Drakkar's Drift had already earned its reputation on the show circuit before anyone in Edinburgh got to walk through it properly. Designed by Leith resident Luke Coleman, the garden collected awards at a flower show in Yorkshire, then, rather than being dismantled and forgotten, a community fundraising campaign made sure it came home.
The formal opening on Sunday at Victoria Park was marked by Councillor Margaret Graham, the City of Edinburgh Council's Culture and Communities convener, and Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, the Liberal Democrat MSP for the area. It is now a permanent installation: a show-standard garden that belongs to the neighbourhood rather than a ticketed event in another county.
Victoria Park sits in the north of the city, serving Leith and the surrounding area, a part of Edinburgh that has spent years fighting for investment and recognition alongside its more-photographed neighbours closer to the Royal Mile. A community-funded, award-winning garden landing there is not nothing. It is the kind of place-making that planners talk about in PowerPoint decks and communities quietly get on with themselves.
According to Keep Scotland Beautiful, green and community spaces have a measurable effect on local wellbeing, footfall, and civic pride, findings that Edinburgh City Council has referenced in its own open spaces strategy. The research consistently shows that well-maintained parks and gardens increase time spent outdoors, reduce reported stress, and strengthen a sense of belonging in urban neighbourhoods. Drakkar's Drift is a small piece of that picture, but it is a real one.
Luke Coleman's work is also a reminder that creative talent is sitting in Edinburgh's residential streets, not just its studios and agencies. A Leith resident built something good enough to win at a national level. The community made sure it stayed. That is the whole story, and it is a decent one to end the week on.