So I decided it was payback time, and looked around at some of the hidden away gardens in my area of Argyll, and knowing that there were some passionate gardeners around, I offered to see if we could open some of our own gardens under the Scotland's Gardens Scheme. The area organiser was keen, one thing led to another, and we found nine gardens in the four villages and set a date for 2009.
Last year £340,000 was raised in Scotland. The money goes to Maggie's Cancer Caring Services, The Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland, The National Trust for Scotland, Perennial and the Royal Fund for Gardeners' Children. The information is in the famous 'Yellow Book' available in most bookshops and some garden centres. The website is at www.gardensofscotland.org