The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Pride of place for rainbow
Ahuge “living” rainbow, created from more than 12,000 plants, has taken pride of place in Scotland’s capital, thanks to a Fife garden centre.
The colourful creation, produced by Hillend-based Growforth Ltd for the Scottish Horticultural Society and Edinburgh City Council, symbolises hope and encouragement as part of National Day of Reflection, exactly one year on from the start of the first coronavirus lockdown.
The eye-catching 20metre long rainbow has pride of place on the capital’s historic Mound in Edinburgh’s Old Town, made entirely from thousands of brightlycoloured primroses.
The project was coordinated by the Fife garden centre and plant wholesaler, in collaboration with Reynard Nursery in Carluke, and put together with the help of council staff and volunteers.
Stan Green, director of Growforth, said the creation was also intended to be a visual way of promoting the benefits of gardening as people reflect on the impact of the pandemic.
“Horticulture has played a vital role in keeping people at home and has helped to safeguard mental and physical wellbeing,” Stan said.
“With nearly 90,000 people in Scotland taking up gardening last year, we know the nation has a deep connection with plants and nature and wanted to celebrate that.”
The project had been given the green-fingered seal of approval from gardening celebrity Jim Mccoll, star of BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden.
He said: “Spring is just around the corner and it is the perfect time to start looking forward to getting fresh air, exercise and mindfulness in your garden.
“This display is a vibrant reminder to stay optimistic even as the nation reflects on the past.
“It’s reassuring to have the certainty of the gardening year to rely on.”
The Fife firm, which in December revealed ambitious plans for a major expansion of its Plant Market garden centre site in Hillend, insists all of the plants used for the rainbow will find new homes once the display has played its part in the day of reflection.
Plans are already in place to distribute them to a number of charities.