SCOTTISH GARDENER - ISSUE 18

Who could have guessed that the warm spell which started in May would have kept going for so long? Heatwave summers don't come round very often so don't feel bad if you got caught on the hop and fell behind with watering.

Maybe you came back from holiday at some point to find scorched grass, dried-up flowers and crispy leaves. If so, take heart from Ann and John McGinnis' story. Just five years ago they had no garden at all, just an overgrown bramble patch that would have filled most gardeners with despair.

Far from being daunted they cleared the site completely and, starting from scratch, have created the sort of cottage garden that is normally only found on the lids of chocolate boxes.

The setting, close to the sea on the Ayrshire coast, brings both advantages and challenges, but they've embraced their space and made the most of every nook and corner.

They are not the only ones who have transformed their garden. Radio presenter Bryan Burnett has been busy turning his plot into a flower-filled Eden and in Me & My Garden he shares his passion for plants. Meanwhile we profile an exhibition in Edinburgh that, with poignant words and exquisite illustrations, is highlighting the fragility of our natural world.

Also in this issue of Scottish Gardener we've got suggestions for using big daisies to brighten up the borders from mid-summer onwards as well as a run-down of the training options available to would-be gardeners who want to put their love of working outdoors onto a professional footing.

And of course we've got all the usual features including Alison Swanson's allotment advice and our ever-popular crossword, which is just the thing for whiling away time on a sunny afternoon.

Here's to summer in the garden.

Agnes Stevenson,
Scottish Gardener Editor
Email: agnes.c.stevenson@gmail.com

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