Last weekend, we visited the Secret Herb Garden which sits at the foothills of the Pentland Hills. If you happen to be planning a trip to Ikea Edinburgh, then do yourself a favour and detour for a few minutes to this great place. I first came across the SHG at the Scottish Gardening Show last year where I bought a carraway thyme from them.
The Garden is run by Hamish and Lizzie. We didn’t have the pleasure of meeting them but think they have created a very special place where each plant has a medicinal purpose. There is a cafe onsite too but sadly was a bit lacking in lunch options. However, seem to do a decent amount of homebakes, teas and coffees.
Secret Herb Garden
32A Old Pentland Road,
Edinburgh
EH10 7EA
Tel: 07525069773 or 07768530044
On parking, you first enter greenhouses where we found apples, peaches, grapes and sweat pea.
The views around the gardens and of the Pentland Hills is impressive even on an overcast day.
I didn’t recognise the crop below but there was plenty of kale, cavolo nero, rhubarb (we think but not sure!!!).
There was another garden area where roses were growing together with herbs such as rosemary and lavendar. I was relieved to see their fennel as it looked like the single plant in my garden. I was convinced mine wasn’t doing well.
The flowers were interesting too. Every plant in the garden has a medicinal use and I wondered what aquilegia cure. They are out of this world plants.
These flowers were amazing as there were white and blue flowers growing on the same plant.
The site also has a yurt, and a bee station which had interesting info about bees plus a window to look out at a wildlife garden set up for them. There is also the beginnings of a maze which will be fun when it matures (unless you have grass hayfever like what I have, in which case keep away, keep far, far away).
I bought some herbs which admittedly were not cheap but as the only thing I’ve managed to grow so far is basil and I haven’t yet killed the carraway thyme that I had bought from them last year. So, I was happy to shell out for a little bay leaf plant, a winter savory and an echinacea plant. I also spotted the plant below which I didn’t buy as I’m pretty sure we have it growing in the cracks in our driveway.