Open Evening | Thursday 20 August | 4.30pm-7pm

Register your place here →

South Lanarkshire College is thrilled to announce a silver award at this year's Scone Palace Garden Fair

As part of this year’s Scone Palace Garden Fair, three NC Level 5 Horticulture students have clinched a silver award in recognition of a small, but beautifully created garden. Huge congratulations to Nikki Cross, Pamela Gashi and Lorna Rhoney!

The Scottish Gardeners’ Forum has run the Pallet Garden and Planter Challenge as a national event for many years. This has been hosted at Scone Palace since the Garden Fair was launched four years ago.

Entrants are encouraged to design, grow and display one or more attractive horticultural displays for exhibiting at this national gardening event to showcase their organisation, community, activities and skills.

This premier horticultural event has rapidly grown into Scotland's equivalent of the Chelsea Flower Show. The fair transforms the historic estate grounds into a major destination for plant enthusiasts, garden design competitions, and local artisans.

Entitled, Why is gardening therapeutic?, the SLC garden incorporated a winning combination of aromatic herbs, lavender, mint, kale and thyme – all known for their soothing properties.

In a bid to give back and strengthen ties within the community, the award-winning garden was recently donated to Kilbryde Hospice. It's hoped some of what has been planted will go from plant to plate in the Kilbryde Kafe.

South Lanarkshire College and Kilbryde Hospice

South Lanarkshire College is also delighted to continue with our work experience partnership with Greenbank Garden (National Trust for Scotland) following the success of this session’s student cohort.

Fiona Sanderson, Horticulture Lecturer at South Lanarkshire College explained more: “This is an excellent proposition for our students. Working with Andrew Hinson the Head Gardener at Greenbank Gardens, provided our HNC students with a valuable work placement, that gave students an opportunity to learn the techniques of heritage gardening.

“I am excited to build on an already fantastic relationship. This is an excellent example of the College developing crucial links within the business community that will take root, grow and develop our students. We have agreed that students will be offered work experience and following this, with Andrew’s support and guidance, some students will be able to apply for the intensive training opportunities.”

Fiona continued: “I am so proud of my Horticulture students and what they have recently achieved. They are truly flourishing and representing themselves and the College with flair, enthusiasm, and professionalism. I have no doubt the future is bright – I am really looking forward to the next academic term.”