Fife gardens open their gates to public in new Scottish initiative
Gardens across Fife are set to open to the public as part of a Scotland wide initiative.
The first ‘Gardens Month’ takes place in September to showcase the nation’s very best locations.
Every day until Wednesday, September 30, will be dedicated to celebrating the beauty and diversity of some of the most amazing spaces in the country.
The event has been launched by Discover Scottish Gardens which counts many of the gardens in Fife amongst the best of their kind in Scotland.
A number of gardens across the country will be hosting special events, offering visitors the chance to immerse themselves in historic pleasure grounds, formal parterres, natural settings, contemporary designed landscapes and kitchen gardens burgeoning with fresh produce.
Many also have important tree collections which, as the month progresses, will start to take on their autumn colours, providing yet another compelling reason to explore these many world-class green spaces.
Throughout the month the focus will be on flowers, both wild and cultivated; on the stories and sculptures that inhabit many of the gardens and on the specialist growers and garden centres that provide top quality plants.
There will be an emphasis too on adventure and discovery, elements that have helped to shape Scotland’s gardens and which are still having an impact today, and there will also be a chance to encounter the odd and amazing, those ‘strange but true’ elements that help to make gardens here different from anywhere else in the world.
Amongst those participating will be Falkland Palace where there are flower borders filled with colour, a physic garden containing medicinal and culinary herbs and an orchard where apples are ripening are amongst its attractions, along with the oldest Real tennis court still in use.
Also taking part is Teasses - a huge ravine garden, packed with perennials, is the centrepiece of the restored gardens on this estate. There are also woodland plantings and a Victorian walled garden with heritage greenhouses.
Backhouse Rossie - The heart of these 18th century gardens near Cupar is a romantic walled garden that is filled with colour. There is also a formal parterre dedicated to growing cut flowers, a vegetable garden and a spiral grass labyrinth.
Rufflets - Produce from the garden supplies vegetables, eggs and honey for diners at this luxury St Andrews hotel and guests are encouraged to stroll the borders to pick mint for tea and to pluck apples from the trees.
Cambo Gardens - In September, prairie borders light up the walled garden at Cambo, near St Andrews. This is one of Scotland’s most vibrant gardens, packed with unusual plants and vegetables.
A full list of participating gardens can be found at www.discoverscottishgardens.org.