From Cambo Gardens and Kellie Castle to Falkland Palace and St Andrews Botanic Garden, Fife has long cultivated the notion that horticulture is an art form — and Gerry Hood-Leeder, head gardener at the Old Course Hotel, would be the first to agree.

Gerry joined the team in 2023. Before that she had spent 13 years at Burncoose Nurseries in Cornwall, where she won a dozen gold and silver medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Besides being well versed in rare and herbaceous shrubs, Gerry has a degree in illustration, so she can quickly bring her visions to life — an arts-and-crafts approach to gardening, you might say.

“Here in St Andrews, the climate is very different from Cornwall,” she says. “Burncoose is part of the Caerhays Estate, which is famed for its camellias, rhododendrons and National Magnolia Collection, but it’s hard to grow those plants here. Because of the dry weather, we’ve chosen drought-tolerant plants — Mediterranean shrubs with long flowering periods.” Expect to see plenty of Gerry’s favourite, Eryngium bourgatii ‘Picos Blue’, or sea holly — not quite a Scottish thistle, but not a million miles away.

Gerry plans to create more diverse and sustainable gardens that are good for pollinators and other wildlife. A new polytunnel will be used to grow herbaceous perennials for pots, as well as herbs and vegetables for the hotel’s kitchens. Ambitious plans require detailed sketches and an ever-increasing team — Gerry has both in spades.