Filed under: Caley Society, Conference Facilities, flower arranging, flowers, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society, Gardening, Gardening Workshops, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, perennial, RCHS Individual Achievement Award, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day, suntrapgardengardeningscotland, Things to do in Scotland, Visit Scotland gardens
The public have a chance to stop the demise of Suntrap Garden
Suntrap Garden’s Open Day in May 2011 could be its last unless the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and Oatridge College’s scandalous decision to sell the Green Belt located Garden to property developers is halted.
But all is not lost.
A group of representatives of the organisations which use Suntrap is seeking a rescue package by pursuing funding to run the Garden with the help of volunteers. And as part of the effort the Garden volunteers are holding a further Open Day as part of its fundraising efforts on Sunday 22nd May from 10.30am – 4pm. Attractions will include a sale of plants, displays, exhibits and demonstrations, face-painting for the youngsters, Eubee a snowy owl, gardening for children, refreshments and home baking.
Entry to the garden is £2 for adults and free for children and OAPs, with the money from that and several of the stalls going to the Friends of Suntrap and Save our Suntrap Campaign. Parking is free.
Suntrap is reached from the A8 and is signposted about half a mile west of the Edinburgh City Bypass roundabout. It is served by Lothian Buses services 25, 34 and 45 to the Park and Ride at Riccarton/Heriot Watt Campus.
Benefactor, George Boyd Anderson, gave the Garden to the NTS in 1966 as a place for horticultural education for those with small gardens – a concept well ahead of its time. He wanted the NTS to ensure it would be really useful to the public. It has provided advice and classes to generations of gardeners and, in recent years, has been a special therapeutic training resource for students with learning difficulties who find the place relaxing and rewarding.
Suntrap is well known in the Gardening Community. The Save Our Suntrap (SOS) Group, led by the Friends of Suntrap (the very first NTS Friends’ group) comprises members of national and local organisations such as Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, Perennial, Scottish Gardeners’ Forum, National Bonsai Collection and Suntrap Gardening Club.
SOS is fighting passionately on behalf of the Garden. This community group proposes to continue to open the Garden to the public and reinstate classes but also has plans to expand the role of the Garden in therapeutic and other ways, including gardening space, providing the public with fresh opportunities to garden in a healthy environment.
SOS is seeking to lease the Garden to prove that it can be run effectively in accordance with the principles under which it was gifted as a legacy to the gardeners of the future. The members have support with the campaign from a variety of sources, including politicians.
It would be an outrage if this Garden is lost to the property market when there is a chance that it could be saved! With help, the sun could shine again on Suntrap!
Members of the public can do their part in saving the garden by showing their support and coming along to our Open Day on Sunday May 22nd.
Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society, perennial, Suntrap Garden Open Day | Tags: Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Italian Garden, Lord and Lady Provost, Open Days, Suntrap Garden Open Day
What a great day we had for the Open Day, the sun shone all day.
We had over 400 visitors and raised £700 for Perennial, Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society.
The highlight of the day however, was the visit by the Lord and Lady Provost who came for a one hour visit and enjoyed it so much they stayed for two.
Thank you to everyone for their help and support in making this such a great day.
Filed under: container gardening, flower arranging, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society, Oatridge College, Suntrap Garden Open Day, suntrapgardengardeningscotland, Uncategorized | Tags: Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Oatridge College, Open Days, Suntrap Garden, Things to do in Scotland
Everyone has been busy preparing for our annual charity Open Day, which again this year is being held in support of Perennial, Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society.
Our students, with learning difficulties, from local Day Centres, have been busy planting up containers and hanging baskets. As you can see they’re resting in the Mist House until they’re ready to go on display
and the beetle from last year’s Gardening Scotland arrived yesterday
just in time for us to plant it up for our big day.
Why not come along and join us.
It’s a great day out.
Filed under: Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Snowdrops, Things to do in Scotland, Visit Scotland gardens | Tags: Dalmeny Estate, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Snowdrops
Dalmeny Estates are holding their annual Snowdrop day on Sunday 28 February from 2.00 pm to 5.00pm.
Filed under: Dalmeny snowdrops, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Snowdrops, Visit Scotland gardens | Tags: Garden Visits, snowdrop day at Dalmeny, Snowdrops, Things to do in Scotland
Have you ever wondered why the Dalmeny Estate, near South Queensferry, never promote the day of their show of snowdrops on Mons Hill far in advance. ‘We don’t set the date for Snowdrop Day until two weeks before,’ says the administrator, Linda Edgar. ‘It all depends on when the snowdrops come through, and we monitor the hill daily from the beginning of February. There isn’t anything else to see that day except the park itself, but we do refreshments in our tearoom.’
South Queensferry, EH30 9TQ (0131-331 1888; www.dalmeny.co.uk). Eight miles west of Edinburgh. For opening times, telephone or visit the website
Filed under: Garden Open Days, Gardening, Lifelong Learning, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day, Things to do in Scotland, Uncategorized | Tags: bird, Directions to suntrap garden, Flickr, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Gardening Scotland, ladybirds, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day
Filed under: container gardening, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Gardening Scotland, Lifelong Learning, Suntrap Garden, Visit Scotland gardens | Tags: Caley Society, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening Scotland, Oatridge College, Pallet Competition, perennial, Pinewood Day Centre, Suntrap Garden
We’ve been extremely busy in the garden over the last month. Our gardening classes took part in Gardening Scotland.
We entered three containers – Blackburn Support Centre, the Portobello Project and Cedarbank School, two pallet gardens – Cedarbank School and Pinewood Day Centre and along with Oatridge and Perennial, Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society we entered a show garden.
Here are the students from Pinewood Day Centre preparing their garden. The design involved an old drawing board – on one side was a drawing of the plan of the garden they would like to create and on the other the finished garden.
The students planted and drew the design themselves.
Placed the pots into the frame on the design board and on the other side wrote down the names of the plants.
Julie and Gillian from Suntrap helped to set it up on site at Gardening Scotland.
Filed under: container gardening, flowers, Garden Open Days, Italian Garden, lawn care, Lifelong Learning, Sensory Garden, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden, Things to do in Scotland, Visit Scotland gardens, walks | Tags: Garden Advice, Garden Visits, Gardening, Gardening Scotland, Italian Garden, Suntrap Garden, Things to do in Scotland, workshops
The garden is open again on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm.
.
Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden | Tags: Ann Burns, Caley Society, days out, Directions to suntrap garden, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, garden taking shape, Garden Visits, Gardeners Forum, Gardening Scotland, Italian Garden, ladybirds, lawn care, Oatridge College, Open Days, perennial, Sensory Garden, Suntrap Garden
We’re ready and looking forward to your visit.
Guided Garden Tours with John Smith, Team Leader at Suntrap,
11.00 am, 12.00 noon, 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm
Demonstrations
11.00-12.00 How to plant containers with Ann Burns from Oatridge College
12.00-1.00 How to care for Bonsais with the Scottish Bonsai Association
Garden Advice throughout the day with Brian Williams and Ann Burns
Buy some plants from MacPlants, Friends of Suntrap or from the Suntrap Garden Centre
Scavenger hunt, children’s games and face painting
Meet Eubee the 18 month old snowy owl
Relax with a cup of tea or coffee and some home baking from the Friends of Suntrap
Filed under: container gardening, flower arranging, Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Nightclasses, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day | Tags: Ann Burns, Caley Society, Directions to suntrap garden, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening Scotland, Italian Garden, lawn care, Oatridge College, pallet gardens, Sensory Garden, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day, Things to do in Scotland
I thought I would check out the weather for Sunday, it’s set to be dry and sunny.
It looks like the perfect weather for a trip to our Open Day.
Suntrap Garden 