According to the Scottish Environmental Horticulture Growth Strategy there are over one million people in Scotland who are regular gardeners.
From communal tenement gardens to expansive private grounds, we love our borders, rockeries, lawns and patios.
It’s hugely satisfying to see a plant you’ve cared for bloom into beautiful flowers, but you need to be careful what you choose and where you place it.
Many of us have shaded areas that see little in the way of sun and - let’s face it - sometimes it feels like Scotland doesn’t get much sun generally.
Luckily there are many plants with colourful flowers that need little in the way of direct sunlight and thrive in the notoriously unpredictable Scottish climate.
Here are 11 of our favourites.
5. Pulmonaria
Pulmonaria, also known by the less-than-attractive name of Lungwortm is a great choice if you're looking for a plant to flower in early spring, providing some much-needed colour. Originally from mainland Europe and Europe, it has spotted, silvered leaves and clusters of pink, purple, or blue flowers. Thrives in cool, damp shade, offering reliable colour and foliage contrast in woodland-style plantings. | Canva/Getty Images
6. Japanese Anemone
For that last summer period when everything seems to have already flowered, the Japanese Anomone provides blooms in pink or white with yellow centres. This is a tough, clump-forming perennial that will provide foliage year-round and is ideal for planting in shady borders ir rockeries next to walls. | Canva/Getty Images
7. Solomon's Seal
The evocatively-named Solomon's Seal grows naturally across the Northern Hemisphere and mixes well with ferns and hostas to give a nice woodland-feel to shaded areas. The graceful arching stems flower in May and June, with small, dangling, creamy-white blooms. It looks delicate but is actually as hardy as they come. | Canva/Getty Images
8. Aquilegia
Also known as Granny's Bonnet (due to the distinctive sputted petals) and Columbine, Aquilegia is typically found in Northern Hemisphere meadows and woodlands. This hardy perennial flowers in late spring and is easy to grow - self-seeding to spread across shaded borders. | Canva/Getty Images