News

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Your summer 2025 newsletter is here https://morayfeu.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Moray-Feu-newsletter-summer-25-final.docx

Your summer 2026 newsletter has been e mailed and posted to those not on e mail.

Moray Gardens Newsletter – Summer 2026

Open gardens – We had over 500 visitors for Open Gardens raising almost £4,000 after costs for Scotland’s Open Gardens and Parkinsons UK. Next year’s event will be on 9th May. Thanks are due to over 30 volunteers and cake bakers.  

Bicentenary legacy – After exploring various options for a bicentenary legacy structure the committee has concluded that the proposals for a small meeting space and toilet in Moray Place are not feasible. We will however continue to explore the possible of a simple shelter. 

BBQ area – The BBQ area has proved very popular and there are plans to improve the paved area and seating this summer. 

Herbs – The herb garden on Doune Terrace and the mint in Moray Place is there for the picking. 

Herbaceous, ground cover and shrubs will be selected for gaps in the Moray Place beds and borders.  The extensive new planting in the bed opposite 40-44 Moray Place is settling in well and once well-established will be a significant improvement to the garden.   

The rhododendron bank in the Bank Garden has continued to delight with a large number of the later flowering specimens having flowered for the first time this year.  

The hawthorn hedge along Doune Terrace was pruned back hard in early March and around 150 blackthorn whips were planted to fill gaps in the hedge.  

Lawn edging – A further quadrant of steel lawn edging has replaced rotten wood edging in Moray Place. 

Laburnum arch – We have planted a line of 12 new Laburnum trees on the middle walk of the Bank garden and have a further 6-8 homegrown ones to plant on the lower side of the connecting path, which will in time create a Laburnum arch.  

A purple birch has been planted adjacent to where the old Whitebeam had to be felled in the Bank garden. 

Staffing – Gardener Mel left us in March to set up his own commercial gardening business, and we were joined by new gardener Gordon Graham. Mel’s contribution to the gardens has been significant. Megan Carden, our summer student from RBGE, secured a full-time position in the gardens at Harewood House near Leeds.  We are hoping to secure a summer student(s) from RBGE to start working in the gardens after the term ends at the end of May.

Committee membership – Mike Moir will take over from Andrew Dixon as chair after the AGM. Our thanks to Jane Corrie who is stepping down from the committee. There will be 2 or 3 vacancies, and we are aiming to secure a pipeline of new members for 2026 and 2027. We are keen to recruit people with skills in communications, budgeting, horticulture and legal matters. Nominations for 2026 are to be submitted by 3^rd June. 

Pond life – We are hoping to create a small, contained pond in Bank Garden to add to the biodiversity of the garden. 

Moray Gardens AGM -The AGM will take place at EIS ,48 Moray Place 6pm to 7pm on 17th June followed by drinks in the garden. There will be two resolutions from the committee.

Draft Constitution – The AGM will be asked to formally approve a constitution for the Garden Management Committee. The draft can be found on our web site. 

Dogs on Leads – There is a longstanding rule that dogs must be on leads in the Moray Place garden between the hours of 10am and 8pm during July and August. In light of requests and representations, received that this summer restriction should be extended, your committee has agreed to test property owners’ opinion with this AGM Resolution, about which your committee is neutral.

“It is proposed that the existing rule that property owners should keep their dogs on leads in the Moray Place garden between the hours of 10am and 8pm during the months of July and August be extended to include the month of June.” 

Randolph Crescent Garden – The first stage of repainting the gates and railings to this garden was carried out last year. The 2^nd stage will follow this year and is expected to occur in August. 

Randolph Crescent Garden Proprietors AGM

This will take place in October, and the Annual Report and Notice of AGM will be sent out in August/September to the proprietors of that garden. 

Mailing list – The Moray Feu Gardens Committee, via Whitelaw Wells, holds the mailing list for Randolph Crescent Garden proprietors. To enable the Randolph Crescent Garden Committee to send communications to the proprietors each year, we share the database of names, addresses and e-mail addresses of the proprietors with that Committee on an annual basis. If you wish to opt out of our sharing your contact details, please e-mail chair@morayfeu.com by 17th June 2026.

Residents Association AGM – The Residents Association AGM The Residents Association’s Annual General Meeting is at 6.30 on 2nd June, at Savills Offices, 8 Wemyss Place. All members are invited RSVP secretary@MFNRA.co.uk The association has been doing important work to lobby the council on traffic issues and will be calling for volunteers to undertake a traffic survey.