READER'S GARDEN
“I still can't believe that I actually won!
“When I arrived and saw all the beautiful designs and the amount of sponsorship and experience others had I really thought I was completely mad (my design looked like a child's drawing compared to some of the beautiful pictures) and I thought I was out of my league but all the other competitors were so supportive it made the build a lot less scary!
“When I heard my name being announced I was totally shocked - and totally delighted! I am passionate about gardening being accessible to all - even in urban areas. I was clear that I wanted my design to be focussed on an urban retreat in the city where people could relax whilst providing a green space for wildlife.
“I wanted my garden to show people that they could have a garden even in so-called difficult, small shady places for a relatively low cost using reclaimed materials and this message seemed to resonate with visitors.
“I packed up the garden on the Sunday after the Fair and it was so sad to see it being dismantled so I was very keen to try to keep it as intact as possible. Unfortunately, my van was slightly too small for the lower raised bed so that turned into two halves of a raised bed to get back to Kelso!
"However - get back to Kelso it did along with all the plants and water barrel and pump also. I am delighted to say that my boss at Floors has asked me to recreate the garden within the estate to allow people to see it so I am about to start building the slates up again!
“I currently have one original raised bed with the plants in situ in my new house here in Kelso. They are fulfilling their design brief as they are situated in a shady, north-facing, tiny patio space and thriving, so the design works!
“The best compliment I got at the Fair was from the judges who said that they could tell my garden had been created by a gardener, and another lovely visitor called George (from Joppa, yes - that one!) was so kind and encouraging - I couldn't have asked for more confidence boosting comments!
“This was the first show garden I have ever designed and I learnt loads from the experience. I cannot thank Brian and everyone at Scone Palace enough for all their support and the team at Scotland Grows were amazing - you all gave me such confidence and encouragement.
“I set out to become a plantswoman and gardener rather than a pure designer only 4 years ago. I love my job as Assistant Head Gardener at Floors Castle in Kelso, and love developing and enhancing the gardens there but this win has given me the confidence and drive to become more involved in designing other show gardens in the future and hopefully who knows - help others to build their own dream gardens too. I am already planning the next one!”
“The journey of designing and building a show garden for the Scone Palace Garden Fair this year was a rare and exhilarating experience. It was a fabulous feeling to be a part of the horticultural community that the fair is creating and connecting, and to add a bit of magic and whimsy to the Fair with my creation.
“Envisioned as a wild sanctuary from the pressures of modern life, this luminous twilight garden will live on in the Glasgow garden of Ann, who has recently undergone treatment for cancer.
“Her garden is currently being cleared of overgrowth and new woodland borders created to house the gorgeous plants from sponsors, Binny Plants and McLaren’s Nurseries.
“These shrubs, hardy perennials, and self seeding plants will grow and thrive and help to create a place for wellness, respite, and recuperation.
“The garden was already quite a haven for local wildlife, and the lovely range of native plants should increase the garden’s biodiversity, so it can be enjoyed not just by Ann but by the worlds that parallel our human ones.”
“The plants were initially used as part of a larger display in front of the SRUC events tent at the Royal Highland Show this year. The display was designed to showcase to visitors, the Garden Design and Horticulture courses run at SRUC.
“Our beautiful Cornus kousa chinensis took centre stage in the display along with many of the original plants from the show garden and others that had been grown by students.
“Following the Royal Highland Show, some of the show garden plants were donated to the Millerhill Green Space Project, which is a small community project, which I help to support.
“This project is working to improve the green spaces within Millerhill in Midlothian, to create wildlife corridors and provide planting schemes that will feed bees, butterflies, birds, and bats. The plants donated will form part of a new nectar-rich flower bed within Millerhill.
“The remaining plants are being used by the SRUC to aid students in their studies, using them for plant identification and with practical purposes, such as pruning and propagation.”
“My daughter Grace, and I entered the Scottish Garden Design Competition a few days before the closing date and were thrilled that our design was chosen as a finalist.
“The planning, and going on a couple of massive plant shopping sprees was exciting, and we felt supported by Scone Palace’s Head Gardener, Brian Cunningham, and his team, who answered our many logistics questions in the run up to the event.
“With lots of help from our family, we set up the garden in just two days, right in front of the magnificent Scone Palace..
“It was a wonderful experience, and we were delighted to have so many positive comments about the flowers, the orange-and-purple flower colour combinations, the small water butt that was set up off the ground in the 1m square pergola, the battery-operated water features, and the beautiful oak bench that my that my father-in-law made by hand. To top it all off,
we had the most amazing sunny weather.
“We have set up the garden bed in my parents-in-law’s garden, and the plants seem to be settling in well.”
Look out for details of how to enter the Scottish Garden Design Competition 2024 this autumn!