BULB GROWING IN SCOTLAND

There is no official record of the development of bulb growing in Scotland as statistics relating exclusively to this crop have been collected only since 1971. However in common with the general development in Britain many town nurserymen would probably have commenced to grow bulbs for the production of flowers from 1880 onwards.
One of these nurserymen was Alexander Watson of Cherryfield Farm, Forfar, who later specialised in the production of flowers from most kinds of bulbs.
The business is being carried on today by his grand-daughter and great-grandson.
Large farm-scale production commenced in 1913 when Messrs George Munro, who already grew daffodils in Cornwall and Lincolnshire, decided to grow bulbs in Scotland in order to continue the supply of daffodils, iris and tulips to their market stalls in London and elsewhere after Lincolnshire bulbs had finished flowering.

Their managing director Mr.Seymore-Cobley, came up to Scotland and first rented land for this purpose at Newtyle, Angus, and later at Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.
Mr.M.E.H.Burnett was appointed manager to the Newtyle Farm in 1922, purchased this business in 1932 and extended the size of the farm and its bulb enterprises.
The Inverurie farm continued in production until 1970. Mr.Burnett’s family still grows bulbs at Newtyle.
It is estimated that in 1939 these three farms and the other small areas of bulbs grown by nurserymen in Scotland amounted to approximately 50 hectares.

After the war, when restrictions on horticultural cropping were lifted, a small number of farms took up bulb production with stock purchased from and with the help of Mr.Burnett.
To the fore in this development was Mr.R.S.M.Milne of Dykelands, Laurencekirk, who now grows 60–70 hectares of bulbs.
By 1960, it is estimated that the area of daffodils had increased to 100 hectares and that 10 hectares of tulips and miscellaneous bulbs were also grown.

These growers were interested in flower production as the main source of their income though the sale of surplus bulbs was a welcome addition.
The whole range of varieties were grown: Helios, King Alfred, Rembrandt, Aerolite, Carbineer, Carlton, Fortune, Scarlet, Flower Record, Sempre Avanti, Baths Flame, Double White, Black Prince, Cheerfulness, Geranium, Actaea, Tulips were single lates such as : Golden Harvest, Halcro, Inglescombe Yellow, Princess Margaret Rose, Smiling Queen and Mrs.
J.T.Scheepers, Cordel Hull, Farncombe Sanders, Princess Elisabeth of the Darwin Group; Dillenburg

II International Symposium on Flower Bulbs

D.H. Turner

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1975.47.2