New head gardener has ambitious plans for Scone Palace
The grounds of Scone Palace can look forward to a new lease of life following the appointment of a new head gardener.
Don Pritchard.
- By Sandra Gray
- Published in the Courier : 26.08.10
- Published online : 26.08.10 @ 12.59pm
One of horticulturist Don Pritchard's first projects will be the renovation of the six-acre Victorian walled garden.
Established in the early 1800s when the palace was completed, the walled area was a market garden for the estate. It fell into disrepair in the 1970s when the cost of supermarket food meant it was not cost-effective to run.
Don said, "Now, however, demand for locally-sourced food has returned and the garden has the potential to be turned into a highly productive commercial operation once again.
"The structure of the garden, which is divided into three separate areas, remains remarkably intact and indeed many of the old fruit trees and bushes are still there, waiting to be brought back to life."
Work on clearing the smallest of the areas of is to begin in October, with full renovation work in spring.
The centrepiece of the project will be the old glass Peach House, which Don and his team hope to bring back into full production with a variety of ornamental fruit and flowers.
They will then turn their hand to bringing back the productive market garden to the other two areas, with produce available for sale in the palace shop and at the gates.
While the project is expected to take around five years to complete, visitors will be able to access each area as it is finished.
Don returns after a long absence, as he left the village aged 16 to spend 25 years in the navy. On finishing his service he worked at Benmore Botanic Garden, near Dunoon, and got a HND in plantmanship from the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
He went on to manage the gardens of an Ayrshire hotel, along with garden renovation projects, and managed the grounds of an estate in Alloway.
Beechgrove Garden
His last role was in Aberdeen as head gardener at the Beechgrove Garden, where he spent the last three years.
"Working with the Beechgrove team on such a unique job was really enjoyable and a fantastic challenge but when the post at Scone came up I knew I had found my dream job," Don said.
"The 100 acres of grounds surrounding the palace already contain a huge variety of plants and habitats. This in itself means there are many varied aspects to the job but the greatest satisfaction for me as a horticulturist is to have the opportunity to develop the full potential of the garden and bring some of the unused areas back to life."
Lady Stormont of Scone Palace said, "We are delighted to have Don working with us at such an exciting time in the palace's development."
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