Open gardens in August

It was a first for us on Sunday 3 August: we opened our gardens to the public, under the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, with proceeds benefitting the local Primary School in Canonbie.

When you have an event in the diary you work towards it for weeks, if not months, beforehand, and this was certainly true for Stephen, our son and main Gardener, and Jenny his assistant. It was all hands on deck and after all the preparation we were grateful to God that, after a wet and overcast morning, by the time the gardens opened it was dry and the sun had broken through the clouds. In fact, the weather was perfect for the event.

Since this was the first time we’d participated in the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, we had no idea how many people were likely to turn up. However, we needn’t have worried. All in all over 70 adults plus children came to visit; some lived locally but a surprising number came from a considerable distance. They were happy to sit and enjoy the views in the sunshine, and grateful, I’m sure, for the parasols in the seating areas! Of course, they also enjoyed strolling through the various flower and pot gardens we’ve created, as well as wandering around the orchard and the fruit and vegetable areas.

We offered refreshments with home-made cakes, and a wide variety of plants for sale. As an added attraction, children had the option of having their faces painted. All these were very popular.

The afternoon was a great success from our point of view, but more importantly, our visitors were very complimentary. Some expressed amazement that we’d achieved so much in the few years we’ve lived here, and others remarked that they were inspired by the creativity and were taking back ideas for their own gardens.

All in all, it was a great day. We raised money for a local charity and blessed our community and people from further afield in the process. All thanks and praise to God!

We’re planning to open the gardens again next summer, so look out for the announcement nearer the time.