Get involved
Most of what you see was done by people who live here
The Trust has no large endowment. What the garden has instead is a volunteer team, a membership that pays towards running costs, and people who give when a particular job needs doing. That is the whole model, and it is why the gates are open.
Volunteering
Wednesdays and Saturdays, mostly
Weeding, pruning, mulching, mowing, path edges, seed sowing, taking cuttings, moving barrow-loads of things from one part of the garden to another. Also stewarding at events, helping at the gate and the unglamorous business of keeping tools sharp.
No experience is needed and nobody will ask you to commit to a rota. Turn up, work for as long as suits you, drink the tea. If you would rather help with something other than gardening — photography, accounts, fundraising, research into the garden's history — say so, because all of that is needed too.
Membership
Free entry all year
Membership fees cover part of what it costs to run the garden — insurance, water, machinery, the office in Ellon, the things that have to be paid whether anyone visits or not. Members get free entry whenever the garden is open, and hear about events first.
Joining takes a couple of minutes and is handled through membermojo.
Donations and legacies
For the jobs that need funding
There is a steady list of small and medium projects around the garden that could be done with money raised locally: sections of border to replant, paths to improve, walls and gates to keep sound, and access work on the Terrace.
Leaving a legacy in a will is the other way people have supported the garden. If you are considering it, or want to know what a particular sum would actually pay for, speak to a Board member or email us and we will tell you plainly.
Memorial benches
A bench can be donated in memory of someone, placed where they liked to sit. There are only so many sensible places for them, so it is worth asking early. Email us and we will talk through the options and the cost.
Not sure yet? Come and see it first — that is usually what decides people.
Plan your visit