Carloway open gardens this week

Gardeners in the Carloway District are throwing their garden gates open this week open to the public in order to raise money for charity.

This year the green fingered group are raising the cash for a home grown cause in the development of the Carloway School buildings. Plans are to turn the disused school into a hub of community activity and returning the buildings to its central role in the life of the area.

This year there are seven gardeners (6 gardens) – including two who haven’t done this before – who have volunteered to open their gardens to you and will be on hand to answer questions and just talk gardening.

This will be a welcome break from all dead heading and weeding and harvesting and general tidying up the magnificent seven will be doing to make sure their gardens are in tip top conditions for you to see.

The gardens range from quite large to smallish; from mainly flowers to mainly vegetables; from the well established to the new and still developing. Techniques you can see include permaculture; organic growing; hydroponics; raised beds; shelter belts; growing under plastic and netting; growing veg for showing and much more. There is so much to see you’ll need to make sure you have enough time to do it all, and all of this for the bargain price of £5 per person (but children go free).

The gardens are open between 11am and 5 pm and you can pick up a map and pay your entry fee at the Café Central located in the Annex of the Carloway School buildings which is next to the churches by the bridge in the centre of the village. The café is open for home cooked lunches, teas and cakes between 12 and 4 and is an ideal place to take a break from the horticultural extravaganza and recharge your batteries to complete the circuit of gardens or just talk about what you have experienced.

Café Central is another local initiative where all profits support the work of the Carloway Community Association and their development of the school buildings.

So if you are keen to see what can be grown in the wild West, and pick up some tips, or are just out to enjoy the beauty to be found in a British garden then make your way over to Carloway on Saturday, July 15 between 11 and 5pm and be prepared to have an amazing time.