Dunvegan Castle & Gardens joins RHS Partner Gardens Scheme

We are delighted to announce that Dunvegan Castle & Gardens has been accepted into the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Partner Gardens. This will allow free access to Dunvegan Castle gardens for RHS members during the open season and will further raise the profile of one of Scotland’s most beautiful and remote gardens.

Being accepted into this horticultural pantheon is a glowing testament to all the investment, hard work and passion that has been bestowed on Dunvegan Castle’s 5 acres of formal and semi-formal gardens since 1978, when the late John MacLeod (29^th Chief of Clan MacLeod) decided to follow the example of his ancestors who had tried to create a garden at Dunvegan. Since then, the present Chief and Estate Director, Hugh MacLeod and his dedicated team of gardeners, continue to develop and enhance the castle gardens for the enjoyment of both local and international visitors. There has been a significant amount of relandscaping work, planting schemes and new design features including a memorial gazebo, Victorian-style glasshouse, Garden Museum, extensive children’s wild wood play area featuring ‘The Bugvegan Insect Hotel’, and a 2.7 ton rotating marble sculpture christened ‘The Dunvegan Pebble’. The aim has been not only to restore the gardens to their former glory, but to exceed our visitors’ expectations, the success of which has been recognised by the RHS.

Estate Director, Hugh MacLeod said: “When I took over the management of Dunvegan Castle & Gardens in 2008, I didn’t know much about plants or flowers, but I did have a love of gardens and their design. It has been exciting to work with our fantastic team of dedicated gardeners and external contractors on all these major projects to produce the desired ‘wow’ factor, and to continue building on my late father’s horticultural legacy. Forty-four years of investment, effort, sympathetic yet innovative design work and care have made Dunvegan Castle’s gardens what they are today: a continually evolving and beautiful testament to the commitment, skill and vision of all the people involved over the years.

As any gardener would know, a garden does not stand still and our future plans include improved accessibility, new paths and planting schemes, an annual sculpture exhibition, more interactive educational experiences for children, a wildflower meadow and enhanced visitor interpretation. We are proud to have proved the mother of the 23^rd Chief wrong when she told Dr Samuel Johnson in 1773 that “there was not and never could be a good garden at Dunvegan”.

Acting Head Gardener at Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, Ingrid Galbraith said: “Gardening at Dunvegan Castle & Gardens brings an interesting and satisfying combination of challenges, so we are excited to welcome RHS members. An acidic soil, long growing season and plenty of rainfall allows many herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees to thrive, while the Atlantic Gulf Stream ensures unusually mild conditions for such an exposed, northerly location. Key to the garden’s success is the shelterbelt afforded by established native trees, shrubs and built structures that combine to create the necessary microclimate. With increasingly unpredictable weather, adaptability is crucial to ensure that the garden looks its best throughout the open season in Skye’s unforgiving climate.”

Head Gardener at Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, Úna Craven said: “I am so pleased that our gardens have been recognised by the RHS as meriting inclusion as a partner garden. It is an honour to support the work of the RHS and we look forward to welcoming visitors, both new and returning, to experience our wonderful gardens.”