Logan Botanic Garden

Logan Botanic Garden, on the Rhins of Galloway at the south-western tip of Scotland, has been called Scotland's most exotic garden. Warmed by the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current, with acid soils and a sheltered site, its 15 acres grow plants that would not normally survive outdoors in Scotland, from Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam. It is a regional garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, so conservation and science sit behind the display.

The approach road is lined with an avenue of Chusan palms. Inside, you wander through an antipodean forest of towering palms and tree ferns, some dating from the 1870s, groves of eucalyptus, and the giant gunnera, whose rhubarb-like leaves are a highlight in summer. The Walled Garden has a formal fish pond with water lilies, surrounded by colourful borders of half-hardy plants, and there is an Aeonium border too. The Logan Conservatory, a Victorian-style glasshouse opened in 2014, holds tender South African plants including pelargoniums and was the first public glasshouse in the UK heated entirely by renewable energy. Logan holds National Plant Collections of Gunnera, Griselinia and Leptospermum, and rarities such as Rhododendron kanehirae, extinct in the wild.

Gardeners in mild coastal areas will find plenty to try at home, and everyone can learn how shelter and microclimate let tender plants survive. The Potting Shed café serves soups, sandwiches and home baking. Note that only trained assistance animals are allowed, so pet dogs must stay at home, and Logan House Garden next door is a separate property.