It was a glorious day at the end of 2021 and unusually mild – 12 degrees Celsius. The car park was almost full and families were making the most of the erratic weather walking those trails that had reopened after the storms. A bad back had prevented me from stravaiging about in the usual wayContinue reading “American giants and English oaks”
Category Archives: Gardens, Historic landscapes
Homage to trees
In Torphins we had tea early on the Friday 26 November because the lights had been flickering, the wind was rising and a gale was forecast. We had just finished eating when the power went completely. Along the east side of Scotland and down into England thousands of trees were blown over, many of themContinue reading “Homage to trees”
Challenges
As the politicians, delegates and protesters return to their various countries we ponder on the outcomes of COP26. This year when most of the leaders of around 200 participating nations came to Scotland, when part of Glasgow became United Nations territory for a while, when an estimated 100,000 people filled the streets of Glasgow onContinue reading “Challenges”
Hope springs eternal
There’s a lot of hope involved in gardening. I watch Joanna tending her cuttings in the enlarged propagation bench. On the hot days of September it needed a lot of care – shading the cuttings with a green mesh in the heat, but rolling back the mesh to water or mist maybe four or fiveContinue reading “Hope springs eternal”
It’s all in the genes
As August turns to September we enjoy the hot colours of summer: the tiger lilies; the red dahlias; the orange heleniums, the many salvias, and – new to the garden – the little bat-faced cuphea, Cuphea llavea ‘Torpedo’, which makes a low mound of bright red and purple flowers. The cuphea is a native ofContinue reading “It’s all in the genes”
A place for everything?
There’s a definite air of excitement as we view the dipping pool and its new carnivorous plants. In Scotland we have our native carnivorous plants – sundews, butterwort and bladderworts – but these North American plants are monsters in comparison. Some will grow to over a metre in suitable conditions. Both they and the ScottishContinue reading “A place for everything?”
Who knows where the time goes?
The Evolution Garden at Crathes is finally completed – in so much as a garden is ever completed. The triangular piece of garden between the June Border and the Doocot Border was for many years used as a nursery for cardiocrinums, but by the end of the last century the lilies were not doing veryContinue reading “Who knows where the time goes?”
A global perspective
Crathes is famed for the diversity of its planting; for centuries plants have arrived from across the globe. Sir James Burnett (1880-1953) and his wife Sybil Crozier-Smith (1889-1960) were the principal architects of the diversity, and the National Trust for Scotland has since tried to honour their vision. Whilst we celebrate the diversity, we haveContinue reading “A global perspective”
‘Seven years’ weeding’
The frost continued into the first week of May. When finally there was respite, it was time to get the plants moving. When I visit on 11 May the broadspan greenhouse is almost empty and the yard is full of trays of bedding plants – gazanias and zaluzianskyas. The broadspan will not be empty forContinue reading “‘Seven years’ weeding’”
Trillium challenge
I have never thought too much about trilliums apart from the fact that they are beautiful; actually I don’t think I had ever seen them before I came to Crathes. Recently there have been new trilliums appearing in the garden so this year seems a good time to find out more. Tri for three: threeContinue reading “Trillium challenge”
Notes from Crathes 