders, ponds and shrubs. Aigas Field Centre rangers lead regular guided walks on nature trails through woodland, moorland and around a loch.
Champion Trees: Douglas fir, Atlas cedar and Sequoiadendron giganteum

Directions: Four-and-a-half miles from Beauly on the A831 Cannich/Glen Affric road.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Highland Hospice: Aird branch 60%
Glassmount House

Glassmount House

by Kirkcaldy KY2 5UT
Peter, James and Irene Thomson
By arrangement between 1 April - 30 September (2025)
7
T:01592 890214 mcmoonter@yahoo.co.uk
Densely planted walled garden with surrounding woodland. An A-listed sundial, Mackenzie & Moncur greenhouse and historical doocot are complemented by a number of newer structures. Daffodils are followed by a mass of candelabra and cowslip primula, meconopsis and Cardiocrinum giganteum. Hedges and topiary form backdrops for an abundance of bulbs, clematis, rambling roses and perennials, creating interest through the summer into September. The garden is now extending beyond the walls, with new areas of naturalistic planting blending the boundary between the surrounding fields and the woodland.

Directions: From Kirkcaldy, head west on the B9157. Turn left immediately after the railway bridge on the edge of town. Follow the single track road for one-and-a-half miles and cross the crossroads. Glassmount House is the first turning on your right.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Parkinsons UK 60%
46 South Street

46 South Street

St Andrews KY16 9JT
Mrs June Baxter
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 July (2025)
467
T:01334 474995 ejbaxter986@gmail.com
Renowned town garden in medieval long rig, with orchard underplanted with wildflowers and bulbs, and many unusual flowering shrubs. Roses and other climbers clothe the surrounding high walls. Shrub roses planted in a delightful central parterre fill the air with scent. An historic and unique feature in St Andrews, but also a wonderfully planted space where different styles of planting complement the range of plants used. Historic doocot.

Directions: Access and parking information on request.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Friends of Craigtoun 60%
Gledenholm House

Gledenholm House

Ae Village , Dumfries DG1 1RF
Les Jack
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 July (2025)
c69
T:01387860278 les@gledenholm.co.uk
Developed over the past 35 years, this garden of two acres is set in countryside near Ae Village with some original planting of mature trees dating back to the 1870s. The garden is at its best from April to June, with spring bulbs flowering under species rhodedendrons, azaleas and Japanese maples. The beds feature cottage garden favourites, with clematis and a large rambling rose arch. The progress of the making of the garden can be seen on the SGS website at: scotlandsgardens.org/the-creation-of-a-garden/.

Directions: The garden is ten miles north of Dumfries, near Ae Village. Take the A701 from Dumfriesand after seven miles , take a left turn to Ae Village. At the village take a sharp left at the four -way junction and travel for 0.7 miles. Gledenholm House is then the second on the right with black cast iron gates.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
No Photo

Burnside

Littlemill Road, Drongan KA6 7EN
Sue Simpson and George Watt
By arrangement between 1 April - 30 September (2025)
067
T:01292 592445 suesimpson33@btinternet.com
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.

Directions: From the A77 Ayr bypass take the A70 Cumnock for 5¼ miles, at Coalhall, turn onto the B730 Drongan (south) for 2½ miles. Burnside entrance is immediately adjacent to a black/white parapeted bridge. Ordnance survey grid ref: NS455162.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Alzheimer's Research UK 60%
Corsock House

Corsock House

Corsock, Castle Douglas DG7 3DJ
The Ingall family
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 May (2025)
67
T:01644 440250 jingall@hotmail.com
Corsock House garden, renowned for its substantial collection of rhododendrons, includes an amazing variety of designed landscape, from a strictly formal walled garden, through richly planted woodlands full of different vistas, artfully designed water features and surprises to extensive lawns showing off the Bryce baronial mansion. This is an Arcadian garden with pools and temples, described by Ken Cox as ‘perhaps my favourite of Scotland’s many woodland gardens’. 

Directions: Off the A75, Dumfries is 14 miles, Castle Douglas is 10 miles, Corsock Village is half-mile on the A712. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Corsock & Kirkpatrick Durham Church Of Scotland 60%
Dundonnell House

Dundonnell House

Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross IV23 2QW
Dundonnell Estates
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 October (2025)
6e7
T:07789 390028 sueandwill@icloud.com
Camellias, magnolias and bulbs in spring, rhododendrons and laburnum walk in this ancient walled garden. Exciting planting gives all year round interest, centred around one of the oldest yew trees in Scotland. A water sculpture, unique Victorian glass house, riverside walk, arboretum - all in the valley below the peaks of An Teallach.
Champion Trees: Yew and Holly

Directions: Turn off the A835 at Braemore on to the A832. After 11 miles take the Badralloch turn for a ½ mile.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Médecins Sans Frontières 30% & Environmental Investigation Agency 30%
Broomhill Villa

Broomhill Villa

4 Edinburgh Road, Greenlaw TD10 6XF
Tatyana Aplin
By arrangement between 1 April - 30 June (2025)
67
T:07957 288557 aplin848@btinternet.com
The garden at Broomhill is on the northern side of Greenlaw, comprising half-an-acre of spring colour nestled between village and farmland. The garden is maintained by a passionate plant collector featuring narcissi, tulips, meconopses and hundreds of other flowers. The collection has been developed along informal lines with treats at every turn. A radiant display of blooms that changes through the year is intended not only for the visual pleasure of the garden but also for the house with cut flower arrangements as well as produce for the table and larder.

Directions: On the A697 at the northern end of Greenlaw.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Cancer Research UK 60%
No Photo

Pitcurran House

Abernethy PH2 9LH
The Hon Ranald and Mrs Noel-Paton
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 August (2025)
3c467
T:01738 850933 / 07760 420485 patricianp@pitcurran.com
This end-of-village garden was created 21 years ago. It includes an interesting combination of trees, rare shrubs and herbaceous plants including azaleas, rhododendrons, tree peonies, trillium and veratrum. Also a rose pergola, eucryphias and a large west-facing hydrangea border for the later summer. Above the pond there is a good collection of pink and white-barked birch and a young arboretum, from which there are fine views over the Earn and Tay valleys.

Directions: South-east of Perth. From the M90 (exit nine) take the A912 towards Glenfarg, go left at the roundabout onto the A913 to Abernethy. Pitcurran House is at the far eastern end of the village. Buses run through Abernethy from Perth and the surrounding districts.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Breakthrough T1D: (formerly Juvenile Diabetes RF) 60%
Craigowan

Craigowan

Ballinluig PH9 0NE
Simon Jones
By arrangement between 6 April - 30 June (2025)
67
T:07856 859219 simonqjones@mail.com
We welcome you to view our five-acre, family-developed showpiece garden, maturing over the last 35 years. The extensive range of around a thousand species and hybrid rhododendrons flower from January to their peak in April and May depending on frost damage due to our location at 500 feet above sea level. These are backed up by ornamental trees, perennials and an extensive herbaceous border in a diverse mix of woodland, prepared beds and specialist rhododendron planting areas. We are on a hillside but have tried to make the garden as accessible as possible to all. Most visitors require at least an hour for a basic viewing.

Directions: From north or southbound of the A9 to Ballinluig junction. Pass the Ballinluig filling station and motor grill on your right. Turn right at the primary school following the Tulliemet/Dalcapon sign; this is a single track road with passing places. About half-a-mile up the road take a left turning to Dalcapon, a further mile up the road is Craigowan garden. It is surrounded by a deer fence on the left. Please park on paviours adjoining the house.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: LUPUS UK 60%
Old Farm Cottage

Old Farm Cottage

The Ladywell, Nemphlar, Lanark ML11 9GX
Ian and Anne Sinclair
By arrangement between 18 April - 30 September (2025)
467
T:01555 663345 M: 07833 204180 anniesinclair58@gmail.com
Ian and Anne have been developing this delightful one acre garden for twenty five years and it now has something to interest visitors from springtime through until autumn. In April and May daffodils, narcissi, camassias, hellebores, trilliums, spring flowering shrubs and trees light up the garden. A large array of colourful trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plantings, many of them scented, can be enjoyed throughout the rest of the year. Prunus Amanogawa, Amelanchiers, Katsura trees and the spectacular fruit of Cornus kousas are just a few of the plants that you can expect to see. The garden will be of interest not only for gardeners but bird watchers, walkers and photographers.

Directions: Leave the A73 at Cartland Bridge (Lanark to Carluke Road) or the A72 (Clyde Valley Road) at Crossford. Both routes are well signposted. The garden is on the Nemphlar spur of the Clyde Walkway, just off the West Nemphlar Road on Ladywell Lane. One mile walk from Cartland Bridge bus stop.

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Dogs Trust 60%
Ardno

Ardno

Cairndow PA26 8BE
Denzil How
By arrangement between 1 May - 30 September (2025)
7
T:Rob Backhouse Gardener 01499 302304 denzil.how@btconnect.com
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.

Directions: Situated at the top end of Loch Fyne between Cairndow and St Catherines, off the A815. 

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Rediweld Foundation 60%
Thorntree

Thorntree

Arnprior FK8 3EY
Mark and Carol Seymour
By arrangement between 1 May - 1 September (2025)
6
T:01786 870710 carolseymour666@gmail.com
W:www.thorntreebarn.co.uk
See the amazing views from Aberfoyle and the hills beyond to Doune. Thorntree is a cottage garden that has evolved from growing dried flowers into triangle beds to meander through with more and more plants filling in gaps! This year's task was pruning trees to make sure the sun gets through. The garden is kept with the aid of WRAGS trainees, now our 6th - they come for a year to be trained two days a week. I am so grateful to them all. I kept the garden as much as possible as the farmer's wife who lived here before had it - 33 years ago! Every year is different. In 2024 the hydrangeas all flowered so well, and roses were still in full first bloom in October. We are also usually here so come and see: just email to make sure we are not out.

Directions: On the A811, to Arnprior, then take the Fintry Road; Thorntree is second on the right. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Forth Driving Group RDA SCIO 60%
Glenkyllachy

Glenkyllachy

Tomatin IV13 7YA
Mr and Mrs Philip Mackenzie
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
7
emmaglenkyllachy@gmail.com
In a magnificent Highland glen, 1200 feet above sea level, Glenkyllachy is a beautiful garden of shrubs, herbaceous plants, rhododendrons, trees, and spectacular views down the Findhorn River. There are some rare specimens and a recently planted arboretum. Rhododendrons and bulbs flower in May/June, herbaceous plants bloom through July/August with glorious autumn colours in September and October. There is a very productive vegetable garden, polytunnel, fruit cage and greenhouse as well as original sculptures and a Highgrove-inspired wall which provide year round interest. Featured on TV Beechgrove, in The English Garden Magazine and recently in Scottish Field (November 2023). The garden is constantly evolving with new areas being developed and planting schemes changed.

Directions: Turn off the A9 at Tomatin and take the Coignafearn/Garbole single-track road down the north-side of the River Findhorn, there is a cattle grid and gate on the right 500 yards AFTER the humpback bridge and the sign to Farr.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Marie Curie 60%
Eas Mhor

Eas Mhor

Cnoc-a-Challtuinn, Clachan Seil, Oban PA34 4TR
Mrs Kimbra Lesley Barrett
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
2c4
T:01852 300469 kimbra1745@gmail.com
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.

Directions: After arranging a visit and agreeing a time, you will be met at the Tigh An Truish car park by the Atlantic Bridge, Isle of Seil. Or if travelling by bus, you will be met off the bus and taken to Eas Mhor. Please inform Mrs Barrett the time of your arrival. The bus stops at the bottom of Cnoc-a-Challtuinn Road.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: ABWA: Argyll & Bute Woman's Aid - support for domestic abuse - Oban Branch 60%
Brooklands

Brooklands

Crocketford DG2 8QH
Mr and Mrs Robert Herries
By arrangement between 1 May - 30 September (2025)
67
T:Gardener, Matthew Grieve: 07765 491902
Large old walled garden with a wide selection of plants, including some interesting shrubs and climbers and a kitchen garden. Mature woodland with many established rhododendrons and azaleas, and carpeted with snowdrops in February.

Directions: Turn off the A712 Crocketford to New Galloway Road one mile outside Crocketford at the Gothic gatehouse (on the right travelling north).

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
The Potting Shed

The Potting Shed

Broughton Place, Broughton, Biggar ML12 6HJ
Jane and Graham Buchanan-Dunlop
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
c67
T:01899 830574 buchanandunlop@btinternet.com
A one-acre garden begun from scratch in 2008, on an exposed hillside at 900 feet. It contains herbaceous plants, climbers, shrubs and trees - all selected for wind resistance and ability to cope with the poor, stony soil. There are usually fine views to the Southern Uplands.

Directions: Signposted from the main A701 Edinburgh - Moffat Road, immediately north of Broughton village. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Nomad Beat Ltd: Peebles Community Music School 60%
Carig Dhubh

Carig Dhubh

Bonskeid, Pitlochry PH16 5NP
Jane and Niall Graham-Campbell
By arrangement between 1 May - 30 September (2025)
7
T:01796 473469 niallgc@btinternet.com
'I don’t know how Niall and Jane manage to grow their splendid meconopsis on the sand and rock of their garden but they do, most successfully.' In this stunning situation, when not admiring the views, you will find wonderful primulas, cardiocrinum and meconopsis, all interspersed between beautiful shrubs and other herbaceous plants. Look up and in July you will see roses flowering 40 feet up in the tree. This is a gem of a garden and you will be welcomed by Niall and Jane Graham-Campbell with all their expert knowledge.

Directions: Take the old A9 between Pitlochry and Killiecrankie, turn west on the Tummel Bridge Road B8019, Carig Dhubh is three-quarters of a mile on the north side of the road.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Earl Haig Fund Poppy Scotland 60%
Dal an Eas

Dal an Eas

Kilmore, Oban PA34 4XU
Mary Lindsay
By arrangement between 1 May - 30 September (2025)
2c7
T:01631 770246 marylindsayargyll@googlemail.com
An informal organic 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.

Directions: From Oban take the A816 to Kilmore three-and-a-half miles south of Oban. Turn left on the road to Barran and Musdale. Keep left at the junction for Connel. Dal an Eas is approximately one mile on the left before the big hedges.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

Isle of Lismore, Oban, Argyll PA34 5UL
Eva Tombs
By arrangement between 1 May - 1 September (2025)
2c
T:07786 374931 eva.tombs@gmail.com
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.

Directions: Please telephone for directions. Approximately two miles from Port Appin ferry.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance 30% & Oban Gaelic Choir 30%
Arndean

Arndean

by Dollar FK14 7NH
Johnny and Katie Stewart
By arrangement between 6 May - 7 June (2025)
57
T:07940530499 johnny@arndean.co.uk
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. 

Directions: Arndean is well signposted off the A977. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Marie Curie 60%
2 Durnamuck

2 Durnamuck

Little Loch Broom, Wester Ross IV23 2QZ
Will Soos and Susan Pomeroy
By arrangement between 1 July - 30 September (2025)
7k
T:07789 390028 sueandwill@icloud.com
W:2Durnamuckgarden.com. You can also find us on Facebook.
Our garden is south-east facing on the edge of Little Loch Broom. It is a coastal plantsman's garden with a rich mix of herbaceous borders, trees and shrubs, vegetables, drystone wall planting. South African/Mediterranean plants, a wild meadow and stunning views. Many of the plants have been collected from all over the world, and growing them has provided obvious challenges but with a pleasing outcome. Featured in 2019 entries in Gardens Illustrated, Homes & Gardens and Beechgrove. Entry in the English Garden magazine in September 2020.

Directions: On the A832, between Dundonnell and Ullapool, take the turning along the single-track road signed Badcaul, continue to the egg shack, turn right, go to the bottom of the hill and 2 Durnamuck is the house with the red roof. There is parking down by the house if needed.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Sandpiper Trust 60%
Craigowan

Craigowan

Ballinluig PH9 0NE
Simon Jones
By arrangement between 20 September - 20 October (2025)
67
T:07856 859219 simonqjones@mail.com
We welcome you to view our five-acre, family-developed showpiece garden, maturing over the last 35 years. The extensive range of around a thousand species and hybrid rhododendrons flower from January to their peak in April and May depending on frost damage due to our location at 500 feet above sea level. These are backed up by ornamental trees, perennials and an extensive herbaceous border in a diverse mix of woodland, prepared beds and specialist rhododendron planting areas. We are on a hillside but have tried to make the garden as accessible as possible to all. Most visitors require at least an hour for a basic viewing.

Directions: From north or southbound of the A9 to Ballinluig junction. Pass the Ballinluig filling station and motor grill on your right. Turn right at the primary school following the Tulliemet/Dalcapon sign; this is a single track road with passing places. About half-a-mile up the road take a left turning to Dalcapon, a further mile up the road is Craigowan garden. It is surrounded by a deer fence on the left. Please park on paviours adjoining the house.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: LUPUS UK 60%