It’s spring and Mairi has a few challenges to overcome in her garden before she can think about planting. She visits composting expert Donald Urquhart, learns how to sow traditional grains and finds out how endangered native Hebridean woodland is being preserved.
Mairi is ready to start planting her veg, she meets biodynamic gardener Kirsty Macdonald, who started an island garden from scratch 25 years ago, and artists Margaret Uttley and David Knight whose polytunnel houses their beloved bonsai collection.
Mairi’s busy getting plants in the ground. She travels to Skye to learn about extracting dyes from local plants aided by experts Kirsty and Simon, and visits Nicola McBride who’s turned her flower garden into a business.
It’s summer and Mairi is harvesting her home grown produce. She visits a Victorian walled garden in East Lothian where seasonal blooms are grown, meets enthusiastic beekeeper Gregor and visits friend Joanne who has two flourishing polytunnels.
Mairi tries out natural dyeing with local heather, and harvests the last of her tatties. She visits accomplished dahlia grower James Maciver and travels to Uist to Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath’s thriving school garden.
Mairi has made some changes in the garden and she introduces her new indoor growing space. She visits island gardener Murdo Macdonald who has created a beautiful and productive garden from scratch, and former colleague Louise Galloway who gives her a tour of the research glasshouses at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
Mairi plants out vegetables and flowers and visits growers at a thriving community garden in Cranhill, Glasgow. She finds out more about herbology from Catherine Conway-Payne at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and visits Sue Blair who transformed a neglected piece of ground into a lovely mature garden on the west side of Lewis.
In this episode, Mairi makes collars for her brassicas using materials she has to hand and visits two experienced island gardeners, Angus Macdonald and David Murdo Mackay. Angus has a flourishing vegetable and fruit garden and David has created a woodland in an exposed coastal location on the west side of the island. Mairi also travels to a specialist organic herb nursery in the Black Isle.
Summer gales damage the garden but undeterred, she visits Chrissie Macleod’s beautiful flower garden on the Isle of Lewis and learns more about botanical illustration from accomplished artist Jacqui Pestell.
Mairi gets some help with building a path to her crub and harvests her veg. She meets Robin Reid, who has created a woodland in the rocky Bays of Harris, and John Hamilton, who has established a market garden on the Isle of Lewis.
