Borders gardens going on show to raise money for charities

Didi Thyne doing the last bits of preparation before opening the Yair's gardens to the public on Sunday, June 5, to raise money for Scotland's Gardens' chosen charities and Caddonfoot Church.

Dozens of owners of castles, stately homes and other properties with gardens of note are opening them to the public as part of this year’s Scotland’s Gardens initiative.

Proceeds will go via Scotland’s Gardens, itself a charity, to good causes including the National Trust for Scotland’s gardens fund, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, Perennial, alias the gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society, and the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.

Among the gardens being opened is the Yair, two miles north of Selkirk.

Its gardens can be viewed between 2pm and 6pm on Sunday, June 5.

Admission costs £5, with pensioners getting in for £4 and children going free.

Two-fifths of the money raised will go to nearby Caddonfoot Church, and the rest will go to Scotland’s Gardens’ chosen beneficiaries for 2016.

Yair estate owner Didi Thyne believes this will be the fifth or sixth time her gardens have gone on show as part of the annual event.

“it’s described as having attractive mixed borders around a classical house, herbaceous, shrubs and specimen trees,” she said.

“You can enjoy walks along the River Tweed, throughthe glen and up to the old semi-tended, walled garden.

“I’m not a great church-goer myself, but my late husband supported the church, and it is our local church and our children were christened there, so I do try to support it myself too.”

For further details, go to www.scotlandsgardens.org

The Yair’s are among six gardens in Roxburghshire listed as taking part in this year’s event, along with four in Ettrick and Lauderdale, nine in Peeblesshire and six in Berwickshire.

The others include those at Bemersyde and Harmony House, both near Melrose; Laidlawstiel House, also near Caddonfoot; Floors Castle, near Kelso; Monteviot, near Jedburgh; West Leas and Easter Weens, both near Bonchester Bridge; Corbet Tower, at Morebattle; several at Town Yetholm; Anton’s Hill and Kames, both near Leitholm; the East Gordon Smiddy; Lennel Bank, near Coldstream; Netherbyres, near Eyemouth; Portmore, near Eddleston; and Kailzie and Dawyck, both near Peebles.