Ayr Group plant sale and garden visit

[TC]

Our annual plant sale and garden visit took place tonight at the garden of George Watt and Sue Simpson.  The garden is near the village of Drongan about 7 miles from Ayr and is next to a large burn which flows through the garden.  The garden itself is about 6 1/2 acres.  It is almost impossible to imagine how the two of them could plant a garden this size full of beautiful plants and keep it in such good order - but this they have done.  The woodland walk down by the burn is exceptional - especially the plantings of Meconopsis.  The walk is well over 100 yards and is planted the entire length.  The rock garden beds are equally well planted with flowering plants in top condition.  I think that everyone who came was really impressed with what they saw.  The weather was kind to us,with a heavy downpour about 30 minutes before the garden opened and then dry for the rest of the evening.  The photographs were taken between 8/9pm under a cloudy sky which was not the best of conditions.  My favourite plant was Meconopsis "Glenlee".  This is a deep royal blue contrasting with the sky blue of the other varieties.
See pictures 24 and 28

[Lesley Cox]

Everything looks wonderful Tom, and yes, that is a magnificent Meconopsis all right. The puniceas are OK too.

[Maggi Young]

Looks like a perfect visit, Tom.
George and Sue have made a great job of making this quite new garden, it seems only "yesterday" they began! The season is well ahead down in the South West of Scotland.... at least compared with our Aberdeen garden... where the blue poppies are not so advanced, though pictures from Maureen Wilson's garden, only about a mile away, show her Mec. puniceas to be flowering well. Fascinating how micro-climates affect things.

Lucky group to have such a place to  meet and enjoy.

[TC]

A few more pictures from last night.  The last ones were taken with flash assistance so may not be too realistic.  Pic. 31 is the end of the plant sale and 32 has Pat Watson and Audrey Leach managing to have some of the cakes after the tea scrum had slackened.

The difference in climate even from Ayr is marked.  My Meconopsis are finishing after opening about 12 days ago.  There are still narcissus in flower in this garden.  Mine finished 3 weeks ago.  I was moaning about a Winter temperature of -7c whilst George said they had -21c.  This is only 7 miles inland from me.

As I said already, the work to establish this garden borders on Herculean.  To establish one of the rock gardens was like a civil engineering project.  I am sure several of the boulders must weigh about 3 tons each.  Sue said that they had the help of JCB's and farm machinery.

[Richard Green]

A splendid garden and clearly more than a "normal" full-time occupation for two people.  The Glenlee is a lovely colour - my Mecs only started opening last weekend.  The only daff we have left in flower is poeticus - but then we are well above sealevel.