Loch Leven Garden Companions

01/09/2026

🌿 Planting advice… or a full planting design?

One of the things I’m increasingly being asked to help with is what to plant where, but not everyone needs (or wants!) the same level of help.... So I've put together a guide to summarise the three different levels of planting advice and design I offer.

🌱 Individual Plant Advice
🌿 Border Planting Schemes
✏️ Full Planting Designs

For planting schemes and full designs, I can also source the plants through my trade suppliers and arrange the planting for you.

Have a look through the guide below to see how the three options differ.

If you have a border that’s looking a little tired, an empty bed you don’t know what to do with, or simply too many plant choices and no idea where to start, just send me a message. 🌿

Loch Leven Garden Companions

25/08/2026

A rather special book delivery today 🌧️🌿

I’ve been trying to track down a copy of Rain Gardens by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden for a while, and eventually had to order this one all the way from America.

First published in 2007, it looks at how we can work with rainwater in our gardens and designed landscapes — capturing it, slowing it down and making better use of it, rather than simply funnelling it away.

Almost twenty years later, with increasingly unpredictable weather bringing periods of both heavy rainfall and drought, it feels more relevant than ever.

Following the very sad death of Professor Nigel Dunnett earlier this year, his work and thinking around sustainable, ecologically informed planting feels particularly important to keep learning from.

This one is going straight to the top of my reading pile. 🌱

Horticulture SustainableLandscapes LochLevenGardenCompanions

22/08/2026

Bees love phacelia! I planted phacelia and mustard seed as a trial green mature to fill an empty bed and suppress weeds over the summer. Didn’t know it would also be a bee magnet. So nice to see them buzzing about all over it! 🌿🐝🪻

16/07/2026

Visited The Bishops Palace Garden at Chichester Cathedral today. Such a lovely garden and so many beautiful flowers in spite of the drought. Especially enjoyed seeing specimen trees that I’ve not seen real life before, such as Quince, Black Mulberry and a huge Paulownia. Great moment to teach the kids not to eat the raspberry like fruits on the Black Mulberry as they can be toxic to humans. Gardeners are doing a fab job keeping this garden looking stunning in this heat!

29/05/2026

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY7bND1sGNO/?igsh=MTU3ZXUxdjJyaDNqcQ==

22/05/2026

Join us at SRUC Oatridge on Saturday 23rd May from 10am - 5pm as we take part in Scotland's Gardens Scheme.

Visitors can enjoy guided walks around the campus gardens, browse plant sales and take advantage of gardening advice drop-in sessions throughout the day.

Find out more 👉 https://buff.ly/6Xdjqr3

16/05/2026

SRUC Oatridge Campus is taking part in Scotlands Garden Scheme. Check out the post for info 🌿❤️

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme is a charity that opens private and public gardens across Scotland to visitors.

We are delighted that SRUC Oatridge has been included in this year’s selection of gardens. 🌿

👉 More details about the event can be found here: https://scotlandsgardens.org/oatridge-college-campus-sruc/

We are also looking for local stallholders to join us on the day.

This is a great opportunity for local growers, makers, and small businesses to showcase and sell their products to visitors attending the event.

If you are interested in taking part, please DM for more information.

07/05/2026

🌿 Spotted in Kinross… 🌿

This gorgeous white rhododendron is absolutely covered in flowers just now 🤍

Rhododendrons really thrive in Scotland, and this one was too good not to stop and photograph. The flowers are mostly white with the faintest blush of pink up close.

Definitely one of the nicest spring displays I’ve spotted around Kinross lately 👀🌸

02/05/2026

Hi, I’m Lana 👋
A horticulture student based in Kinross 🌿
I now have a few spaces available for May bookings for Loch Leven Garden Companions.
I offer:
• Garden maintenance (weeding, pruning, planting)
• Lawn & border care
• Garden Companion service – work together at your pace, or relax with a cuppa while I help

📍 Kinross & surrounding villages

PVG/disclosure in progress (previous teaching PVG available)

If you’d like help with your garden, feel free to message me 😊

27/04/2026

🌸 Spotted in Kinross…

This beautiful tree is a magnolia (likely Magnolia × soulangeana, or saucer magnolia) and it’s absolutely stealing the show just now.

These huge, goblet-shaped flowers appear before the leaves, which is why they stand out so dramatically against the branches and blue sky. If you look closely, you’ll see they’re not actually petals—they’re tepals (a little botanical nugget for you 👀).

Magnolias are often called ancient plants, with fossil records going back millions of years—long before bees even existed. They originally evolved to be pollinated by beetles!

If you’ve spotted one of these around Kinross this week, you’ll know just how stunning they are in full bloom… but be quick—they don’t last long 🌿

📍 Seen locally in Kinross
💬 Have you noticed any beautiful trees or plants around town lately?