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Gardens and Nurseries of Scotland

Scotland has a great tradition of gardening and horticulture – partly through the work of generations of Scottish plant-hunters, such as David Douglas and George Forrest, who went abroad to bring back new species and give their names to many familiar garden plants of today.

Scotland’s cool maritime climate favours a very wide range of plants. Just one noted speciality is the magnificent rhododendron and azalea species that thrive here, far from their native Himalayan or Chinese homelands. There are many notable collections of there, including those at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and also at Brodick Castle, Arran. The benign influence of the Gulf Stream also allows many other tender species to thrive at places like Inverewe in the north-west Highlands, and Logan Botanic Gardens in Galloway.

The National Trust for Scotland have many gardens in their care, including the famous Crathes Castle near Aberdeen, while another way of visitors to see the finest collections in private ownership is to view some the private gardens open on selected dates through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.

Scotland’s gardening tradition is also thriving at a wide range of other private gardens right across the country, which often have either improvised sales tables or more organised retail areas, where sometimes quite exclusive and unusual species can be tracked down. At the other end of the scale there are also some excellent specialist nurseries that often have quite extensive gardens as part of the business, blurring the boundaries between shop and display – and making a great day out for all garden enthusiasts.