RCHS - The Caley
The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (The Caley).
Garden Design Course No. 1 - Making a Garden Plan
Saturday 24 January 2026
We will go into detail about the method and design principles which aid a successful design and enable you to explore possibilities for your own garden space.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Successful Veg Growing Workshop: Planning your plot
Saturday 31 January 2026
In this three hour workshop we'll make a plant of your plot and consider things like soil type, pH testing etc. We'll talk about plant nutrition and how to include suitable veg varieties for your space.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Winter Talk: The Intrepid 17th & 18th Century Planthunters
Tuesday 10 February 2026
This talk will be held online via the Zoom platform. Ann Lindsay will tell us how these brave souls defied the odds to bring us seeds from around the world.
Workshop: Dividing perennials
Saturday 14 February 2026
This two hour workshop will cover the lifting and splitting of different types of plant crowns and their aftercare.
Caley Glasshouse / Teaching Garden at Saughton Park
Garden Design No. 2 - Designing the garden features
Saturday 21 February 2026
Once a basic plan has been drawn you will need to add garden features, e.g. a pergola, a pond,
screening, retaining walls and raised beds, for interest, and a choice of landscaping materials for the
paths, patios, decks and surrounds.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Successful Veg Growing Workshop: Growing Veg from Seed
Saturday 28 February 2026
In this two hour workshop we'll discuss choosing suitable composts, seed sowing and aftercare. This workshop will also include some hands on activities.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Winter Talks - A garden from scratch - starting out again!
Tuesday 10 March 2026
This talk will be held online via the Zoom platform. Ian and Carole Bainbridge will share with us how they started a new garden at their property in the Dumfries & Galloway region after more than 20 years living in Edinburgh. Carole and Ian are both Past Presidents of the Sottish Rock Garden Club and have been growing alpines for over forty years.
Their special interests include trilliums, arisaemas, roscoeas and dwarf narcissi, and they particularly enjoy building crevice gardens and growing ‘proper alpines’ in them. They are both members of the RHS Joint Rock Garden Plant Committee, and manage the Seed Reception for the SRGC Seed Exchange, one of the biggest and oldest in the
world, usually offering over 3000 taxa.
Successful Veg Growing Workshop: Organic Growing
Saturday 14 March 2026
Ideas and methods for growing plants and crops organically.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Garden Design No. 3 - Designing with Plants
Saturday 21 March 2026
We will look at the design principles which aid plant choice, and the categories of plants to ensure all
year-round interest. We will explore planting styles and how that influences plant choice.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Greenbank Daffodil Walk Morning Tour
Monday 23 March 2026
Greenbank Garden is home to one of Scotland’s most impressive daffodil collections, boasting over 500 varieties in an urban oasis on Glasgow’s southside.
Our special members' event runs over two sessions on 23rd March at 10:30am-12pm or 1:30-3pm, and members will enjoy a very special tour of the garden with Head Gardener Andrew Hinson who will showcase Greenbank's wonderful daffodil collection alongside celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Trust's stewardship of Greenbank.
Places are reserved for a nominal fee of £5, with a donation from each ticket going towards Greenbank's 'Donate A Daffodil' fund.
NTS Greenbank Garden
Greenbank Daffodil Walk Afternoon Tour
Monday 23 March 2026
Greenbank Garden is home to one of Scotland’s most impressive daffodil collections, boasting over 500 varieties in an urban oasis on Glasgow’s southside.
Our special members' event runs over two sessions on 23rd March at 10:30am-12pm or 1:30-3pm, and members will enjoy a very special tour of the garden with Head Gardener Andrew Hinson who will showcase Greenbank's wonderful daffodil collection alongside celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Trust's stewardship of Greenbank.
Places are reserved for a nominal fee of £5, with a donation from each ticket going towards Greenbank's 'Donate A Daffodil' fund.
NTS Greenbank Garden
Successful Veg Growing Workshop: Growing Tender Crops
Saturday 28 March 2026
In this two hour workshop we'll have some hands on activities and cover topics such as sowing seeds, potting on and the aftercare of tender protected plants.
McHattie Room, Saughton Park
Workshop: Wildlife Gardening
Saturday 25 April 2026
This two hour workshop will help you learn how to adapt your garden space to become wildlife friendly.
Caley Glasshouse / Teaching Garden at Saughton Park
Successful Veg Growing: Maintaining your plot
Saturday 16 May 2026
This workshop will be a mix of demonstration and hands-on activties, held at the Caley's Demonstration Allotment, Bridgend, Edinburgh. We will look at the ongoing care and maintenance of your crops, succession sowing, planting out, feeding, supporting and protecting your plants.
Caley Demonstration Allotment, Bridgend Allotments
Successful Veg Growing: Maintaining your plot
Saturday 22 August 2026
This workshop will be a mix of demonstration and hands-on activties, held at the Caley's Demonstration Allotment, Bridgend, Edinburgh. We will look at the best way to harvest your crops, the optimum methods of storing crops for longevity, and some ideas for preserving your produce.
Caley Demonstration Allotment, Bridgend Allotments
Workshop: Late Colour in the Garden
Saturday 29 August 2026
This two hour workshop will consider plants that can extend the interest in your garden into the autumn and winter.
Caley Glasshouse / Teaching Garden at Saughton Park
Successful Veg Growing: Preparing for Autumn & Winter
Saturday 19 September 2026
This workshop will be a mix of demonstration and hands-on activties, held at the Caley's Demonstration Allotment, Bridgend, Edinburgh. This workshop will cover how to nourish and protect your soil, composting basics, caring for your berries, autumn planting, protecting & supporting winter veg and tool maintenance.
Caley Demonstration Allotment, Bridgend Allotments
Winter Talk: If our crops fail, we fail.
Tuesday 20 January 2026
This talk will be held online via the Zoom platform. In this talk, Cora Moran, author of ‘If Our Crops Fail, We Fail - Farming, Climate Change and How You Can Make A Difference’, will explore the role that we as gardeners and communities can play in addressing these issues and some of the novel and creative techniques we can use to do so.
Annual Caley Christmas Quiz
Tuesday 16 December 2025
Held via the Zoom platform. Stan da Prato will be our quiz master for this annual horticultural quiz - get a team together and see if you can be the victors!
Hidden Horticultural Delights from North South Africa
Tuesday 18 November 2025
This talk will be held online via the Zoom platform. Join us as Kobus Stander shares some of the many delights to be found in the northern area of South Africa.
Caley Winter Talks - Thomas Jefferson's Gardens
Tuesday 21 October 2025
This talk will be held online via the Zoom platform. In this second talk in our Winter Talks Series we will be joined by Dr Alley Marie Jordan, a writer and Garden Historian from The University of Edinburgh. She has recently published a book called 'Classical Taste in the Architectural World of Thomas Jefferson'.
Preparing the garden and allotment for autumn/winter
Saturday 18 October 2025
This workshop will take place at the Caley’s Demonstration Allotment at Bridgend, Edinburgh.
A mix of demonstration and hands-on activity, including nourishing and protecting your soil, composting
basics, caring for your berries, planting autumn onions & garlic, protecting & supporting winter veg
and tool maintenance.
Bridgend Allotments
Caley Winter Talks -NatureScot Invasive Species Initiative
Tuesday 16 September 2025
This talk will be held online via the Zoom platform. Join us for the first in our Winter Talks Series of 25/26. Stan Whitaker from NatureScot will update us on the work by the charity to tackle invasive species of plants around Scotland.
Harvesting, Storage and Showing Workshop
Sunday 24 August 2025
Harvesting, Storage and Showing: Part of ‘Growing Veg in Scotland’ workshops.
This practical workshop will look at the correct ways to harvest crops and the optimum methods of storing produce, especially for longevity. We will also look at how to lift and prepare crops for the show bench and correct preparation once lifted.
This workshop will take place at the Caley Bridgend Allotment.
Cost: £30 for non-members or £25 for Caley members
Bridgend Allotments
