Our local heritage has Threave Gardens, Threave Castle and Threave Nature Reserve. Most of the P4 pupils have visited some or all of these areas.  The children were keen to celebrate nature in the area as part of our heritage too.

The children love Threave Castle as it is on a small island on the River Dee. To get there you have to travel in a rowing boat. We filled old bottles with stones to achieve the grey colour of the castle and to provide a home for small bugs. We  put compost inside the castle and planted a fern, Selaginella, on top. This fern represents the nest of a peregrine falcon pair that have nested on top of the castle for the past few years.

We also made a model tree using an old post with an old green horse food bucket attached to the top and planted lettuces in it. The lettuces represent the osprey nest in Threave Nature Reserve. 

Pelargoniums and Salvias represent the formal gardens.  Bees and butterflies like the Salvias and Bullfinches like the seeds of the Pelargoniums. We put a watering can beside these plants and planted white daisies in it. We borrowed the watering can from a gardener at Threave Gardens so it is very authentic!

We planted parsley and sage around the castle to form the island. These herbs will be harvested and used in cooking. We  also planted radishes, leeks and beans. These are all edible and will be harvested when they are ready.

Lobelia, Nigella, Cornflowers, Violas, Corydalis and Dianthus foliage represent the River Dee. Bees and butterflies  like them and cornflowers are also edible for people. We are hoping to try them in salad.

The P4 pupils enjoyed all aspects from planting to learning to use willow to make models. The greatest excitement came as they watched their design turn into a reality. They are very proud of their creation. We are looking forward to watching the garden improve even more over the next few weeks as all of the flowers bloom.

We also owe a huge thank you to Threave Gardens who helped us to grow some of our plants in their greenhouses. We have been supported throughout the process by one of their gardeners with advice, gardening tips and school visits to keepus on track.