Edinburgh shed tipped as garden scheme star

AN award-winning composting shed could become the star of this year’s Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, which invites people to visit gardens to raise money for charity.

The 7ft shed, made of curving weathered steel with a wildflower meadowgrass roof, is located in the corner of Anna Guest’s garden at Inverleith Terrace near the Water of Leith pathway in Edinburgh.

Prince Charles has a similar shed at his home at Highgrove, which has an Indian theme.

Ms Guest, who commissioned the £22,000 shed with her partner Gus Schwartz from Edinburgh-based Groves-Raines Architects, said: “I’m delighted with it. When we took over the garden there were no worms, no insects, just a very, very silty soil which was not a good medium for growing things.

“That’s all changed. One of the reasons for it being designed the way it is that you can come down a tunnel in my garden and it looks like a raised garden.”

Visitors to more than 600 gardens, ranging from castle grounds to allotments, will pay a small admission fee and are served refreshments.

Ms Guest, is charging £4 to visit her three-quarter-acre Rocheid Garden, complete with olive trees and bamboo, which is open from 2-5pm on 26 May and 8 September. Money raised will be donated to the Ferryfield NHS-run care unit in Edinburgh.

She added: “Last year I had residents, staff and relatives from Ferryfield visiting my garden and gave them tea on the terrace. They loved it and the shed is that extra bit of fun. I want to use my garden in any way I can to help.”

The compost shed has won a number of awards including the chairman’s prize at the Scottish Design Awards – the country’s biggest architecture competition.

Paddy Scott, director of Scotland’s Gardens, which has operated for more than 80 years, said: “This wonderful garden has a remarkable feature in its compost shed – something quite out of the ordinary which fascinates all visitors.”

For more information go to www.scotlandsgardens.org.