Archerfield Walled Garden
Archerfield Estate
Dirleton EH39 5HQ
Summer is well into its stride at Archerfield Walled Garden, where visitors are greeted by the heady scents of roses and sweet peas. Across this intensively-gardened acre, set within the protective walls of a Victorian kitchen garden, flowers are blooming, fruit is swelling and all kinds of delicious vegetables are starting to ripen.
The garden is part of the Archerfield Estate, which alongside a popular café and shop, has acres of open space to explore. The garden itself, which had lain unused for many years, was restored eight years ago and it continues to develop. As well as a rose garden, orchard, wildlife garden, a meadow and productive polytunnels, a new Water Saving Garden has recently been opened featuring plants that can cope with extreme conditions.
This cleverly-designed space has come about in response to changing weather conditions, which has seen East Lothian experiencing lengthy periods of rain followed by weeks when not not a drop has fallen. Preparation for the planting of a carefully-chosen range of plants, including Eucalyptus, Perovskia and Baptista Australis, included repeated applications of homemade soil conditioner, cardboard and mulch while later in the year, an antique bath found in the orchard will be planted with blue Lithodora and alpine Campanula to evoke water running over its edge.
Also set to open soon is a new Kitchen Garden, with raised beds, pear trees and a border filled with strawberries. Pumpkins have been planted in old tyres and already 26 bags of potatoes, including Jazzy and Pink Fir Apple, have been harvested.
The plan is for this part of the Walled Garden to be used by schools and community groups and for vegetable growing classes.
These new features will be on show when Archerfield opens in aid of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme on Sunday, 11 August, when amongst the charities that will benefit will include Stepping Out, a local mental health organisation.
The day will include Fairy Garden-making workshops for children, a minibeast hunt and a flower and bake sale, where edibles will include rhubarb & ginger jam, rose shortbread, beetroot falafel and cheesy courgette fritter, all made with ingredients from the garden.
Before that, however, on Wednesday, 17 July, the garden will be hosting a Gardeners Question Time session, where the panellists will include head gardener, Kerry Lyall and Fay Gourlay of North Berwick Flower Co, who runs her cut-flower business from Archerfield.
Meanwhile, at the moment the perennial meadow is in bloom, massed plantings of dark and light-coloured agapanthus are ready to burst into flower and broad beans, leeks, garlic, angelica, artichokes and many different kind of herbs are flourishing in the ‘no-dig’ potager, while inside the polytunnels, aubergines, peppers, cucumber, beetroot and 11 different varieties of tomato are being harvested daily for use in the café.
Many of the flowers, foliage and seed heads that appear at Archerfield over the season have been chosen for their ephemeral beauty, but their fleeting moments are being captured by artist in residence, Roz Hinds, who is carrying out botanical castings in the potting shed throughout the summer.
Beyond the garden walls the estate has woods, a pond and willow structures to explore and an icehouse and mushroom house are evidence of the estate’s long history of occupation.
Details
Archerfield Walled Garden is on the A198 between Gullane and Dirleton, 40 minutes from the centre of Edinburgh. Open daily 10 am - 4.30pm. Tickets: £4/£4 (annual pass)/ Free (under-16s)
Tel: 01620 388 588
www.archerfieldwalledgarden.com
Events
Gardeners Question Time, July 17.
archerfieldwalledgarden.com
events/gardeners-question-time
SGS Open Day, August 11.
archerfieldwalledgarden.com
In association with Discover Scottish Gardens www.discoverscottishgardens.co.uk
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