Gardening is a great way to grow your social circle
There are welcome signs that the effects of the pandemic are receding. Allotments are opening up to some of those muchmissed events which have been on hold for two years.
Allotments are not just places to grow some fruit and vegetables. While we may treat our own plot as our personal empire, the joy of gardening in the company of others is never far away.
Years ago, Ruth and Jack Suffolk felt so at home with their fellow plotholders on our site that they hosted their golden wedding celebrations in the communal hut.
There’s a long tradition of allotment social events. During the 1920s and 1930s dances took place after summer shows. Most sites have office bearers such as secretary and treasurer, but in the 1950s, Merrylee site in Glasgow had an additional post of social convener for someone who organised twice-monthly dances and their annual flower show. These days Tattie Boilings, Apple Days, barbecues and Hallowe’en parties are popular ways of bringing plotholders together.
I recommend investing in a copy of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme’s Guide to Scottish Gardens Open for Charity in 2022. Lists of garden openings include many large and impressive gardens, but what caught my eye is the growing number of group and village openings. Not only can you visit a wonderful range of gardens, big and small, all on the same day, but an increasing number of allotment sites are participating.
Every allotment site has a charm and culture of its own and it’s a revelation to those who don’t venture much further than their own plot to see what others do. My own site is participating in Inveresk Village’s open weekend in June. I’ve made a note to head off to Brechin Gardens at the end of July to see their Cathedral Allotments, a feature of which is the medieval College Well.
Ruth and Jack had their golden wedding celebrations in the hut
We’ve also been deprived of gardening shows during the pandemic. The first big one is Scone Palace Garden Fair on 3 and 4 June, with specialist nurseries and Scottish plant societies, as well as talks by their head gardener Brian Cunningham, familiar to viewers of the BBC’S long-running Beechgrove Garden programme.
On a smaller scale, many local flower and produce shows are publishing schedules for their shows later in the year.
New exhibitors are always welcome. Show schedules contain lists of classes but also include lots of helpful guidance as to what the judges will be looking for.
For your guide to Scottish gardens open for charity 2022, see www.scotlandsgardens.org