Spring trail to showcase snowdrops across the region

Lindores House, by Newburgh, will be showing off its display of snowdrops when it becomes the first of more than 30 gardens in Fife opening this year in partnership with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.

Visitors will be welcome from 11.30am to 3pm on Sunday as part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival.

Fife is also introducing a spring trail this year, which will showcase 12 different privatelyowned gardens.

These will open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from April 11 to May 23 to give visitors flexibility when planning their trips. Last year the summer trail raised £12,000 for Scotland’s Garden Scheme charities.

In total all the Fife gardens raised more than £43,000 in 2017 which was divided 60/40 between the scheme’s beneficiaries and gardeners’ chosen charities. From 2018 this will change to 40/60, meaning more money will go to communities and charities close to the hearts of those opening up their gardens.

Fife offers a wide range of openings, ranging from large estate gardens like Balcarres and National Trust properties to small cottage gardens.

Some villages and towns offer anything up to 10 gardens opening on the same day. A Small Gardens in the Burgh of Crail trail raised nearly £4,000 at its open weekend last July.

This year newcomers to the village scheme, the Gardeners of Newburgh, will open on June 17. This event will include one of the original Newburgh orchards and some allotment gardens.

Also opening regularly for the first time is the garden at Lucklaw House, as well as a small collection of gardens at Lathrisk.