Meconopsis betonicifolia in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, Scotland

We've just come back from a wonderful trip to Scotland, and whilst my head is spinning with memories of lochs, glens, highland cows, puffins, castles, graves of ancestors and millenia of history, the gardens and plants I saw take a special precedence at the moment. It wasn't meant to be a 'garden tour', as such, but I was lucky enough to see nine gardens as well as observe many home gardens from the street, plus drive many, many kilometres through countryside that was often like a garden in itself. In no particular order, I will reflect on some of the interesting aspects I can remember from what I saw.

Eryngium, lupins and Geranium x magnificum, Inverewe Garden, Poolewe, Scotland

Eryngium, lupins and Geranium x magnificum, Inverewe Garden, Poolewe, Scotland

The standout memory is of exquisite, sumptuous perennials flourishing to perfection - the sort of thing I yearned to grow when I first became a gardener more than 40 years ago, when I believed that anything could be grown as long as one set one's mind to it. The billowing perennials that filled the pages of the English gardening books I consumed greedily were to me the pinnacle of the plant world. Very few of them ever did any good in my Sydney garden; those that did sort of survive looked nothing like the hearty specimens grown in the right climate. During my trip to Scotland, I saw species Geranium a metre tall and a metre across, and clumps of Hosta not much smaller. As an older, wiser gardener these days, I was able to simply admire and enjoy the plants rather than weep because I cannot grow them. I still think that cold-climate flowering perennials, especially those with spires of blooms, are the most beautiful plants in the world - maybe it's in my DNA because of my Scottish heritage!

Campanulas, lilies and Alchemilla mollis at Kellie Castle, Anstruther, Scotland

Campanulas, lilies and Alchemilla mollis at Kellie Castle, Anstruther, Scotland

I noticed lovely combinations of perennials in the gardens I saw. Colour schemes such as brilliant blue flowers with yellow and chartreuse blooms or leaves frequently caught my eye. It must have been peak season for Alchemilla mollis, as its froth of dainty lime-green blooms seemed to grow in every garden, and looked good with every other colour! Dark burgundy flowers or foliage with blue blooms was another pairing I enjoyed in some of the gardens. Even if we can't grow the plants used in Scotland for these effects, we can find substitutes of the same hues amongst plants we can succeed with here.

Crinodendron hookerianum at Cambo Walled Garden, Kingsbarns, Scotland

Crinodendron hookerianum at Cambo Walled Garden, Kingsbarns, Scotland

Stunning cold-climate shrubs were next on the list of drool-worthy sights during the trip. Again, I had tried many of these in my early gardening days, only to meet with failure because the poor plants were so out of their comfort zone. To see them growing properly and happily was a sheer delight: the deep blue flowers of Ceanothus, the large, pristine bracts of the dogwood (Cornus species), the most unusual crimson lanterns of Crinodendron hookerianum, the lacy pink blooms of a dark-leaved Sambucus species, and the sculptured, white flowers of Eucryphia. Again, I just took pleasure in seeing these shrubs in real life, thriving.

Walled garden at the Castle of Mey, Mey, Scotland

Walled garden at the Castle of Mey, Mey, Scotland

Walled gardens seem very common in Scotland, particularly in the north, as the walls provide protection from the cold winds that are so prevalent in this region. The walls are generally built of local stone, and are very attractive, giving superb structure to the gardens. These intensively planted walled gardens are like floral sanctuaries, sheltered from the elements, and a contrast to the flat green fields that usually surround them. Fat bumblebees potter amidst the blooms and birds sing - being in one felt like being in a secret garden and I wished I could have a walled garden!

One of the detached front gardens in the village of Plockton, Scotland

One of the detached front gardens in the village of Plockton, Scotland

Front gardens across the road from houses was a phenomenon I observed in several places we visited, firstly on the historic and charming island of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull, then in the picturesque village of Plockton on the west coast of Scotland. The front doors of the terrace houses along the main road in these places open directly onto the footpath. Across the road, opposite the house, are their small gardens, each divided from each other by a fence. Somehow this separation gave the front gardens a totally different identity than a small front garden attached to a house. It was a genuinely usable area rather than something just to be passed through on the way into the house, and could be made more private from the eyes of passersby if desired, by the judicious placement of shrubs on the boundary. They were clearly much used by the owners: true garden rooms for sitting, entertaining and playing. Because of the geographic location of the gardens I saw, they also had the bonus of stunning water views!

Wildflowers growing near Canisbay, Scotland

Wildflowers growing near Canisbay, Scotland

Wildflowers in the fields were everywhere in the countryside in Scotland. Instead of the Lantana and other horrors that grow beside the roads here, there were foxgloves, Queen Anne's lace, poppies, buttercups, Silene, daisies and what looked like a sort of honesty growing in profusion - no doubt regarded as weeds by the farmers! However, to me they were a romantic vision, all part of the wonderful dream that comprised my trip to Scotland! More memories to follow next week.