The Hidden Gardens – Page 2 – The Hidden Gardens

Voluntours of The Hidden Gardens, Wednesdays in August

03.08.2015

Ahh, a Scottish flower in some Scottish weather… The rain hasn’t dampened our spirits here at The Hidden Gardens. It’s great to explore the Gardens in the rain, as the smells are even stronger. The lavender, which has only recently flowered, is especially sweet at the moment. Our administrator keeps ducking out the office to […]

Thistles in the meadow area at The Hidden Gardens

Ahh, a Scottish flower in some Scottish weather…

The rain hasn’t dampened our spirits here at The Hidden Gardens. It’s great to explore the Gardens in the rain, as the smells are even stronger. The lavender, which has only recently flowered, is especially sweet at the moment. Our administrator keeps ducking out the office to enjoy it!

We’re having another of our popular Voluntours on Wednesday at 1.30. Even if it’s a little rainy, we have fantastic big umbrellas you can borrow, and a grey sky makes the bright colours of the Gardens pop!

Amanda and Andrea modelling the new umbrellas!

The tours are free and there’s no need to register, just pop by. Meet you at the front of the lawn!

Thank you to all our Volunteers

29.07.2015

Today was the last Taskforce of the year. It was a varied day, with part of the group cooking up a delicious lunch for everyone to share, and the other part surveying worms in The Hidden Gardens. Glad no one got mixed up! The Hidden Gardens couldn’t exist without all the hard work of our […]

The Hidden Gardens couldn’t exist without all the hard work of our volunteers. Thanks so much for all your work this year, and maybe we’ll see you next year too!

How to enjoy sunshine all summer at The Hidden Gardens

15.07.2015

It was a great day in the Gardens, with lots of people out enjoying the sun. We wish the sunshine would last all summer, but… …here’s a way to enjoy the sunny Gardens, even in rain! Materials required: *Sunglasses/regular glasses *Scissors *Blu-tac *2x beautiful shots of The Hidden Gardens in the sun 1. Cut out […]

It was a great day in the Gardens, with lots of people out enjoying the sun. We wish the sunshine would last all summer, but…

…here’s a way to enjoy the sunny Gardens, even in rain!

Materials required:
*Sunglasses/regular glasses
*Scissors
*Blu-tac
*2x beautiful shots of The Hidden Gardens in the sun

1. Cut out photos
2. Stick in glasses
3. Done!

It will be summer all year long in our administrator’s eyes!

Name that bee!

14.07.2015

Pop quiz! What kind of bee is this? A: Common Carder B: Buff-tailed Bumblebee C: Honey bee The answer is…D! Not a bee! This is a ‘Merodon equestris’, a species of hoverfly. Like many other hoverflies, it has evolved to look like a stinging insect as a defence mechanism. Isn’t nature fascinating?

Pop quiz! What kind of bee is this?

A: Common Carder
B: Buff-tailed Bumblebee
C: Honey bee

The answer is…D! Not a bee! This is a ‘Merodon equestris’, a species of hoverfly. Like many other hoverflies, it has evolved to look like a stinging insect as a defence mechanism.

Isn’t nature fascinating?

Royalty in the Gardens

10.07.2015

The Hidden Gardens were visited by royalty this week! A Queen buff-tailed bumblebee dropped by to enjoy the mint border. Good to see her getting her hands dirty collecting pollen with the other bees!

Upcoming events at The Hidden Gardens

06.07.2015

We’ve got an exciting summer programme planned! Our first Music on the Lawn is on Saturday 18 July, and our first Wee Happening is on Saturday 25 July. Hope to see you there!

Taskforce Cyanotypes 2015

26.06.2015

This week Taskforce volunteers made their own cyanotypes. Using cartridge paper that had been soaked in light sensitive chemicals, they chose and arranged leaves and flowers from the Gardens to make their own pattern. Check out the slideshow for some behind the scenes shots of cyanotype creation!

Check out the slideshow for some behind the scenes shots of cyanotype creation!

4. Waiting for the sun to do its business

Colour matching in the “wild”

17.06.2015

We like playing the colour match game here in the Gardens, when we try to find a specific shade of a colour (usually from a paint card) in the wild. It looks like this leaf wanted to get in on the game! He’s blending in with the pavement. Good job, leaf!

We like playing the colour match game here in the Gardens, when we try to find a specific shade of a colour (usually from a paint card) in the wild.

It looks like this leaf wanted to get in on the game! He’s blending in with the pavement. Good job, leaf!

Life, uh, finds a way

10.06.2015

This is a photo taken by The Hidden Gardens’ Director, Amanda, at her allotment. Can you guess what this is? This photo is taken through a hole in the gate where the bolt goes. There’s a little space under the bolt, and in the space, there’s a blue tit nest! The little yellow squares are […]

This is a photo taken by The Hidden Gardens’ Director, Amanda, at her allotment. Can you guess what this is?

This photo is taken through a hole in the gate where the bolt goes. There’s a little space under the bolt, and in the space, there’s a blue tit nest! The little yellow squares are the little baby blue tits peep-peeping away.

Ah, they’re a bit bigger now. We can kind of see these are birds, but…

…here’s the photo that proves it! A mama blue tit glaring up at you. Good catch, Amanda!

Get rid of slugs (in a nice way, of course!)

22.05.2015

This isn’t (as our administrator may have thought) how oranges grow, but rather a great way to deal with slugs. Simply halve an orange, hollow it out, and put it round side up into your soil. Slugs will crawl into these wee domes overnight, so you can simply pick up the oranges the next morning […]

Some all natural slug traps in situ at The Hidden Gardens

This isn’t (as our administrator may have thought) how oranges grow, but rather a great way to deal with slugs.

Simply halve an orange, hollow it out, and put it round side up into your soil. Slugs will crawl into these wee domes overnight, so you can simply pick up the oranges the next morning and relocate the slugs far away from your precious plants. Birds love to eat these guys, so if you’ve a bird table you could offer them some limace à l’orange!

Just… don’t relocate them to The Hidden Gardens, okay?