Author confirmed for Readings in the Readers Imagination Garden

Janice Galloway

We have been in touch with a number of publishers and authors so that we can have 'Author Reading Events' from the garden during the period of Gardening Scotland.  We are delighted that Janice Galloway has accepted our invitation, and several publishers are interested.  All very exciting!

Scottish Gardener Article

A page from this months 'The Scottish Gardener' Magazine, with information about some of the show gardens this year.  The SRUC gardens are top left and bottom left.

Plant Arrivals

About 250 plants have arrived for 'The Readers Imagination Garden' today.  They will need to be carefully tended now to bring them up to Show Garden standard, and to be flowering at the right time.  We have also been able to use many plants from the college nursery, and are expecting another delivery of plants on Monday-so It is all go!




Show Plants setting into the greenhouse at SRUC

Every little helps...

We are still searching for a little bit more sponsorship, or donations, to purchase good quality plants, so if you have any spare change maybe you could...

"Help fund our student Show Garden"?

http://www.gofundme.com/IntheKnittedGarden

Much appreciated!

We're in the News!

"SRUC Designers’ Double Entry for Gardening Scotland"

Talks about both our entries.












Article can be found at: http://www.sruc.ac.uk/news/article/1182/sruc_designers_double_entry_for_gardening_scotland

Tiger nuts

Cyperus esculentus is a perennial growing to 0.9 m (3ft) at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone (UK) 8. The flowers are hermaphrodite. 

Exciting to see things germinating already, in preparation for the Show!

The 'nuts' are actually a tuber from the roots. They are edible, and quite tasty too!

Read more about Tiger nuts: http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Cyperus+esculentus 

Great News

We are delighted to announce that Susan White who is the designer of 'In the Knitted Garden'  (for design plans scroll down), has jointly been awarded the Artisan Award from Gardening Scotland.

This is great news for Susan who is a talented designer, and will give her garden more financial backing.  If you would like to donate to this garden please scroll down for Crowd Funding details.

The centre piece of 'In the Knitted Garden' is a dead tree which will be brought back to life with brightly coloured 'Gorilla' style knitting.  The tree for the garden is in the process of being stripped.

https://twitter.com/SSusanmwhite
https://twitter.com/KnittedGarden15

The Scots Pine

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

A tree associated in storytelling with purification and foresight.


This beautiful and important native tree is one of Scotland's gems, and is equally important for economics and for biodiversity conservation. The Scots pine is a very important habitat for some rare lichens and for the Scottish Crossbill (Loxia scotica), an Amber Status species which is found nowhere else in the world.

"As the largest and longest-lived tree in the Caledonian Forest, the Scots pine is a keystone species in the ecosystem, forming the 'backbone' on which many other species depend." (http://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/species-profiles/scots-pine/)

The Readers Garden will feature a small Scots Pine* as part of the woodland glade edge.

"The Scots Pine formed large parts of forests in Great Britain, particularly in the North of England and in Scotland, until 8000 years ago. The oldest known Scots Pine blew down at Inveraray in 1951 and was thought to be over 330 years old. " Find out more about the Scots Pine here: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5nlfap


* Or maybe 3... Mummy, Daddy and Baby pines, Goldilocks style?

Leaflet Design

Some of the Team have begun the process of designing our brochures for the Show Gardens.

Here they are looking at some previous designs and thinking about what style we want for the Readers Imagination Garden.

We will be working with SRUC's Communications Team to help with the design and printing. (http://www.sruc.ac.uk/info/120072/media_centre)

Ordering Plants for the Readers Imagination Garden

Lovely to hear today that the Plant Team are all ready to order plants for the Readers Garden! It is all feeling very real now, and we're all excited.

Here is a little taster of the gorgeous planting scheme that the Team have planned.

(Astrantia major)