Garden Gang

Status:	Active, open to new members
Contact:	Garden Gang Leader (Val)
When:	Monthly on Wednesday mornings Usually on 2nd Wednesday
Venue:	As Arranged

Further down are more details and dates for your diaries, but please be aware that they may be subject to change.

Channel 5 has a new four part called Great Gardens of Europe available on their catch-up player.
Read about Blooming Lovely - The Art and Science of Botanical Illustration

The Garden Gang was established in October 2019. The group is about visiting gardens for pleasure and where possible learn about the background to how the gardens came about and the personalities behind them. We might learn some gardening techniques along the way, but that is a bonus.

As gardens are very much a seasonal pastime we try to tailor our visits to see various gardens at their best. We also aim to visit gardens of various types – those associated with stately homes, botanical collections, private gardens opened under the Scotland’s Garden Scheme, allotments, community gardens and gardens created with ‘wellness’ in mind. In the deepest, darkest winter we have indoor meetings.

If any of this has whetted your appetite for visiting a garden or two, then get in touch with the group leader, Valerie, using the contact link above and give us a go.

Garden Gang members having lunch at Culross

Until the current high price of fuel settles back down, our outings will be curtailed to gardens closer to home, in order to keep costs down. Please be aware that the draft programme below is therefore subject to change.
Gardens on the list to visit will be held over to a future date - we won't forget about them!"

2026 Proposed Outings

Wednesday 10^th June	This month our visit is to Barshaw Park to look round the Peace Garden again - it should be nice at this time of year. Two of our members - Elaine and Roland - are involved with the Peace Garden and will be able to give us extra information. We will also have access to the Community Garden and it has some sheltered if anyone wishes to take a picnic. Alternatively there is a cafe in the Pavilion Please meet in the carpark for 11:00am	Barshaw Park
Wednesday 8^th July	Hopetoun House, South Queensferry	Hopetoun House
Wednesday 12^th August	Kilbryde Castle, Dunblane	Kilbryde Castle
Wednesday 9^th September	The Croft, Langbank	The Croft, Langbank
Wednesday 14^th October	Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh	Royal Botanic Garden
Wednesday 11^th November	To be arranged
Tuesday 8^th December	Indoor meeting

Previous Outings

May 2026	This was a return visit to Greenbank Gardens to see spring flowers. The group has been to Greenbank a couple of times before - but not in May so this gave us a different perspective. We were met by Andrew, the National Trust for Scotland’s head gardener for the Glasgow area. He gave us an introduction to the history of the property and pointed out some of the highlights to look out for as we went around. Everyone was very impressed with the work being done by the gardeners.	Greenbank Gardens
April 2026	This month we visited Sonas, one of Scotland's charity raising gardens in Kilmacolm. Sonas, Gaelic for 'good luck', benefits from many mature trees including an 80 year old great white cherry. It also includes ponds, Japanese themed areas, a large green house and a woodland walk. The owners took the group round, beginning with a short stroll by the stream. On returning to the cultivated garden, they explained that it had been created from scratch in the last ten years.	Sonas
March 2026	After the indoor winter meetings, the group 'escaped' to the great outdoors at Geilston Garden, Cardross. There we followed a published trail around the garden, noting where fruit and vegetables will soon be flourishing. We were treated to ‘a host of golden daffodils’ as we ambled towards the burn, and in the walled garden we were impressed by the size of the giant redwood.	NTS Geilston Garden
February 2026	This month the subject was Indigo – a Blue to Dye For, not exactly about gardens, but it is plant related! Members discovered there is so much more to this fascinating plant than the dyeing of denim jeans!
January 2026	Valerie, the Group Leader, reworked the talk she did at the Scottish u3a Jamboree last August into a review of everything the Garden Gang has done since it formed in November 2019. This was a chance for long-standing members to remind themselves of past outings and for newer members to realise how many fascinating, beautiful and different gardens have been visited in the last few years.
December 2025	A Christmas themed talkon wartime Christmases, and how people celebrated them, finding ways of extending rations to have some sort of Christmas meal. It was an interesting reminder of how Christmas doesn’t have to be about excessive consumption.
November 2025	Our November visit was to the Caulders Garden Centre at Erskine, where we were met by the manager Kevin who told us something of the background of the site and the work they do there through the seasons. Afterwards we repaired to The Vanishing Willows, their restaurant, where we had a very sociable lunch. And there was a chance to do some early Christmas shopping!
_{October 2025}	We had a very enjoyable visit to the garden of one of our u3a members. We previously visited Roland's lovely garden in 2022 and enjoyed seeing what he has done in his own garden since our last visit. We then walked over to the grounds of Dykebar Hospital site, where many trees are being felled preparatory to building new houses. The impact is being felt by those who previously walked in the grounds.
_{August 2025}	The group travelled to the ancient burgh of Culross. It was a glorious hot and sunny day when we visited not one, but two amazing gardens. Close to the Abbey was Kirkbrae cottage where the owner, Sandra, a florist to trade, invited us to marvel at her beautiful borders. After a convivial outdoor lunch, we met up at Culross Palace for a tour of the building and, more importantly, a good look round the the recreated 17th century terraced garden behind. ** Ben Robinson's Villages by the Sea programme featuring Culross is available on BBC iPlayer (Series 4, Episode 1).	Kirkbrae House Culross Palace Culross Garden
_{July 2025}	A most enjoyable visit to Gardener’s Cottage, Killearn. It was acquired in 2013 by the present owners, has been planted with extensive herbaceous borders, box hedging, roses and many unusual plants. ... In July/August there is a fine collection of phlox in all of the borders ... The Celtic Cross Garden was planted in May 2021 with a range of new plants including echinaceas, cardoons, lobelias, anthemis and lavender for mid to late summer colour. ^{_{(from their website)}}.	Gardener’s Cottage
_{June 2025}	This month's visit was to the formal gardens at Drummond Castle, Muthil in Perthshire. It is one of Europe’s and Scotland’s most important and impressive formal gardens. Located in Perthshire near Crieff, it dates back to the 17th Century. The gardens were redesigned and terraced in the 19th Century. The formal gardens that you see today were replanted in the 1950s but preserve many of the original features ,,, The Gardens have featured in many films, TV programmes and adverts, most notably in the United Artist feature film Rob Roy and the Starz Outlander series, ^{_{(from their website)}}	Drummond Castle Gardens
_{May 2025}	Dr Neil’s Garden in Edinburgh was our scheduled outing. This is an oasis of peace and colour. Next to Dr Neil's garden is a collaborative community garden available to local residents and contains a plot tended by a local u3a.	DrNeil'sGarden
_{April 2025}	This month's visit was to the The Croft in Langbank. We had a very interesting guided tour where the owner showed us round the garden that he has developed since 1981. We plan to visit again next year during autumn time This is a special one acre garden on a steep rocky site facing north overlooking the Clyde just opposite Dumbarton Rock. There are several varieties of birch and rowan, some magnolias and a good collection of acers together with rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.^{_{(extracts from the Croft's website)}}.	The Croft
_{March 2025}	We met alongside the River Leven and took a walk around Levengrove Park in Dumbarton looking at some of its highlights and spring flowers. The weather was dry with with glimpses of the sun. We agreed the park is the best-kept municipal park that most of us had seen in a long time. We also looked at some of the historical features – wells, a mediaeval chapel and a magnificent War Memorial – which were scattered around the park. We concluded our outing with a visit to their Pavilion café for a warming cuppa and a bite to eat.	Levengrove Park
_{February 2025}	This month the Garden Gang had a final indoor winter meeting with a talk about the history of gardening in Britain, which everyone seemed to enjoy. The talk was given by the group leader, Valerie, on the subject of A Little Bit of Paradise - the Development of the British Garden.
_{January 2025}	The winter indoor meeting was a talk about Daffodils - those of you who have been with Paisley u3a right from the start may remember that Valerie presented this back in 2018 when we had meetings in the Central Methodist Halls. We traced the story of the daffodil, hearing many interesting facts about this beautiful flower that we all welcome as a sign that spring is finally arriving.
_{December 2024}	As winter approached, the Garden Gang moved indoors to the Museum of Johnstone History Society in Morrisons’ Johnstone Supermarket. This first of our winter talks was themed on Christmas. We learned all about how folk in other lands celebrate Christmas and celebrated it ourselves with mince pies.
_{November 2024}	Nine of us travelled down to Lunderston Bay in Gourock to spend time at the Cardwell Garden Centre. After hearing a short history of the business, we split up to look around the 20 departments – some of us even looked at plants! Later we met up again and had a convivial lunch which everyone much appreciated.	Cardwell Garden Centre
_{October 2024}	The destination was to Ardkinglas Woodland Garden beside the shore of Loch Fyne at Cairndow to see some autumnal colour. We enjoyed a dry day with displays of autumn colour from the many varieties of trees.	Ardkinglas Woodland Garden
_{September 2024}	A trip to the National Trust’s Branklyn Garden in Perth. This former private garden was donated to them in 1968. The former owners received seeds from some of the leading early 20th century plant collectors, and to this day there are many strange and exotic plants growing here. Those with plant identification apps on their phones were kept very busy! Afterwards we enjoyed soup, sandwiches and scones in the excellent tea room	Branklyn Gardens
_{August 2024}	A visit to Erskine Allotments where we viewed the amazing produce and learn from the organisers about their plans for the future. Some of us also came away with goods including local honey and fresh-laid eggs!	Erskine Allotments
_{July 2024}	In July, we ventured to Provan’s Hall in Glasgow, behind the Glasgow Fort shopping centre. A Community Trust volunteer took us round the property telling us about the garden history dating back to the 15th century. The members were entranced by this mediaeval building which many had never realised was there!
_{June 2024}	The Garden Gang had an unexpected change of venue in June, which turned out to be a happy circumstance. We visited Kirkmuir Cottage near Stewarton, a private garden which many members said was one of the best they had ever seen.	Kirk Muir Cottage

2026 Proposed Outings

Previous Outings

Paisley and District u3a Groups