One of my favourite things about living in Helensburgh is the free community magazine that arrives on my doorstep every month. It’s largely advertorial but has a pretty great events section, full of jumble sales and coffee mornings and garden openings. This month I spotted that two cottage gardens were open for a few hours just around the corner so I made sure to pop along.
Trying to find a gap in the rain was the tricky part, but I mostly managed it. First stop was Milton Cottage, which had a small garden with little areas to wander through.
The entry free also got me into Brandon Grove, a farmhouse from around 1780, which is almost next door. It was much bigger and I really enjoyed walking around it as it had winding paths, a vegetable garden, a sundial and much more. Sadly, a lot of plants weren’t quite flowering yet – I had a nice chat with a guy who had been before and told me there was usually a whole wall of sunflowers. Damn you, endless Winter!
I loved those little gate fences and the froggy water feature. It all really made me wish I could do something with my bit of ‘garden’ (a small overgrown paved area with bonus hedgehog). Maybe if I stay here a couple more years.
These two gardens are only open one afternoon a year and are part of Scotland’s Gardens. There are loads registered and they’re open at different times through the year so definitely worth checking if any are near you. There was a plant sale and afternoon tea too so a pretty good afternoon out.
