Congratulations to Dunvegan Castle and Gardens on the Isle of Skye. They are this year’s Scottish regional winners of The Royal Horticultural Society’s, Partner Garden of the Year award.
The RHS is one of the leaders in horticultural practices, standards and education, so I always look on this as a prestigious accolade.
The ultimate seal of approval
To receive this it’s not a panel of judges you must impress, it’s even harder than that.
You must wow the garden visitor and earn their approval. That’s no simple task as they will be comparing you against all the other partner gardens in Scotland.
The RHS has five flagship gardens under it’s banner as part of their mission to inspire us to be a nation of gardeners, absorbing all the health benefits that it brings.
At each you’ll see amazing gardens maintained to the highest horticultural practises and standards, inspiring planting combinations to help us create our gardens at home.
Add to this knowledgeable and experienced staff willing and able to give us answers to our gardening problems.
Sadly, none of them are in Scotland (quietly grumbling under my breath).
But thankfully the books they produce and the advice sheets on their website – on virtually every horticultural topic there is – really are the best. So we’re not missing out completely.
What is a partner garden?
A partner garden is an independent one that wishes to be associated with the RHS.
To be accepted the garden owners must share the RHS values and help support their charitable work, meeting the high expectations set.
In simple terms, it means if we are to visit such a garden then we know it will be worth our visit.
There are currently over twenty RHS partner gardens in Scotland, including some of our finest.
Some of Scotland’s finest
Branklyn Gardens in Perth, featuring rare and unusual plants grown from seed collected by some of our greatest plant hunters.
Dounside House and Gardens in Aboyne offers not only 17 acres of magnificent gardens but is also an RHS qualifications approved centre.
There’s the painters garden at Attadale Gardens on the west coast, designed to frame the views of Skye and the surrounding hills.
And Dunrobin Castle Gardens in Golspie, a garden at the very top of my ‘to visit’ list in 2023. It features stunning parterres laid out around circular pools with fountains.
It just show how well Dunvegan is doing, to come on top of that list, which is only just a taster of the full offering from Scotland.
As part of an RHS membership you are entitled to free or discounted admission to the 200 plus partner gardens throughout the United Kingdom.
This may only be on specific days of the week so it’s always advisable to check in advance.
As well as gardens to visit , membership also gives you access to expert advice online or over the phone if you’d rather speak with a human.
A real perk
Regular hints and tips are sent to your email but the best bit for me, worth the membership fee alone, is the monthly magazine delivered to your door.
There are lots of magazines out there but I do look forward to this one. As the RHS are right at the forefront of horticultural research you, are always kept up to date with the latest scientific news.
I’m making myself sound like I’m clever here, but it’s important to be informed on the latest pests and diseases , so to know best how to deal with them – or indeed how to avoid getting them in the first place.
You also receive the latest news on how the climate changing is affecting our plants and what we gardeners need to do to adjust and help reduce the effects of this change. Especially as we transition into a composting world without peat.
As well as the plant profiles, practical advice and book reviews it really is a great read.
Working on gardening projects in our communities is another worthwhile RHS cause. It’s led in Scotland by the amazing Angela Smith, who is always out helping schools and local groups.
They are also the organisers of the Britain in Bloom competition which helps brighten up our streets.
If only…
Despite my praise for the RHS I can’t deny it would be nice if they could do just a little more to reflect the gardening audience in Scotland.
As well as not having a main Rhs garden, there are also no events or gardening shows supported by them up here, which is a real shame.
There’s no doubt in my eyes gardening in Scotland would be boosted if, with their profile, we came together to utilise the wealth of gardening talent we have up here.
But that aside, if you are looking for a last-minute Christmas gift, I don’t think you could go wrong with RHS membership.
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