A HISTORIC venue which has been opening its gardens to the public for more than 90 years is getting ready to welcome green-fingered enthusiasts once again.

Winton Castle, near Pencaitland, has supported Scotland’s Garden Scheme since 1931.

Profits from the event on Sunday will go towards Scotland’s Garden Scheme’s charities, the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland, Perennial and Maggie’s, as well as Winton’s chosen charity, East Lothian Foodbank.

Visitors from noon to 4.30pm will see the wild gardens round the castle awash with daffodils, and the historic walled garden and terraced gardens alive with spring flowers.

Garden tours will be led by Winton’s gardeners and there is a chance to watch paper flower demonstrations.

There are also guided tours of Winton Castle, when visitors can hear about Winton’s intricate Scottish Renaissance ceilings and chimneys, and the castle’s intriguing legacy.

Neil Davidson, Winton’s head gardener, honed his craft at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh for 15 years before joining the East Lothian attraction last September.

He will be assisted by Sarah Payne, who has gardened at Winton for more than two years, having trained with the MacRobert Trust in Aberdeenshire and worked in gardens across the UK.

Neil said: “I’ve only seen the dormant Winton so I’m really looking forward to seeing what appears in the borders once the growing season starts.

“The gardens are so extensive that it’s hard to pick a favourite spot, but at the moment I would say the bottom terrace.

“It’s a suntrap and is the best display of Winton’s strapline – ‘Intimacy on a Grand Scale’.”