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Total of 71 openings.
Ardchattan Priory

Ardchattan Priory

North Connel PA37 1RQ
Mrs Sarah Troughton
Open 1 April – 31 October (Wednesdays only) 9.30am - 5.30pm. Garden Fete Sunday 8th June 12 – 4pm. Admission £6 each day. Children under 16 free. (2025)
0c85d7
admin@ardchattan.co.uk
Overlooking Loch Etive, Ardchattan Priory Garden has a mature rockery and extensive herbaceous and rose borders to the front of the house. On either side of the drive, shrub borders, numerous roses and ornamental trees, together with bulbs, give colour throughout the season. The Priory, founded in 1230, is now a private house. The ruins of the chapel and graveyard are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and open with the garden.

Directions: Oban 10 miles. From north, turn left off the A828 at Barcaldine onto the B845 for six miles. From east or from Oban on the A85, cross Connel Bridge and turn first right, proceed east on Bonawe Road.

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

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
Westgate

Westgate

12 Glamis Drive, Dundee DD2 1QL
John and Frances Dent
Saturday/Sunday, 11/12 October, 3pm - 7:30pm (2025)
2c846
This established garden, with many mature trees, occupies a south-facing site overlooking the River Tay and Fife hills. The tennis court lawn is surrounded by herbaceous plants and shrubs. A short woodland walk reveals a miniature knot garden, a bower and other surprise features. There are also rose beds and two oriental-themed water gardens. At the summer opening there will be a chance to relax with tea, cake and music . In October, all the areas will be displaying their autumn colours and, as darkness falls, they will be further enlivened by a variety of lighting techniques (torches recommended).

Directions: Buses 5, 22 or 73 from Dundee city centre. Please note there is no roadside parking on Glamis Drive. Limited disabled parking is available at the house.

Admission: by donation
Charities: Dr Graham's Homes Kalimpong (UK) 60%
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
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%
Burgie Arboretum

Burgie Arboretum

Between Forres and Elgin IV36 2QU
Hamish Lochore
Open daily, 8am - 5pm (2025)
b7
T:01343 850231 hamish@burgie.org
A rare opportunity to see a sizeable woodland garden/arboretum in its infancy. It has a good collection of rhododendrons, Sorbus, alder, birch and Tilia but also includes many unusual trees from around the world. The arboretum is zoned into geographic areas and species type. It includes a Japanese Garden, bog garden, bog wood, loch and quarry garden. First created in 2005 and is ongoing. Most plants are grown from hand-collected seed and propagated in the Georgian greenhouse.

Directions: A96 between Forres and Elgin. Four miles east of Forres. Six miles west of Elgin. Sign to Burgie Mains along the A96 is set in wrought iron decorated with horses and cattle. South off the main road and one mile to the Woodland Garden car park. 

Admission: by donation
Charities: World Horse Welfare 30% & Sandpiper Trust 30%
Glenapp Castle

Glenapp Castle

Ballantrae, Girvan KA26 0NZ
Mr Paul Szkiler
Open daily, dawn - dusk (2025)
6ed7
T:01465 831212 info@glenappcastle.com
The 36-acre grounds at Glenapp Castle are secluded and private. Many rare and unusual plants and shrubs can be found, including magnificent specimen rhododendrons. Paths meander round the azalea pond, through established woodland leading to the wonderful walled garden with a 150-foot Victorian glasshouse. Fresh herbs and fruit from the garden are used every day in the castle kitchen. Much of the gardens were designed by Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), the world-famous garden designer, applying the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who worked in collaboration with Edwin Lutyens. A new walk has been created opening up the Glen, where Glenapp’s Champion Trees will be found. 
Champion Trees: Abies cilicica, Cercidiphyllum japonicum and Picea likiangensis

Directions: From the north take the A77 south. Pass through Ballantrae, crossing the River Stinchar as you leave. Take the first turning on the right, 100 yards beyond the river (not signposted). From the south take the A77 north, turn left 100 yards before the bridge over Stinchar at Ballantrae. The castle gates are one mile along this road. 

Admission: by donation
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Angus's Garden, Barguillean

Angus's Garden, Barguillean

Taynuilt PA35 1HY
The Josephine Marshall Trust
Open daily, 9am - dusk (2025)
7k
T:01866 822333 info@barguillean.co.uk
Created in 1957 as a memorial garden by Betty Macdonald of Barguillean for her son Angus, this picturesque nine-acre woodland garden is set around the tranquil shores of Loch Angus in historic Glen Lonan. Whilst famous for its extensive collection of hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas, this glorious garden cleverly retains the natural atmosphere of the landscape. Visitors can enjoy an informal network of paths, lined with spring flowering shrubs and bulbs, through native woodland and by shoreland whilst surrounded by the magnificent views of Ben Cruachan and the mountains of Glen Etive. This unspoilt natural setting attracts a wide range of wildlife, and the eleven-acre loch is home to swans and ducks. On the north-west side of the garden overlooking the loch stands Betty's bell paying tribute to her 40 years of work creating this magical garden. The garden reaches its full glory between April and the end of June but is a place of special tranquillity and charm at all times of the year. Three marked, circular walks from the car park taking between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours. Not suitable for wheelchairs.

Directions: Off A85 Crianlarich/Oban road at Taynuilt, road marked Glen Lonan, three miles up a single track road, turn right at the sign opposite Barguillean Farm.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: SSAFA Forces Help 60%
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)
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contactus@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
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
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.

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
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
Raasay Walled Garden

Raasay Walled Garden

Isle of Raasay IV40 8PB
Raasay Community
Open daily, 9am - 7pm (2025)
c67
T:07939 106426 raasaywalledgarden@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram
Accessed from the road behind Raasay House, just a 10 minute walk from the Ferry Terminal, is the Category A listed community owned walled garden. Visited by Boswell and Johnson in 1773, the garden suffered neglect before coming into community ownership. Ongoing restoration began in 2013 and the 1.43 acre garden now supplies vegetables, fruit, salad, herbs and cut flowers to the community and visitors. Features an orchard, rose beds, polytunnels, a fruit cage, wildflowers for pollinators and insects, and plenty of seats. We have a composting toilet for visitors' use. June to August provide the most colourful time and our main produce harvests take place from May to September. We run events during the year - please check our Facebook page for details. The garden isn't always staffed, so please contact us for further details.

Directions: Take the Calmac Ferry to Raasay (20 minute journey) from Sconser, between Broadford and Portree on the Isle of Skye. The garden is an easy walk from the terminal and there is plenty to do and see on Raasay on foot, although cars can also cross.

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.

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%
Cambo Gardens

Cambo Gardens

Kingsbarns KY16 8QD
Trustees of Cambo Heritage Trust
Open all year round. Cafe, gift shop and plants for sale throughout the year. Check our website for events throughout the year. (2025)
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T:01333 451040 hello@cambogardens.org.uk
Best known for snowdrops (mail order February), but exciting throughout the year, this Victorian walled garden features constantly evolving, magnificent herbaceous borders featuring rare and unusual plants, many of which are propagated for sale at Cambo. The garden is renowned too for its tulips and a stunning rose collection. Outside the main garden an inspiring Winter Garden and North American Prairie continue to be developed. Woodland walks to the sea.
National Plant Collection: Galanthus
Champion Trees: Bundle Beech

Directions: A917 between Crail and St Andrews.

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

Ardtornish

by Lochaline, Morvern PA80 5UZ
Mrs John Raven
Open daily, 10am - 6pm (2025)
867k
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
The Hidden Gardens

The Hidden Gardens

25a Albert Drive, Glasgow G41 2PE
The Hidden Gardens Trust
Please check the garden's website for up-to-date opening details and events. (2025)
3c846
T:0141 433 2722 info@thehiddengardens.org.uk
The multi-award winning gardens have been designed to reflect the legacy of this historic site as well as the ever-changing character and needs of the local area. The north to south borders echo the layout of the site when it was a nursery in the 1800s, supplying trees and shrubs to major gardens in Scotland, whilst the retained tramlines and the chimney reflect its industrial past. A number of artworks are integrated into the overall design, for example Alec Finlay’s Xylotheque, a library of wooden books detailing 17 native Scottish trees. The Hidden Gardens is an independent charity offering learning and social activities and opportunities for the whole community to participate in its development. It is a calm, green space where you can relax away from the busy city streets: take a meditative walk along the square route path around the formal lawn; brush past the aromatic herb border; admire the white wall border with its herbaceous plantings and espalier fruit trees; stroll through the wildlife area; connect with nature in the woodland glade; and enjoy the naturalistic planting of the grassy or wild flower meadows or buy some young plants propagated here. Volunteer-led guided tours are available to book during most of the year, for free.

Directions: Travel directions are available on the garden's website thehiddengardens.org.uk/explore/visit/

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
The Japanese Garden at Cowden

The Japanese Garden at Cowden

Dollar, Clackmannanshire FK14 7PL
Cowden SCIO
Mainly open throughout the year from 10:30am - 5pm but you should check the garden website for winter closures and changes to opening times. (2025)
3c6d
sales@cowdengarden.com
Created in 1908, The Japanese Garden at Cowden is listed as an important example of its type in Western Europe. Nestled beneath the Ochil Hills the seven-acre garden wraps around a large pond. Enjoy the meandering walk by the water, taking in the changing scenes created by sculpted landforms, carefully placed stones, clipped shrubs and original stone lanterns. Picnic area, woodland, shop and cafe. Please check the garden's website for all admission information.

Directions: The entrance to the garden is from the Upper Hillfoots Road, about half a mile west from the junction with the A91. 

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
Open daily, 2pm - 5pm (2025)
67
T:01573 410225 enquiries@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
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
Gordon Castle Walled Garden

Gordon Castle Walled Garden

Fochabers, Moray IV32 7PQ
Angus and Zara Gordon Lennox
Please check the garden's website for seasonal opening details (2025)
3c85d7
T:01343 612317 info@gordoncastlescotland.com
At almost eight acres in size, Gordon Castle has one of the oldest and largest walled gardens in Britain. Lovingly restored to its former glory with a modern design by award-winning designer Arne Maynard, this beautiful garden is overflowing with vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers. The onsite cafe has a ‘Plant, Pick, Plate’ ethos using wonderful fresh produce grown in the garden. There is a children's natural play area and shop.

Directions: The main entrance is at the western end of the village of Fochabers, just off the A96, nine miles east of Elgin and 12 miles west of Keith. 

Admission: details can be found on the garden's website
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
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
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%
Abbotsford

Abbotsford

Melrose TD6 9BQ
The Abbotsford Trust
1 March - 31 December, March, November and December 10am - 4pm, 1 April - 31 October 10am - 5pm. (2025)
3c457
T:01896 752043 enquiries@scottsabbotsford.co.uk
The garden was designed by Sir Walter Scott with advice from artists, architects and friends. It is a rare surviving example of a Regency garden layout and completely different from the English landscape garden style of Capability Brown. Scott’s garden aims to provide a harmonious transition between the luxury and comfort of the interiors of the house with wonders of nature in the wider estate through a series of secluded, richly detailed and sheltered ‘rooms’. In its day it would have showcased the latest plants discovered from around the globe, both in its borders and ‘stove houses’. Regular tours are held exploring Scott’s vision for the garden and the hidden meanings of its design. Check the Abbotsford website for details.

Directions: Off the A6091 near Melrose. Buses X62 and 72 from Edinburgh and Peebles. Train from Waverley to Tweedbank. Minibus or one-mile walk from train station. 

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

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%
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
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.

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
Blair Castle Gardens

Blair Castle Gardens

Blair Atholl PH18 5TL
Blair Charitable Trust
28 March - 31 October, 9:30am - 5pm (2025)
345d7k
T:01796 481207 office@blair-castle.co.uk
Blair Castle stands as the focal point in a designed landscape of some 2,500 acres within a Highland estate. Hercules Garden is a walled enclosure of about nine acres recently restored to its original 18th-century design with landscaped ponds, a Chinese bridge, contemporary plantings, and an orchard of more than 100 fruit trees. The glory of this garden in summer is the herbaceous border, which runs along the 275 yard south-facing wall. A delightful sculpture trail incorporates contemporary and 18th-century sculpture as well as eight new works, letter-carving on stone from the Memorial and Commemorative Arts charity’s 'Art and Memory Collection'. Diana’s Grove is a magnificent stand of tall trees including grand fir, Douglas fir, larch and wellingtonia running along the Banvie Burn, with the 12th-century ruins of St Bride’s Church on the far bank.

Directions: Off A9, follow signs to Blair Castle, Blair Atholl.

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

Crinan Hotel Garden

Crinan PA31 8SR
Mrs N Ryan
29 March - 31 October, dawn - dusk (2025)
1467k
T:01546 830261 macdonaldart.crinan@gmail.com
A small, mature garden behind the Crinan Hotel which has been open with SGS for over 25 years. It is 100 years old and was originally the walled vegetable garden for the Hotel. In 1980 it was cleared and reinstated with azaleas, rhododendrons and herbaceous beds. Approached from a patio under ancient griselinia boughs, the garden catches the afternoon sun and is a peaceful escape!
Also enjoy the gallery on the rooftop of the hotel and a wonderful scone by baker Paul in the coffee shop by the canal basin.

Directions: Take the A83 to Lochgilphead, then the A816 to Oban, then the A841 Cairnbaan to Crinan. Daily bus.

Admission: by donation
Charities: Alzheimer Scotland 30% & Guide Dogs 30%
No Photo

Norby

Burnside, Sandness, Shetland ZE2 9PL
Mrs Gundel Grolimund
1 April - 31 December, dawn - dusk (2025)
4
T:01595 870246 gundel.g5@btinternet.com
A small but perfectly-formed garden and a prime example of what can be achieved in a very exposed situation. Blue painted wooden pallets provide internal wind breaks and form a background for shrubs, climbers and herbaceous plants, while willows provide a perfect wildlife habitat. There are treasured plants such as Chionochloa rubra, pieris, Chinese tree peonies, a selection of old-fashioned shrub roses, lilies, hellebores and grasses from New Zealand. There is also a lovely selection of interesting art and textiles in the house.

Directions: Head north on the A970 from Lerwick then west on the A971 at Tingwall. At Sandness, follow the road to Norby, turn right at the Methodist Church, Burnside is at the end of the road. Bus 10 Sandness - Walls. 

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Survival International 60%
An Cala

An Cala

Ellenabeich, Isle of Seil PA34 4RF
Mrs Sheila Downie
1 April - 31 October, 10am - 6pm (2025)
46d7
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.

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
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
Attadale

Attadale

Strathcarron IV54 8YX
Joanna Macpherson
1 April - 31 October, 10am - 5pm (2025)
3c67k
T:01520 722217 info@attadalegardens.com
The Gulf Stream, surrounding hills and rocky cliffs create a microclimate for 20 acres of outstanding water gardens, old rhododendrons, unusual trees and a fern collection in a geodesic dome. There is also a sunken fern garden developed on the site of an early 19th-century drain, a waterfall into a pool with dwarf rhododendrons, sunken garden, peace garden and kitchen garden. Other features include a conservatory, Japanese garden, sculpture collection and giant sundial.

Directions: On the A890 between Strathcarron and South Strome.

Admission: £10.00, children free
Charities: Highland Hospice 60%
Monteviot

Monteviot

Jedburgh TD8 6UQ
The Marchioness of Lothian
1 April - 31 October, 12pm - 5pm (2025)
5d
T:01835 830380
A series of differing gardens displaying rose and herbaceous plants surrounded by foliage plants. A water feature linked by bridges and falls passes through the Dene Garden and Water Garden. The Garden of Persistent Imagination is planted with rose and clematis beside paths which meander across a bridge and under the Moonstone Gate, past the Dali-style clock.

Directions: Turn off the A68, three miles north of Jedburgh on to the B6400. After one mile turn right. 

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Craigieburn House

Craigieburn House

by Moffat DG10 9LF
Janet and Peter McGowan
20 April - 31 October, 10:30am - 5pm (2025)
c7
T:07557 928648 bideshi2024@outlook.com
A beautiful and varied six-acre, plant-lovers' garden in a natural location in scenic Moffat Dale. Meconopsis, trilliums, rhododendrons, magnolias, arisaemas, bamboos, hoherias and many more types of plants flourish in the shelter of mature woodland. A Himalayan glen has been recreated with plants from the region where the Craigie Burn tumbles down a gorge with a series of waterfalls. Downstream is a fern garden with over 70 varieties. Candelabra primulas, rodgersias, cardiocrinum, orchids and other rare plants thrive in the bog garden and woodland glades. Double herbaceous borders come into their own later in the summer and keep the display going throughout the season. Other garden areas include a rose garden, formal pond and autumn garden. A nursery sells hardy plants propagated on site, many of them rare or unusual. The garden has been created over the past 30 years by Janet and Peter, with Dawa Sherpa, building on its old setting, and continues to evolve. Its links to Robert Burns – including his song 'Craigieburn Wood' – provide another layer of history.

Directions: Three miles from the A74(M) (junction 15), two miles east of Moffat on the A708 Selkirk Road. Coming from Moffat, there are traffic lights straight ahead at the end of the bend. You can't miss the lodge and prayer flags.

Admission: by donation
Charities: All proceeds to SGS Beneficiaries
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%
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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
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%
Dougarie

Dougarie

Isle of Arran KA27 8EB
Mrs S C Gibbs
By arrangement (2025)
7
laviniawgibbs@gmail.com
Most interesting terraced garden in a castellated folly built in 1905 to celebrate the marriage of the 12th Duke of Hamilton’s only child to the Duke of Montrose. Good selection of tender and rare shrubs and herbaceous border. Small woodland area with trees including azara, abutilon, eucryphia, hoheria and nothofagus.

Directions: Five miles from Blackwaterfoot. Regular ferry sailing from Ardrossan and Claonaig (Argyll). Information from Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, T: 01475 650100. Parking is free.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Pirnmill Village Association 60%
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%
Laundry Cottage

Laundry Cottage

Culdrain, Gartly, Huntly AB54 4PY
Judith McPhun
By arrangement between Open by arrangement 1 January - 31 December, admission £5.00, children free. Snowdrops during February and March. Groups of up to 12 welcome. (2025)
b046
T:01466 720768 judithmcphun@icloud.com
An informal, cottage-style garden of about one-and-a-half acres by the River Bogie. Two contrasting steep slopes make up the wilder parts. The more intensively-gardened area around the cottage includes a wide variety of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees, an orchard area and fruit and vegetable plots, making a garden of year-round interest.

Directions: Four miles south of Huntly on the A97.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust 60%
Craichlaw

Craichlaw

Kirkcowan, Newton Stewart DG8 0DQ
Mr and Mrs Andrew Gladstone
By arrangement (2025)
b46
T:01671 830208 craichlaw@aol.com
Formal garden with herbaceous borders around the house. Set in extensive grounds with lawns, lochs and woodland. A path around the main loch leads to a water garden returning past a recently planted arboretum in the old walled garden. The best times to visit the garden are early February for snowdrops, May to mid-June for the water garden and rhododendrons, and mid-June to August for herbaceous borders.

Directions: Take the B733 for Kirkcowan, off the A75 at the Halfway House eight miles west of Newton Stewart and Craichlaw House is the first turning on the right. 

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

Kevock Garden

16 Kevock Road, Lasswade EH18 1HT
David and Stella Rankin
By arrangement between 1 January - 29 December (2025)
4
stella@kevockgarden.co.uk
This wonderful hillside garden has magnificent views over the North Esk Valley. Its steep slope creates a range of different habitats with a wide diversity of plants, ranging from those that love hot, sunny conditions to those that prefer the cool, damp places near the pond and woodland glades. Mature specimen trees, rhododendrons, azaleas and unusual shrubs are underplanted with many rare woodland plants. Lawns have been relaid, surrounding borders have been planted, and there is a new rock garden. Kevock Garden has featured in many magazine articles and gardening programmes.

Directions: Kevock Road lies to the south of the A678 Loanhead/Lasswade Road. Five minutes from the city bypass Lasswade Junction and on the 31 Lothian Bus route to Polton/Bonnyrigg Road.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Fischy Music 60%
The Limes

The Limes

Kirkcudbright DG6 4XD
David and Carolyn McHale
By arrangement (2025)
6
carolyn.mchale@btinternet.com
This one-and-a-quarter acre plantswoman’s garden has a variety of different plant habitats: woodland, dry sunny gravel beds, rock garden, crevice garden and mixed perennial and shrub borders. There is also a large productive vegetable garden. The McHales like to grow most of their plants from seed obtained through various international seed exchanges. You can expect to see a large number of unusual and exciting plants. The garden is full of colour with an abundance of spring flowers in March, and in late May and early June the meconopsis should be at their best. The gravel garden comes into its own in July and continues through until winter. Hardy cyclamen are a big favourite and one species or another is in flower in almost every month of the year. Winter is a good time to admire their varied leaf forms.

Directions: In Kirkcudbright go straight along St Mary Street towards Dundrennan. The Limes is on the right, about half a mile from the town centre crossroads, on the edge of the town.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Friends Of Kirkcudbright Swimming Pool 60%
Charleston Forest Garden

Charleston Forest Garden

43 Gourdie Terrace, Dundee DD2 4QT
L Wakefield
By arrangement (2025)
47
charlestonforestgarden@gmail.com
A young forest garden in Dundee, practising permaculture principles. Perennial vegetables are scattered throughout the garden, along with medicinal herbs, fruit trees, edible hedges and ornamental edible plants. A small flock of chickens contribute to a composting system and there is also a 'chop and drop' approach being used. This garden is home to some Scottish heirloom vegetable varieties, with the intention to save seeds to share. There is a small patch of alpines and a number of roses throughout, along with some purely ornamental herbaceous perennials, mostly grown with pollinators and wildlife in mind.

Directions: In the centre of Charleston, Dundee, with some parking on Gourdie Terrace and Balgarthno Road. The number 28 bus stops around the corner at the community centre.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Dementia UK 60%
Stockarton

Stockarton

Kirkcudbright DG6 4XS
Lt Col and Mrs Richard Cliff
By arrangement (2025)
67
T:01557 330430
This garden was started in 1995 by Carola Cliff, a keen and knowledgeable plantswoman, and contains a collection of unusual shrubs and small trees, which are growing well. Her aim has been to create different informal gardens around a Galloway farm house, leading down to a lochan. Above the lochan there is a sweet cottage, used for holiday retreats, with its own interesting garden. In 1996 a three-acre arboretum was planted as a shelter belt and it now contains some rare oak trees. 

Directions: On the B727 Kirkcudbright to Gelston Road. Kirkcudbright three miles, Castle Douglas seven miles. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Loch Arthur 60%
Mouse Cottage

Mouse Cottage

Strathtay, Pitlochry PH9 0PG
Penny Kennedy
By arrangement between 1 January - 29 November (2025)
4k
T:07799 678067 mymousecottage@outlook.com
Mouse Cottage sits on a south-facing hill overlooking Strathtay. Small but packed with interesting features, it is a semi-wild haven of secret places where self-seeders mix with annuals and more formal planting. The owner is an artist who adores her garden space and collects quirky planting containers such as dustbins and dolly tubs. Her Pear Parasol and Holly Brolly are amongst her favourite features. Gravel paths wind through shady places full of joyous surprises such as Crambe cordifolia. Self catering and B & B accommodation is available at: www.mymousecottage.co.uk

Directions: From the A9 take the exit at Ballinluig signposted Aberfeldy. Go through Logierait, after about four miles turn right at T junction. At Grandtully turn right, over the bridge, up the hill to Strathtay Post Office. Turn right passing the golf course up to the red telephone box. Mouse Cottage is next opening on the left, signposted. Please beware of flying golf balls! NB: No parking at Mouse Cottage. On street parking possible at Strathtay. Bus 23 (Aberfeldy to Perth) stops at Grandtully Bridge.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Donation to SGS Beneficiaries
Dawson's Garden

Dawson's Garden

The Old Post Office, Kilmany KY15 4PT
Liz Murray
By arrangement between 6 January - 21 December (2025)
45e
T:07531 571045 kilmanyartist@gmail.com
A small cottage garden, full of surprises. Developed from a bare rectangle of grass by the late artist Dawson Murray, it was designed to please the senses all year round with colour, form and scent. Stone paths edged with box meander out of sight past 13 apple trees and a plum tree; two varieties of fig; both a red and a green grape vine and roses chosen for scent. There are plenty of areas to sit and relax: by the pond, in a small grassy area through a rose and clematis arch, outside the studio facing the kitchen garden or up on the patio. All are accessible by wheelchair.
Champion Trees: Red Hazel

Directions: The Old Post Office is in the centre of the small hamlet of Kilmany, just off the A92, eight miles from Dundee or 1½ miles after Rathillet coming from the opposite direction. It can also be reached from Cupar via Foodieash.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: Overcoming MS 60%
Harthill

Harthill

Reediehill Farm, Auchtermuchty KY14 7HS
Nichola and John Fletcher
By arrangement between 6 January - 31 October (2025)
2c67
T:01337 828369 info@nicholafletcher.com
Harthill enjoys a tranquil setting in the hills just above Auchtermuchty with beautiful views and, if you are lucky, sightings of the stunning herd of white deer who also live there. The garden, of approximately one acre, offers a large varied flower garden with vegetable, fruit and nursery areas; two separate wild gardens planted with specimen trees, a lochan and a small woodland. In late May to early June our meconopsis and primula beds, with woodland plants, are at their best. Summer offers herbaceous interest including a pergola dripping with roses and a large mound with grasses, thalictrum and many large plants. Autumn colours are in the trees and shrubs, with grasses and cyclamen through to early winter.

Directions: Find 'Reediehill Deer Farm' on Google maps. Go 50 metres up the concrete drive then turn left at Harthill sign. Continue over the cattle grid up the drive to reach Harthilll house. Directions can be emailed.

Admission: by donation
Charities: TST: The Tim Stead Trust 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
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%
Delvine

Delvine

Murthly PH1 4LD
Mr David Gemmell
By arrangement between 1 February - 1 December (2025)
7
T:07748 207647 gemmell.david@googlemail.com
The arboretum at Delvine covers more than 10 acres. The arboretum is situated on a flood plain, flanked by oxbow lakes on each side. This is the place to visit for those who seek a remote and peaceful setting. As one proceeds in a westerly direction, one enters an area of great drifts of chimonobambusa and miscanthus grasses with water and wildlife in abundance. The walking is easy, but not suitable for wheelchair users. This garden will appeal to those seeking the unusual.

Directions: On the A984, seven miles east of Dunkeld, four miles south-west of Blairgowrie. Turn through gateway and follow drive to wooden gates with Arboretum sign.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Army Benevolent Fund 60%
3 Millhall

3 Millhall

Shore Road, Kirkcudbright DG6 4TQ
Mr Alan Shamash
By arrangement between 1 March - 31 October (2025)
7
T:01557 870352 shamash@freeuk.com
Impressive five-acre garden with a large collection of mature shrubs, including over 200 rhododendron species, many camellias, magnolias including campbellii, embothriums, telopeas, perennials, over 200 hydrangeas and many other rare Southern Hemisphere plants. The garden has several interesting paths and is on a hillside running along the rocky shore of the Dee Estuary in Kirkcudbright Bay. 

Directions: On the B727 between Kirkcudbright and Borgue on the west shore of the Dee Estuary. Parking at Dhoon Beach public car park, about three miles south of Kirkcudbright. There is a five-minute walk to the house. Please note there will be no vehicular access to 3 Millhall and all visitors should park at Dhoon Beach and walk up to the property.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Alzheimer's Research UK 60%
The Carriage House

The Carriage House

Blair Estate, Dalry KA24 4ER
Mr and Mrs Luke Borwick
By arrangement between 29 March - 26 October (2025)
57
T:07831 301294 lina@blairtrust.co.uk
Set within the historic Blair policies dating back to the 1500s, at the Carriage House the Borwicks have planted a beautiful arboretum. Built on the vision of generations of Blairs of creating a sanctuary of rare species trees, over the past four years a collection of over 160 trees and shrubs has transformed a 10-acre field into a peaceful refuge with year-round variety and colour. Mown pathways offer different vistas and points of interest including mermaids rescuing a girl, carved by a local artist from a Portuguese Laurel stump. View the 24-year old Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grown from Blair seed, an avenue of eight different lime trees which earned a Queen's Green Canopy Award, a Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Golden Dawn', and other rare trees. From a bench created from our own wood, enjoy the arboretum’s energy – a special experience. New since 2024 is a beautiful Cumbrian green slate commemorative stone, with superb engraving by the Cordozo Kindersley Workshop: it frames Blair Castle perfectly and honours the three related families who have nurtured this special place since 1105. The Blair crest heads the inscription with the motto “Amo Probos”, and the Royal Scots Greys badge “second to none” recognises the generations of family members serving our country in Scotland’s only cavalry regiment. Wander the Carriage House garden, created from a field since 2002 and planted with many varieties of roses and mature shrubs.

Directions: A737 from Beith. At the roundabout before Dalry take the first left signposted Stewarton. Then go straight on, signposted Bike Route Irvine. Keep going for approximately two miles and keep the estate wall on the right until you come to South Lodge (white building). Turn right down the drive for Blair Estate - The Carriage House is on the right. Public transport to Dalry. Follow SatNav KA24 4ER and enter Blair Estate through the South Lodge.

Admission: £6.00, children free
Charities: The National Trust for Scotland 60%
Bonhard House

Bonhard House

Perth PH2 7PQ
Stephen and Charlotte Hay
By arrangement between Groups welcome to enquire (2025)
67
T:07990 574570 stephenjohnhay@me.com
Traditional 19th-century garden of five acres approached through an avenue of magnificent oaks. Mature trees, six classified by the National Tree Register as 'remarkable', including a monkey puzzle (1852, one of the first 12 brought to Scotland), sequoias, Douglas fir and a variety of hollies. Reinstated and new herbaceous borders. Rhododendron and azalea beds. Recently planted spring and summer flowering meadow areas with a variety of fruit and nut trees. Beehive and a productive vegetable garden. A new larch arbour with climbing roses and clematis. Grass paths meander through a pond area with shrubs and mature trees. A pinetum with 25 different varieties. Garden emphasis on wildlife habitat as well as aesthetics. Resident red squirrels. Plentiful and varied birdlife.

Directions: On the A94 just under a mile north of Perth take the right turn, signed Murrayshall Country Estate. After approximately one mile take the entrance right marked Bonhard House, at a sharp left turn. From Balbeggie turn left, signposted for Bonhard, one mile north of Scone. Turn right in a half-a-mile, pass any sign for Bonhard Nursery, and enter the drive at sharp right turn.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Freedom from Fistula Foundation 60%
Berandhu

Berandhu

Appin, Argyll PA38 4DD
John and Fiona Landale
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 October (2025)
T:01631 730585 M: 07900 377414 johnllandale@gmail.com
A sheltered one-and-a-half acre coastal garden in a scenic setting offering fabulous views over Loch Laich to Loch Linnhe, Castle Stalker and the Morvern hills beyond. Craggy limestone abounds on the undulating site, some of which forms natural rockeries. Native trees mix with introduced firs and conifers. A variety of rhododendrons and azaleas provide spring and early summer colour. A mix of limestone overlaid with peat gives an unusual mix of wild flowers. This well-tended garden also has lovely wild areas of bog garden and woodland.

Directions: In Appin turn off the A828 Connel to Ballachulish road at Gunn's Garage signposted for Port Appin. After one mile when the road turns uphill, it's the first entrance on the right, half way up the hill.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Alzheimer Scotland 30% & The Appin Village Hall 30%
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
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
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%
The Croft

The Croft

Houston Road Langbank PA14 6XT
Oliver Miller
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 October (2025)
49
edburd@btinternet.com
This special 1 acre garden is on a steep rocky site facing north overlooking the Clyde just opposite Dumbarton Rock. There were mature elms when we arrived in 1981which have been replaced with several varieties of birch and rowan, a flowering Davidia also Liriodendron (tulip tree) and a Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood). There are some magnolias and a good collection of acers together with rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Around the waterfall tree ferns are happy, ferns in general enjoy the shady damp conditions. The Trachycarpus palms from the mountains of China also grow well. Some of the newly introduced bamboos with blue, black, golden and green culms (canes) are now over 25ft tall. In summer the hydrangeas take over, there is a wide selection including the Aspera section with their huge flowers and fuzzy leaves. Autumn brings the reds, oranges and yellows on acers, rowan, Parrotia, Cercidiphyllum. There is a rushing stream (usually) four springs and several ponds. The garden is steep, there are steps/paved paths and it can be wet. Stout footwear and care is essential.

Directions: From Langbank, take the Houston Road out of the village, under railway bridge and The Croft is 100 yards on the left (look out for conical yews).

Admission: £7.50, children free
Charities: Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue 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%
Thirlestane

Thirlestane

Kelso TD5 8PD
Catherine Ross and John Wylie
By arrangement between 1 April - 31 October (2025)
67
T:01573 420487 catherineaross37@gmail.com
Thirlestane is a large informal garden. There is a walled garden with colour-themed borders and an orchard with many old varieties of fruit trees. In front of the house prairie planting is surrounded by high beech hedges. The young nine-acre wood has trees and shrubs selected for autumn colour and for decorative bark and fruit. These include Persian Ironwood, Golden Rain Tree, Scarlet Oak, Monarch Birch, Himalayan Birch, Tibetan Cherry, Chinese Hawthorn and various maples.

Directions: Thirlestane is near Yetholm, not to be confused with Thirlestane Castle, Lauder. Do not follow SatNav, it will try to take you to Lochside. From Kelso, take the B6352 towards Yetholm for about six miles. Continue past a cottage on the edge of the road. Thirlestane is next on the left, opposite the road to Lochside. From Yetholm, take the road to Kelso for about two miles. After a very sharp corner, Thirlestane is on the right. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Alzheimer Scotland 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%
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%
Lennel Bank

Lennel Bank

Coldstream TD12 4EX
Mrs Honor Brown
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
07
T:01890 882297 honor.b.brown@gmail.com
Lennel Bank is a terraced garden overlooking the River Tweed, consisting of wide borders packed with shrubs and perennial planting, some unusual. The water garden, built in 2008, is surrounded by a rockery and utilises the slope, ending in a pond. There is a small kitchen garden with raised beds in unusual shapes. Different growing conditions throughout the garden from dry, wet, shady and sunny, lend themselves to a variety of plants and enhance interest in the garden. 

Directions: On the A6112 Coldstream to Duns road, one mile from Coldstream. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: British Heart Foundation 60%
Old Allangrange

Old Allangrange

Munlochy IV8 8NZ
J J Gladwin
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
e
T:01463 811304 office@blackislegardendesign.com
We have an ornamental garden surrounding the house (new information discovered dates it from the 17th rather than 18th Century), and a three acre productive garden with two Keder greenhouses, designed using agroforestry and permaculture principles and gardened bio-dynamically using no-dig technique. The ornamental garden has different areas with distinctive characters. There is a parterre in front of the house with informal planting, a lower garden, an ornamental propagation garden, a mound and orchard. Hedges, (pleached lime, yew, beech, box, holly and mixed species field hedges) clipped in various styles connect the different areas of the garden. We have started to remove perimeter wire fences replacing them with log hedges and brash bunds. With a keen interest in gardening for biodiversity from the soil upwards, no chemicals have been used since our arrival in 1995. The development and improvement of the garden is ongoing.
Champion Trees: Yew and sweet chestnut.

Directions: From Inverness head four miles north on the A9, and follow the directions for Black Isle Brewery. Park up at the Brewery and walk down to the garden. Directions will be given in the shop.

Admission: £7.50, children free
Charities: Flourish 60%
West Leas

West Leas

near Bonchester Bridge TD9 8TD
Mr and Mrs Robert Laidlaw
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
67
T:01450 860711 ann@johnlaidlawandson.co.uk
The visitor to West Leas can share in an exciting and dramatic project on a grand scale, one that is constantly growing and evolving. A feat of liquid engineering, with a cascading stream contrasting with slow water pools. At its core is a passion for plants, allied to a love and understanding of the land in which they are set. Collections of perennials and shrubs lighten up the landscape to magical effect. The lily pond and woodland planting was added in 2019 and a courtyard garden links to the humidity controlled garden rooms housing a collection of exotics .  

Directions: Signposted off the Jedburgh/Bonchester Bridge Road. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Macmillan Cancer Support: Borders Appeal 60%
No Photo

Highlands Garden

East Voe, Scalloway, Shetland ZE1 0UR
Sarah Kay
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) (2025)
4
T:01595 880526/ 07818 845385 info@easterhoull.co.uk
The garden is in two parts. The upper garden is mostly a rockery, with a large selection of plants, shallow pond, seating area, polycrub and greenhouse with fruit and vegetables. The lower garden is on a steep slope with a spectacular sea view over the village of Scalloway. There is a path to lead visitors around and the garden features a large collection of plants, vegetable patch, deep pond and pergola. It was awarded a Shetland Environmental Award in 2014 for its strong theme of recycling. The owner also has an art studio which you are most welcome to visit when you view the garden.

Directions: Follow the A970 main road towards the village of Scalloway. Near the top of the hill heading towards Scalloway take a sharp turn to the left, signposted Easterhoull Chalets. Follow the road to chalets (painted blue with red roofs) and you will see the yellow SGS sign for the garden. Bus 4 from Lerwick/Scalloway. 

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Macmillan Cancer Support 60%
Kildalloig

Kildalloig

Campbeltown PA28 6RE
Mr and Mrs Joe Turner
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
7
T:07979 855930 kildalloig@gmail.com
Coastal garden with some interesting and unusual shrubs including Australasian shrubs and trees, climbing roses, and herbaceous perennials. There is a woodland walk and a pond garden with aquatic and bog plants.

Directions: Take the A83 to Campbeltown, then three miles south-east of the town past Davaar Island.

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: Macmillan Cancer Support 30% & Marie Curie 30%
Struanbridge

Struanbridge

Essich Road, Inverness IV2 6AH
Marcus and Catriona Jenks
By arrangement between 1 May - 31 October (2025)
247
mjenks@greenx.co.uk
A small, well-stocked garden approximately three miles from Inverness city centre, set on three levels each with its own distinct character. The entrance to the garden includes a decking area with a small fruit garden and raised beds. The small mid-tier area consists of mainly hydrangeas and rhododendrons and the very informal, hidden lower garden includes a wildlife pond, raised beds, and shaded garden area with a greenhouse, all framed by an old stone bridge and a small burn. Due to its layout, the garden is not suitable for wheelchairs and requires the ability to climb a number of steps to view.

Directions: From the Inverness Southern Distributor road (A8082) exit the Essich roundabout onto Essich Road. Struanbridge is located exactly a ½ mile from the roundabout, on the left. Parking is restricted.,

Admission: £4.00, children free
Charities: Mikeysline 60%
Gardener's Cottage Walled Garden

Gardener's Cottage Walled Garden

Ballochruin Road, Killearn G63 9QB
Derek and Morna Knottenbelt
By arrangement between 15 June - 15 October (2025)
T:01360 551682 mornaknottenbelt@hotmail.com
The walled garden, acquired in 2013 by the present owners, has been planted with extensive herbaceous borders, box hedging, roses and many unusual plants. There is a White Garden, a long shrub border with primulas and gentians and a former fernery with a collection of salvias, argyranthemums and peach and pear trees. June is a good time to visit when the roses are in bloom and borders with lupins, peonies, campanulas and other perennials are in flower. In July/August there is a fine collection of phlox in all of the borders, followed by dahlias, Michaelmas daisies, rudbeckias and blue aconitums from August to October. The Celtic Cross Garden was planted in May 2021 with a range of new plants including echinaceas, cardoons, lobelias, anthemis and lavender for mid to late summer colour. There are fine views of the Campsie Hills and the garden is surrounded by the conifers of the Designed Landscape of Carbeth. 

Directions: Follow Sat Nav to G63 0LF, which is Carbeth Home Farm on Ballochruin Road, halfway between Balfron and Killearn. We are the next entrance below the farm. Turn left on to the gravel road opposite the yellow Council salt bin and follow yellow SGS signs. 

Admission: £5.00, children free
Charities: The British Horse Society: Scotland 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%