Katie, Gardening in Aberdeenshire
Succinctly, what do you do with your time in real life?
I work as a Tendering Project Manager which is a job that knows no limits to its hours. I am training to learn more about farming which may be a future career. I am the Treasurer for the church, I am on the committee for two dances and I have two beautiful little girls that take up a lot of my time. And in between all of that I try to find a little bit of time to catch up with friends, and play in the garden.
And what about your digital self?
For me the internet is.. knowledge, connection to family when times are so busy that it feels like you don’t leave the house / office, or in a time of covid. And it’s a little bit of light-hearted humour in between time, when I have a little bit of time to scroll and indulge.
What do plants means to you?
I love plants! They’re beautiful to look at, they’re little characters of their own and they represent a low-key and entertaining challenge, and a bit of success. And they are something that help us to relate to different generations - my children love them, my grandparents love them and it’s a lovely thing to talk to other people about, to friends about, a topic that is free of politics and based in so many different spheres - arts, science, history - I just find the conversation ends up being inevitably fascinating and fun, with no differences of opinions to mire the topic.
Are you growing anything?
I’m always growing something! I always have multiple plants on the kitchen windowsill which is the sweet spot for baby plants. About 2 years ago I pinched a naughty wee cutting of 4 leaves of a particularly nice very pale mave Buddleja with a pale yellow centre to the flower, and very pale leaves, and it is now about a metre tall! Sitting out in the garden and ready to go this year and get to it’s full size. Yes, I’m always growing something.
Anything you dream of growing?
More I dream of not growing in this garden….! When I took on this garden, every single bed was knee high in ground elder which I have worked really really really hard to eradicate, so for the moment the garden is very pared-down and structured to enable me to weed very very throughly in between - so, at the moment not - I would love to see that eradicated, and love to see the beds filled and more fun, more bulbs and more flowers, bit of a softer approach, which at the moment I can’t quite achieve.
I’d love a better vegetable garden, because at the moment it is pretty much limited to weed control and a couple of staples, I simply just don’t have time to approach it. I really want a decent rhubarb patch again, I haven’t had that since my last house, a really good rhubarb patch! That you can cut and cut again all through the summer, use for gifts and use to make things yourself and freeze for delicious spring-like treats all the way through the winter.
Where do you buy plants?
Everywhere - literally, my husband has virtually banned me from every shop that sells plants because I am a complete nightmare, I am the wife that fibs that she must pop back in and go to the loo once the kids are in the car, so that I can nip back and purchase that plant I was eye-balling when we were having tea. He knows where I am going..! He can’t really say anything to stop me (laugh!) so everywhere we go, I am very lucky that we live very near a really excellent nursery for trees, and various really good garden centres, anywhere that sells plants, even if it’s just a single trolley, Tesco, with their terribly dried-out under-watered plants that you can revive and enjoy having rescued. Anywhere that sells plants - I will be there!!
Pick a plant
I love Crocosmia, I love that really bright, bright deep blue, it’s very very satisfying. I’ve got a beautiful Lily, which is well over a metre tall and is beautiful buttery yellow with these lovely chocolate markings and a little orange centre, it’s so pretty. I love Chionodoxa, and snowdrops for being the first to come up, they are signs of life after a very long winter. I love Christmas roses, Hellebores because they come back all the time, again and again in strength and they last for such a long time. There are so many thing I love, cherry trees, blossom on cherry trees, beautiful. It’s very hard to pick a favourite!
Pick a garden
I love my uncle’s garden at Drumminor, he has an almost specific interest in Rhododendrons, sometimes extends to Azaleas, he has plenty of other things there too, but at that time of year it’s just beautiful when all the rhodies are out, and you can walk and walk in the woods. I love Atterdale Garden , there are so many nice gardens! We are very lucky where we are in Aberdeenshire there are lots of National Trust Gardens, I used to volunteer a bit at Castle Fraser. And Drum has a lovely garden, the trees at Fyvie are very interesting. And High Beeches of course - absolutely stunning! I love all gardens, they all have their own quirks and own beauty.
Do you find your geological knowledge comes in use when growing things?
Sadly not…!! I have to be the worst Geologist that university ever produced, clearly as I have gone on to a totally different career..! But I am probably a haphazard and relaxed gardener, I should read my books more and carefully select a spot for a plant, but I am very inclined to plant things on a wim, where I think they might like to be, and if it doesn’t seem do too well, move it, or move part of it and see if that works. Probably my experimental side of my nature as a scientist maybe comes out. I do not utilise my geological knowledge in the way that I probably should…!
That’s my gardening in a nutshell!!
