With over 100 stalls throughout the garden, including many local nurseries and specialist plant suppliers, everyone is ready to give their expert advice on new or unusual plants for your garden and how to make sure they thrive.
Threave’s own team of expert gardeners will also be on hand, giving a series of tours and talks throughout the day, offering the perfect opportunity to learn more about the secrets of Threave Garden, and to see more of Scotland’s flora.
The expanded craft fair will be filled to the brim with small businesses from the local community and there will be plenty to keep children busy including face painting and wildlife activities.
Threave’s wonderful garden at Castle Douglas in Dumfries & Galloway, has been created over the years by students at the National Trust for Scotland’s School of Heritage Gardening and is a fine example of landscaped beauty. We asked Head Gardener, Michael Lawrie, to highlight his top three things to do and see when you visit, turning the Threave Gardening Show into a whole fabulous day out.
“Threave Garden is divided into a series of smaller gardens to showcase different styles, including a rose garden, rockery, and walled garden. Around every corner there is a story to tell: mixed island beds containing a range of shrubs, trees, bulbs, grasses, and herbaceous perennials flank the paths down to the woodland garden, replete with specimen trees and mature shrubs. Beyond the trees rise the peat walls, resplendent with rhododendrons, and a fine collection of Meconopsis. Cross the oriental bridge and find yourself in the rock garden and formal garden, with Victorian garden games for everyone to enjoy.
“These areas are constantly evolving as students and teams of gardeners practice and develop their skills. There’s always something different to see at Threave on every visit.
“One of the great joys of Threave is that it showcases the skills and imagination of every trainee and gardener who passes through. It allows us to be creative and experiment – something which is becoming more vital as our climate changes. We can see how changing weather patterns affect what we plant and look to plan with the future in mind.
“One of my favourite sections is Threave’s Victorian walled garden, one of the finest examples in southern Scotland, which has produced fruit, vegetables, and cut flowers since it was built in 1872. Originally it supplied the ‘big house’, now its produce features on the menu of the Terrace Café.”
“The National Trust for Scotland’s School of Heritage Gardening was established at Threave Garden in 1960 and is unique in Scotland. The Threave Certificate in Practical Heritage Gardening is highly sought after and job offers for students come in before they graduate – though we aim to keep as many students as we can at the Trust! Previous graduates now look after gardens from the Netherlands and China to our very own Culzean Castle in Ayrshire.
“The students work throughout the garden and are more than happy to be asked questions by all our visitors. They will be the next generation of heritage gardeners and will be able to give you skilled advice for your garden as well as explain the intricate details of Threave.
“Training is rigorous – for example we ask them to learn the plant names and families for 20 specimens a week and then pick their favourite to delve deeper into their care and history. Our students are definitely keen to show off and share their knowledge!
“The education side of Threave is something of which I am particularly proud, I love seeing students grow in confidence and share their knowledge with everyone who visits the garden. For many of them this training is a change of career so their passion and commitment to gardening is a joy to see.”
“Threave is not just a garden, it is also a thriving nature reserve and wildlife have found their homes both here and in the garden.
“When Major Alan Gordon gave Threave Estate to the Trust in 1948, he asked that we provide a place of sanctuary where wintering wildfowl could roost and feed without disturbance. We are proud to have fully embraced this request. Threave Nature Reserve, consisting of wetlands and marshes, is now a vital element of the estate.
“The wetlands are a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area, internationally recognised for the significant numbers of wildfowl that live here. This is especially important in winter when migratory geese from the Arctic Circle make Threave their home.
“In addition, Threave is home to healthy populations of red squirrels, bats and birds of prey. In May, you can visit our Osprey Viewing Platform which is staffed by dedicated volunteers who can tell you all about these magnificent birds. In the garden itself, you can explore the red squirrel hide, take part in a mini-beast hunt, or play for a while in the Discovery Garden − all great fun for children and families.”
Threave Heritage Gardening Show takes place between 10am–5pm on Monday 6th May 2024. Book your tickets today here.