Two beautiful gardens for the price of one

HARMONY GARDEN AND PRIORWOOD GARDEN

St Mary’s Road and Abbey Street Melrose

TD6 9PX

WHY SHOULD WE VISIT

It is not often that you get the chance to visit two distinctive gardens that are almost right next door to each other, but that’s what you can find in the Borders town of Melrose, where the National Trust for Scotland cares for two lovely gardens in the heart of the town.

Harmony Garden is a handsome Georgian house surrounded by three acres of flower beds, wide lawns and high walls, with views to neighbouring Melrose Abbey and the Eildon Hills.

Priorwood Garden sits within the ancient precinct of the Abbey itself and its deep flowerbeds are dedicated to growing cut flowers, which are sold in the garden’s shop.

STORY OF THE GARDENS

Harmony Garden was built for a local joiner who made his money in the plantations of the Caribbean, but it was the Curle family, who bought the house in 1845, who cultivated its gardens.

They also owned Priorwood and it was Christian Pitman, daughter of Blanche and James Curle, who gave the properties to the National Trust for Scotland in 1996.

HIGHLIGHTS

Harmony Garden is filled with spring bulbs and as the season progresses the deep herbaceous borders swell with flowers and the roses that come into bloom in early June.

There’s a large vegetable garden where a wide range of edibles are grown and the different pieces of sculpture that are set amongst the shrubs and lawns provide yearround interest.

DON’T MISS

Over the years the flowers grown at Priorwood have been selected to include those that are best from drying and so the garden is home to dozens of different kinds of annuals, as well as scented herbs.

These are picked just as they open and then carefully dried for pot pourri and decoration.

ANYTHING ELSE TO LOOK OUT FOR

Abbeys in Scotland had a history of raising fruit and at Priorwood that connection is maintained in the orchard, which is home to more than 70 heritage varieties of apple, pear and plum, all of which are grown organically.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The annual flowers at Priorwood are at their best in high summer, at the same time as the roses at Harmony are blooming, but some of the finest moments come in spring, when there is blossom in the orchard and the vegetables in Harmony’s kitchen garden are just getting going.

ANY RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE AREA

Trimontium, which lies just east of

Melrose, was the sight of the largest Roman fort north of Hadrian’s

Wall and it has yielded the greatest number of military-related finds of the era of any site in the UK.

The Trimontium Trust Museum, which is dedicated to the fort and its relics, can be found in Market

Street.

DIRECTIONS

From Edinburgh take the A7 south and at the Kingsknowe roundabout join the A6091 and travel three miles east to Melrose.

DETAILS

Harmony Garden and Priorwood Garden are open daily, from 10am until 5pm.

Entry to both gardens is free, although visitors are encouraged to leave donations in the