Glendoick Garden Centre 50 Years 1973 to 2023

Glendoick Garden Centre opened on 21^st April 1973

2023 Glendoick Garden Centre celebrates 50 Years. With thanks to all our customers and our amazing staff who have made Glendoick what it is today.

In 1973 Glendoick's first day's trading took £103

First week’s trading £526.85

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Glendoick Achievements during last 50 years

Plant Breeding and new introductions

• Peter & Kenneth Cox have bred 31 Bird dwarf rhododendron hybrids: ‘Curlew’, ‘Ptarmigan’, ‘Snipe’, ‘Razorbill’, Wren etc. Many are world wide best sellers.
• 15 Mammal evergreen azaleas: Panda, Wombat, Lemur, Squirrel… and many more
• 15 Double evergreen azaleas: Glendoick Goblin, Glendoick Georgette, Glendoick Glacier etc
• 8 Scottish Mountain deciduous azaleas Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond, Ben Cruachan, Ben Macdui
• 20 Scottish Loch Rhododendron hybrids: ‘Loch Awe’, ‘Loch Earn’, Loch Faskally’…
• Other plants: Sorbus ‘Glendoick Spire’, Sorbus ‘Glendoick Gleam’

 Plant Hunting

• 27 expeditions to China, Himalaya in search of plants
• 20 new species of rhododendron introduced for the first time
• 5 new species of rhododendron discovered.

Woodland Gardens Open for Charity

• Glendoick Gardens open for charity for 50 years (2022).

 Books by Peter & Kenneth Cox

• 20 books by Peter & Kenneth Cox Scotland for Gardeners, Garden Plants for Scotland, Fruit and Vegetables for Scotland, Woodland Gardening, and many more.

Hundreds of gardens planted with advice from Glendoick Plant Area teams, Tricia and Kenneth Cox

• Raising Money for local charities: 1000s children visiting Santa raising more than £45,000 for local charities in the last 10 years.
• The most popular Christmas attraction in E central Scotland.  

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50 Trees comminity planting project in Autumn 2023                                     

Perth and Kinross council are arranging sites on Perth North Inch, Craigie Hill and Kinnoull Hill for Tree planting of native species. Trees are being grown at Glendoick

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Long Serving Glendoick Staff members

Glendoick would be nothing without its loyal and hard working staff. Many of whom have worked at Glendoick for many years. In some cases more than one generation have worked at the nursery, or garden centre

Nancy Cruden	44 years	Retired 2020
Jim Cruden	25 years		Father of Nancy Cruden
Betty Forsyth	30 years	1973 - 2003	Garden Centre Asistant Manager
Mary Malloy	38 years	1980 - 2008
Mary Winchester	18 years	2005 - 2022
John Mitton	32 years	1991 - 2023	Nursery Manager
Dave McIntosh	32 years	1991	Estates
Lynne McIntosh	20 years	2002	Daughter of Dave McIntosh
Jane Sanderson	16 years	2007	Nursery
Alison Winn	15 years	2008	Café
Heather Borderie	14 years	2009	Operations Director
Annie Kane	13 years	2010	Garden Centre Manager

 

 

A History of Glendoick & Glendoick Garden Centre

1747 Glendoick House Built

1893 Euan Cox born

1899  Glendoick purchased by Alfred Cox

1919  Euan Cox in Burma plant hunting with Reginald Farrer

1953  Euan and Peter Cox found the rhododendron nursery at Glendoick

1962  Rhododendron ‘Chikor’ first Glendoick bird hybrid.

1963 Peter & Patricia Cox married.

1965 Arunachal Pradesh Expedition, Peter & Patricia and Peter Hutchison

1973  Peter & Patricia Cox found Glendoick Garden Centre.

1973  Peter Cox book Dwarf Rhododendrons published.

1981  Peter Cox  SBEC expedition, the re opening of China.

1987 Queen Mother visits Glendoick and choses a rhododendron to be named in her honour.

1988 Peter & Kenneth Cox publish Encyclopaedia of Rhododendron Hybrids

1991 Major Glendoick Garden Centre extension.

1996  Glendoick Café opens

1994 Glendoick Garden Centre Pagoda Garden opens, designed by Patricia Cox

1992 Peter Cox awarded V.M.H. highest honour from Royal Horticultural Society.

1995  Kenneth Cox leads first Tsangpo Gorges, Tibet expedition.

1997 Encyclopedia of Rhododendron Species by Peter and Kenneth Cox published.

2001 Jane Cox joins the company and runs the expanding catering and food side of Glendoick’s business.

2006, 2008, 2010 Glendoick’s Cafe wins U.K. Garden Centre Café of the year.

2008  Cafe and Kitchen Extension

2008 Seeds of Adventure Peter Cox and Peter Hutchison Wins the Garden Media Guild 'Inspirational Book of the Year'

2009  Glendoick wins UK Garden Centre of the Year.

2009 Scotland for Gardeners by Kenneth Cox wins Garden Reference Book of the Year (Garden Media Guild).

2011 November 11^th New Garden Centre shop extension (Algo) opened by John Swinney MSP.

2012 Fruit and Vegetables for Scotland published and wins UK Practical Gardening Book of the Year (GMG)

2013 Peter & Patricia Cox Golden Wedding

2016, 2017 Voted Best Scottish Garden Centre café and giftshop

2018 New Café extension opens

2019 Glendoick wins Retail Business of the year in the SME Business Awards.

2022  Glendoick wins Scottish Rural Business of the Year.

2023 GLendoick Garden Centre celebrates 50 years

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Glendoick Garden Centre Awards won

UK Garden Centre of the Year  2009, 2013

Best UK Garden Centre Café  2006, 2008, 2010, 2013

UK Garden Centre Plant Area of the Year  2013

UK Garden Centre Sales Team of the Year   2016

UK Garden Centre Community Event of the Year 2016

GCA Best Garden Centre & Gift Shop in Scotland  2015, 2016, 2017

GCA Best Garden Centre Café in Scotland  2016, 2017

GCA UK Garden Centre Gift Shop of the Year (runner up)  2016

GCA Best Indoor Lifestyle Departments in Scotland   2019

UK Garden Centre Employee of the Year (Heather Borderie)   2013

ASB Community Commitment Award   2017

ASB Best Performing Team of the Year Award    2016

Scottish SME Business Awards Retail Business of the Year  2019

Caley Medal  John Mitton  2020         

Glendoick Gardens SGS 50 years of garden opening   2022      

The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards Rural Family Business of the year   2022