THE Threave School of Heritage Gardening is celebrating its 65th anniversary, and over six decades of training horticultural experts who have gone on to shape many of the country’s finest gardens.
Located in Castle Douglas, and managed by the National Trust for Scotland, it is one of only a few centres of horticultural education in the UK to offer a firm grounding in both the theory and practice of gardening.
Alumni now tend gardens across Scotland and beyond, working at the conservation charity’s other properties and other prestigious gardens like Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Logan and Benmore, Dunvegan Castle, the Eden Project, Alnwick Garden, Windsor Great Park, Cambridge Botanic Garden, and Kew Gardens.
To commemorate the milestone, there will be an anniversary celebration at Threave Garden on Saturday July 26.
Operations manager Gareth Clingan said: “The School of Heritage Gardening is unique in Scotland for its combination of theoretical and practical instruction. Many former students speak of the stress of the fortnightly identity tests, but what a difference they made in their practical work in the garden. And one of the wonderful things about Threave is that it’s tended by the students, their teachers, and volunteers, so they have a lot of involvement in its design and can take responsibility for a well-visited and well-loved working garden while they’re studying.”
Head gardener and school head Michael Lawrie has been training students for the last 21 years, starting as a garden instructor, then assistant head gardener, and taking overall responsibility in 2016.
During that time he has seen over 120 students from around the world achieve the internationally-recognised Threave Certificate and RHS qualifications.
He said: “The reunion will celebrate what Threave has given us all in our careers, provide the chance to share memories, and allow us to meet colleagues all with one thing in common – the love and passion for Threave.”
Meanwhile, former student Brian Stuart has collated a book, ‘The History of Threave School of Gardening 1960-2025’, which records the full story of the school. It will be available at the anniversary and digitally.
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