Garden Days at Dalemain

(4 minute read)

Created by the horticulture experts at Dalemain Estate, each month the historic house and gardens is opening its doors with a series of workshops, lectures and practical demonstrations led by Jane Hasell-McCosh, owner of Dalemain, and Shelagh Todd, a horticultural lecturer.

Just a short drive from Another Place, Dalemain Garden Days are designed to be engaging and informative for anyone with a keen interest in horticulture. Starting in March and running each month expect a full day spent outdoors and a homemade lunch from their kitchen garden served in the house’s Medieval Hall.

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A expert gardening team

Guiding students through each Garden Day is one of the owners of Dalemain estate and passionate gardener Jane Hasell-McCosh, and Shelagh Todd a horticultural expert, who has both been the head of the horticultural school at Lowther Castle and part of a team that won both gold and silver at Chelsea flower show. 

Dalemain Estate

A stately family mansion for eleven generations, five acres of gardens and historic parkland, and home to the annual Marmalade Awards, Dalemain is rich in history and open to the public throughout the year.

As part of the Garden Day students have access to all areas of the grounds and a behind the scenes perspective of the gardens created in the mid 1700s. There’s a diverse array of herbaceous plants, semi wild areas and woodland. Throughout May and June there’s a vivid blue carpet of Himalayan poppies unique to Dalemain.

Monthly horticultural classes

The classes will cover seasonal tips, propagation and pruning. Starting in March each day is planned around the season. From spring flowering bulbs, roses in June and evergreens in November. Including garden, greenhouse and glasshouse jobs to an edible garden feature. The courses are £120.00 per person.

2024 dates
4 March
8 April
13 May
3 June
1 July
5 August
2 September
7 October
4 November

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Blue Himalayan poppies

The late Sylvia Mary McCosh, who inherited Dalemain House in 1972, had a passionate love of plants, gardens and garden writing. The healthy stock of Meconopsis which thrived in her Scottish garden originated from seed collected in Bhutan by George Sherriff, the renowned plant hunter who was responsible for introducing the Himalayan poppy to the UK in the 1930s.

Realising how well the climate and soil of Dalemain would suit these plants, and how their blue blossom would enhance the gardens, Sylvia McCosh moved several specimens to Dalemain. These plants formed the stock from which all subsequent generations of Meconopsis growing at Dalemain have been propagated.

As time passed, the Himalayan poppies of Dalemain gradually evolved to form definitive characteristics that set them apart from other varieties. After close, botanical examinations and extensive growing trials, the poppies are now known to be unique and have been named Meconopsis Dalemain. The Himalayan Poppies were officially recognised as a distinctive variety by the Meconopsis Society in 2005 and are recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). 

Find out more from Dalemain and contact their team to book. RHS members receive a discount.

To book your stay at Another Place, check for availability online.

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