A group of CGC members visited Backhouse Rossie Estate in April 2026 to view the whole garden but specifically to view the magnificent Narcissus Collection.
Sarah Backhouse was the forgotten genius behind the first pink daffodil. She was a visionary whose work was groundbreaking and at Backhouse Rossie Estate her legacy is continued by preserving the National Collection of Narcissus Backhouse cultivars including the first true pink daffodil. There is a lot else to see at Backhouse Rossie Estate including a wonderful Walled Garden, the longest Rose Archway in Scotland over DNA Pathway, the Queen’s Foot-Steps Walk (the Queen in question being Mary Queen of Scots), the Backhouse Bear Walk, a Wild Garden and the Tomb Walk.
Backhouse Rossie is on the A91 just beyond Auchtermuchty (postcode is KY15 7UZ). The garden and estate are open from April to September on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Friday, Sunday and Monday (closed on Saturday and Tuesday except to closed groups). Entry fee for adults is £6.
Captions for photos below (click to enlarge):
1 A warm welcome as we settle into the Wedding Venue
2 Caroline Thomson introduced us to the venue
3 A fine selection of narcissi
4 ‘An-Gof’
5 ‘Notre Dame’
6 ‘Mrs R. O. Backhouse
7 ‘Gwawr’
8 The weather held as the group walked round the Walled Garden
9 A beautiful display in the garden
10 A horizontal sundial told us it was 3 o’clock
11 As the sky darkened, two of our number had already set off for the Covenanter’s Tomb
12 Possibly Erythronium ‘White Beauty’, with two wee visitors (on the left)
13 A quiet backwater
14 Ancient and Modern
15 Everyone in good humour as they waited for the invitation to take their seats for coffee and cake
