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4 April 2025

History of Scotland’s gardens explored in new exhibition

A new exhibition at Stanley Mills explores the history of gardens in Scotland.

An older women holds up a pot with cyclamen flowers in it. She has a cheeky but also slightly prim expression on her face. She's inside a church.

Mrs Sheila Maule takes part in judging the Scottish Rock Garden Club flower show in the Cluny Church Centre, Edinburgh, 1988.

‘Seeds of Time: Scottish Gardens 1600 to present day’ is a brand-new exhibition opening on Saturday 5 April 2025 at Stanley Mills in Perthshire.

Using material from our archives, the exhibition explores the history of gardens in Scotland, delving into what they can tell us about the people who grew them and the world they lived in.

Gardens and green spaces are an important part of life for people in Scotland, providing places in which to relax and reconnect with nature, as well as serving more practical purposes such as spaces to grow food in. Gardens can also offer a window into the past, revealing stories of the people who used and shaped them.

Claire Whitbread, Exhibitions Manager at HES, said:

“When thinking about our built heritage, castles, buildings and monuments may first come to mind, but our gardens are also a part of that history and provide a sort of living time capsule. These green spaces can show us so much about our past, from the grand designs of the aristocracy and the role of empire in revolutionising plant diversity at home, to the vital role city allotments have played in feeding the nation.

We’re thrilled to welcome visitors to explore this exhibition which aims to show what we can learn from the gardens of our past and what we can take from those that continue to grow around us into the future.”

‘Seeds of Time: Scottish Gardens 1600 to present day’ is on at Stanley Mills from Saturday 5 April 2025 to Sunday 29 June 2025. Entry to the exhibition is included with admission to the site. Tickets can be booked in advance. Entry is free for Historic Scotland members.

The exhibition is only accessible via a staircase.

About Historic Environment Scotland (HES) 

  • We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
  • Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
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For further information, please contact:

Laura Ely
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
07721 959 962
communications@hes.scot

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