Read Scottish Field's Article about Winton's Spring Gardens Open Day
When Neil Davidson visited Winton Castle near Pencaitland to interview for the position of head gardener he travelled from Edinburgh by bus. Alighting at the entrance to the estate he walked in at the South Lodge and on down the winding drive. It was, he says, the ideal way to take in the full extent of the policies surrounding the castle and catch a glimpse of the 2,000-acre estate set against the backdrop of the Lammermuir Hills.
But when he, like all visitors, saw the theatrical outline of the spectacular Scottish Renaissance building with varying room heights, castellated outlines and tall, twisted chimney pots testifying to the input of past generations, he admits to being a little surprised.
“I had been working in horticulture for at least 25 years and at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) for 16 years, but Winton was on a very different scale,’ he says. Rather than concentrating on small, specialist areas ‘as tends to happen at the RBGE’, this 12-acre garden presented an opportunity to ‘think about things in a different way.”
We’re very grateful to Scottish Field. You can read the full article by Antoinette Galbraith (images Ray Coxin) from the Scottish Field here.
You’re Invited to Winton Castle’s Spring Gardens Open Day
Sunday 30th March 2025 (12 noon – 4.30 pm)
You’ll be able to see the wild gardens round the castle awash with daffodils, and the walled garden and terraced gardens alive with spring flowers, all open under Scotland’s Garden Scheme.
