Scotland is blooming

Gardens have never been so popular. Whether you want to create a relaxing outdoor room or join the army of gardeners growing their own vegetables, gardens are the big talking point, writes Susan Welsh. This weekend, there’s a chance to get inspirational and practical advice at Scotland’s leading gardening event

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SOME refer to it as the Jamie Oliver syndrome, others are calling it the new Dig for Victory. It’s the news that, for the first time since World War II, vegetable seed sales are outstripping flower seed sales, as people turn to growing their own food.

The jury is still out as to why growing your own has suddenly become so popular, but there are several strong arguments as to why this should be.

There’s no doubt that fashionable chefs such as Jamie Oliver, who encourages us to grow our healthy food, can take some of the credit, but there’s also rising food prices and the prospect of avoiding food which has been transported hundreds of miles to be considered.

Either way, it’s all good news for Gardening Scotland 2008, Scotland’s leading gardening and outdoor event, which takes place at The Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, from tomorrow until Sunday.

Over the next three days, the Ingliston showground will be filled with the colour and scent of hundreds and thousands of beautiful and colourful blooms, all of them at the peak of perfection.

The event is something of a Mecca for experienced gardeners, but it has lots to offer novices, too, whether they want to create a peaceful outdoor room where they can relax, or have a go at growing their own produce.

And thanks to a vibrant craft marquee, an international village selling delicious produce from around the world, fun attractions for children, a food fayre and an impressive exhibition of botanical art, it is a great day out for all the family.

There are lots of new attractions lined up as well as all the favourite exhibits that visitors love to come back for, year after year. There are a record-breaking 15 show gardens on display, and a whopping 88 new exhibitors taking part.

According to show manager Jim Jermyn, two central themes are emerging this year: a commitment to nurturing the environment and an appetite for contemporary styling.

Waste Aware Scotland’s whimsical garden, which recreates the interior of an ordinary house with sedum place mats, turf-covered easy chair and kitchen worktops made from alpines, also carries a serious message – that much of what we use and discard on a daily basis could easily be recycled.

Even within seemingly natural landscapes, such as Rococo Plants’ sustainable garden, with its indigenous planting, green technology is at work — the burbling stream is powered by solar energy.

Not every garden contains such hidden messages, however, and there is a place for classical design that seeks simply to be beautiful.

Primo Landscaping has captured this in its re-creation of a typical Edinburgh town garden, with huge terracotta pots and olive trees imported from Italy. “We travel to Italy several times a year to buy olive trees, clipped bays and box plants, as well as palm trees and pots,” says Cameron Elliot, of Primo, whose planting designs have enlivened gardens, roof terraces and balconies all over the capital city.

Also making a name for herself is Karen Laing, of Kreative Garden Design in Aberdeen.

Karen took part in the prestigious RHS Malvern show recently, where she won a Silver medal in the Show Garden section. She is creating a Scottish version of the award-winning garden – something that’s no easy feat, as Karen explained.

“The design is based on the ancient Pictish dwellings which are nestled into Tillymorgan hilltop out by the Glens of Foudland.

“It is a sunken garden which was fairly easy to create at Malvern as you are allowed to dig up the showground, but at Gardening Scotland you’re not allowed to scratch the turf.

“So, instead of digging into the ground, I had to get my thinking cap on and elevate the surface around me.

“I use land forms, five glass panels, canvas screens and different kinds of wild, manicured and structural grasses and native and ornamental birches to create the garden.

“I also used local stone to create a drystane dyke, which I had a go at building myself. Considering it’s my first time, I don’t think I’ve done too badly.

“The idea is to show people that they can have a warm and private place to sit in their back garden without resorting to planting massive Leylandii trees.”

Also making the trip from Aberdeen are Scotland's favourite TV gardeners, the team from The Beechgrove Garden, who will be on hand to offer advice in between filming a very special edition of the show.

Among the attractions they'll be turning their cameras on will be the show gardens, where the cream of Scotland's design talent will be providing inspiration to visitors with their creative solutions for large and small gardens.

New at Gardening Scotland 2008 will be a very special fashion show, staged by students from Heriot Watt University's School of Textiles in Galashiels.

The second-year clothing design and manufacture students will be showing off their range of gardening clothes made from organic and biodegradable materials.

Using fabrics such as hemp, jute and nettle fibre, the students' clothing has been designed to end its days on the compost heap once its working life is over.

Meanwhile, in a studio in West Calder, sculptor David Wilson has been hard at work with a welding torch, putting the finishing touches to his latest work – a huge stainless steel thistle, more than three metres tall, with craggy copper flower heads, each one the size of a football.

His startling creation is the centrepiece of an ambitious exhibit created by Beautiful Perth, formerly Perth in Bloom, to highlight ongoing work into “greening” the city.

Sculpture of all kinds, from classical figures to modern installations, is becoming increasingly popular in domestic gardens, so it is no surprise that it features so prominently at this year’s show.

Of course, any garden design is only as good as the plants it contains and as Gardening Scotland is also the biggest plant sale in Scotland, there is no shortage of inspiration both in the Dobbies Floral Hall and outside in the Plant Village.

Top nurseries from across the UK, many of them specialist growers who scour the four corners of the world to find rare and unusual flowers, come to sell the plants they have raised lovingly.

Unlike some horticultural shows where visitors can look but come away empty handed, visitors to Gardening Scotland can buy away to their heart’s content.

Last, but by no means least, is the final new event this year – The Big Back Garden, an area dedicated to family fun, with barbecue demonstrations, garden games, and close encounters with hawks and owls, courtesy of Cumbernauld Activity Centre.

Gardening Scotland 2008 runs from tomorrow until Sunday. Tickets are priced at £14 for Friday and £12 for Saturday or Sunday. Under 16s go free. The show is open 10am-6pm on Friday and Saturday and from 10am-5pm on Sunday. Further information on 0131 333 0965 or visit www.gardeningscotland.com