Spring clean shoes to protect heritage, urges National Trust for Scotland

With warmer days on the way, visitors to gardens at National Trust for Scotland places are being asked to follow biosecurity measures throughout the spring and summer seasons.

Article Source: National Trust for Scotland
Last Updated: 8 April 2026 16:19

With warmer days on the way, many places cared for by the National Trust for Scotland have reopened for visitors to enjoy the range of spring-blooming flowers, trees and natural settings. Following a busy weekend in which over 20,000 people attended the Trust’s popular Easter Egg Trails, the Trust has issued a reminder of some simple measures visitors can take to help protect the places it cares for.

With 38 important gardens and designed landscapes, the National Trust for Scotland is the largest garden owner in Scotland. Visitors can enjoy spring-blooming flora throughout Scotland.

In greater Glasgow, visitors can marvel Greenbank Garden’s impressive collection of approximately 463 varieties of daffodils, or witness bees enjoying a range of spring flowers at Geilston Garden. At the Hill House, the protective steel scaffold temporarily protecting the building is open to visitors for a unique bird’s eye view of the gardens. A little further West, Crarae Woodland Garden in Argyll delivers new blooms and textures with each season, alongside peaceful paths leading to the gorge, rippling burn and waterfalls. Arduaine Garden, built in 1898 as appetite for foreign travel was growing, brings together a global collection of plants that deliver vibrant colour all year round.

In Ayrshire and Arran, Brodick Castle, Garden & Country Park offers an abundance of magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Blossoms in the walled garden orchard and magnolias herald the start of the warmer weather at Culzean Castle & Country Park. At Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, a garden walk is rewarded with the sight of the Burns monument.

Threave Garden & Nature Reserve in Dumfries and Galloway delivers stunning designed landscapes packed with spring colour, including carpets of daffodils representing over 100 different cultivars. Broughton Garden, designed by Scottish artist E A Hornel, blends Eastern and Western horticulture, with spectacular views.

Large displays of spring-favourite daffodils can be found at House of the Binns and across the estate of Newhailes. Named ‘Best Garden in Scotland’ in 2026 by Which? Magazine, Branklyn Garden in Perth is a favourite among garden lovers and comes alive in spring with alpine flowers and rhododendrons.

In Fife, the terraces of Hill of Tarvit Mansion and the post-war designed garden at Falkland Palace will delight the green-fingered with a range of spring blooms, including bluebells. The walled garden at Kellie Castle offers a range of seasonal colour including plum and apple blossom. Visitors to the Royal Burgh of Culross can enjoy spring bulbs in the Palace Garden, modelled in the 17th century style.

Closer to Edinburgh, Inveresk Lodge Garden delights the senses with themed borders, alongside meadows and woodland. At Malleny Garden, garden lovers can enjoy Primula auricula blooming in the glasshouse and marvel at the 400-year-old yew trees. Harmony Garden delivers colour and fragrance in its walled garden and a historic bulb meadow featuring crocus, daffodils and rare, chequered snake’s head fritillaries.

Visitors to gardens at National Trust for Scotland places are being asked to follow biosecurity measures throughout the spring and summer seasons. These measures can help reduce the spread of pests, pathogens and invasive species, outbreaks of which can be expensive to tackle and damaging to the places in the Trust’s care.

Visitors should follow these top tips to keep gardens safe:

1. Give shoes a spring clean
Please clean footwear before arrival to ensure it’s free from mud and plant matter. If you arrive by vehicle, please try to keep to surfaced roads to avoid transferring mud between sites. If you regularly visit garden and countryside places, you might consider carrying a cleaning kit in your vehicle.

2. Keep to the path
Wandering onto muddy areas can increase the risk of contaminated soil being spread throughout the garden, so please keep to the designated paths wherever possible. If signage indicates that an area or path is closed, it may be for biosecurity reasons.

3. Use the boot wash wherever you find them
Bootwashes may appear at the entrance and exit of a garden. They aren’t everywhere but mainly placed where extra protection measures are necessary to protect our places. If you go inside a building, please wipe your feet.

4. Don’t bring your own seeds or plants to gardens
Many regular visitors form a close connection to places and wish to plant a tree as a memorial to a loved one, but this must be done with care to protect the whole garden environment. The Trust offers a range of options for those seeking to celebrate a loved one, more information about which can be found on the Trust’s website.

5. Be vigilant
Each of our sites are unique, so please follow any signage or direction from the team on site to make sure we’re protecting our gardens.

Stuart Maxwell, National Trust for Scotland’s Regional Director for the Edinburgh & East region, said: “Spring is a great time to visit gardens as we shake off the winter chill and plants bloom in a kaleidoscope of colour. We encourage visitors of all ages to spend some time at our gardens to experience the physical and mental benefits that come with time spent in nature.

“We don’t want to place any harsh restrictions on visitors and hope many thousands of people will see our gardens this year, but we do hope people take some of this guidance into consideration so we can continue to protect and share these beautiful spaces for years to come.”

Ian McLelland, National Trust for Scotland’s Regional Director for the South & West region, said: “With warmer days on the way, visitors are eager to return to our enchanting outdoor places to enjoy a kaleidoscope of colour and fragrance this springtime.

“There’s such variety to be found in the South and West of Scotland, from the tranquil woodland of Crarae Garden, just a couple of hours drive from Glasgow to the spring-blooms providing a backdrop to memorable days out at our castles in Ayrshire & Arran.

“We don’t want to place any harsh restrictions on visitors and hope many thousands of people will see our gardens this year, but we do hope people take some of this guidance into consideration so we can continue to protect and share these beautiful spaces for years to come.”

Biosecurity guidance for garden visitors supports the National Trust for Scotland’s vision to care for, share and protect Scotland’s nature, beauty and heritage for everyone to enjoy, as outlined in its 10-year strategy, launched in 2022. This activity supports conservation by speaking up when heritage and nature are threatened, while meeting engagement objectives to provide access and enjoyment for everyone.

Further information about property opening times and events can be found on the National Trust for Scotland website. Please note that opening times are subject to change. Keep an eye on the Trust’s property pages for the latest updates.

Image: Falkland Palace, Fife
Image Credit: Percy Cane

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