Published on : Tue, 27 Sep 2005 05:20GMT
by : Lucy Andrews

LONDON - Alan Titchmarsh, the celebrity gardener has been chosen by the Prince of Wales to design a memorial garden at the former home of the late Queen Mother.

Titchmarsh has been asked to completely makeover the gardens at the Castle of Mey in Caithness. The challenge is that he also has to transform these gardens into an attractive tourist destination. “The prince is very hands-on and he’s an accomplished gardener, so my role will be complementary and as an adviser,” said Titchmarsh who happens to be the honorary patron of the Friends of the Castle of Mey group.

Titchmarsh added that the Prince was very fond of the late Queen Mother and wanted to establish a suitable memorial for her, "The trick of keeping the garden’s existing genius is to modify it gently rather than totally remodel it. I am anxious for the public to be welcomed more at the castle without spoiling the wonder of the place,” he enthused. Some of the other features that are planned for the proposed garden are a £40,000 visitor center plus a number of engraved Caithness stone slabs, which would bear significant dates in the Queen Mother's life and times.

Additionally, two stone viewing towers have also been planned. The Castle of Mey is a 600-year-old heritage structure and was the only home owned by the Queen Mother. Her wish was to see that the castle benefited the local community after her death. Prince Charles is the patron of the charitable trust that oversees the castle's upkeep.

Titchmarsh who is the former presenter of Gardeners' World and Ground Force called the garden 'a piece of Scottish heaven.' He added, "It personifies the great strength of character that we all associate with the Queen Mother, but still retains her famous feminine touch.”