We’re a nation of gardeners. The United Kingdom and Ireland are well known for their horticultural excellence worldwide.
Impressive gardens can be found up and down the country. Picture being one of those people with a highly impressive garden.
Better than that, imagine being someone who has won Reader’s Garden of the Year in Gardener’s World magazine, no mean feat!
That is exactly what Lizzie and Malcolm Schofield have achieved with their local garden in Buckie on the Moray Coast.
Best of all you can visit it this weekend thanks to Scotland’s Garden Scheme.
Lizzie and Malcolm’s Garden
Lizzie is a presenter this year on Beechgrove Garden and has been appointed having previously been a Beechgrower during 2020 and 2021 during lockdown.
A primary school teacher by day, Lizzie has been swiftly thrust into the horticultural zeitgeist stemming back to the work her and the whole family have done to their wee slice of paradise in Buckie.
As some who has previously lived at the gorgeous wee seaside village of Collieston, I can attest to the difficulties of gardening by the seaside.
The winds are brutal. Salt spray in the air kills even the hardest of plants.
How then did the Schofields create a garden in these conditions that was so good that it was award winning and consequently created an unexpected path into horticultural public eye for Lizzie?
Lizzie
“We definitely were not passionate gardeners in the beginning” says Lizzie. “We both enjoyed looking at lovely gardens and saw the merit in them but we didn’t own the ground around our little fisherman’s cottage so made do with a couple of pots and planters.
“In the early stages I wanted to create something full of colour – that passers-by would be able to look up while driving along the coastal road and say, ‘Wow, look at that garden!’
Quirky pathways
“I wanted an adventurous space full of quirky pathways and steps for our daughters to enjoy. I also wanted one I could collect flowers for the house”.
“To think I began to garden less than eight years ago and am now one of the presenters on Beechgrove Garden is pretty mind blowing. I am loving every minute of it.
“Winning the Gardener’s World magazine competition in 2020 was definitely the thing that kicked started it all.
“Alan Titchmarsh and Diarmuid Gavin commenting on how inspiring our garden is, was a dream come true.
“There are still days I look at the garden and think – what a mess – but I think that’s just human nature and I normally find that doing some weeding snaps me out of that frame of mind.
“Opening Cuthberts Brae for Scotland’s Garden Scheme (SGS) has been so much fun. Our friends and family all get involved and it’s a really lovely couple of days.
“Speaking to others about plants is something I love to do and we are also making money for charity at the same time so it’s a win!”
Scotland’s Garden Scheme
The Scotland’s Garden Scheme (SGS) dates back to 1931 where it opened to raise money for district nurses prior to the invention of the National Health Service. The following year over 500 gardens opened in order to help raise funds.
Today the passion continues and I spoke to Liz Stewart, Chief Executive of SGS, to discuss further.
The SGS is still going strong accordingly to Liz. In the olden days it tended to be only stately homes that participated but nowadays there is a vast array of gardens that partake.
Liz stresses that all gardens of all shapes and sizes are welcome. She even berates her own garden saying she didn’t feel it was good enough alone but instead has partaken as a part of a village group effort.
No doubt Liz is being modest! SGS gardens available for visit, vary greatly. They include a wide area of styles and locations; everything from arboretums to cottage gardens.
Volunteers play a huge part in the SGS and are always sought. Volunteers scope out potential gardens for the SGS and also give advice to those who seek to be part of the wonderful charity scheme.
Garden owners are of course unique individuals with unique tastes and histories. A commonality among them being their shared passion for all things gardening and horticulture.
The fantastic thing is all gardeners harbour multiple plants. Many are unique. Some gardens are only available by special request.
The SGS website (scotlandsgardens.org) harbours a vast array of hidden gems that only open by such request.
Get in touch. Don’t be afraid. I hope you use the SGS this year to explore some unique gardening gems, you won’t be sorry!
And if you’d like to get involved by volunteering or opening your garden, SGS would love to hear from you.