Inverewe's celebrated gardens continue to evolve as a hotbed for rare plants and horticultural excellence

Published on Wednesday 24 June 2009 14:58

Kevin Ball, head gardener at Inverewe Garden in Wester Ross, opens the door of a poly tunnel on the edge of the renowned walled garden to reveal a row of nine long-needled Wollemi Pines and a selection of pot-grown cobra lilies. He says: "These rare Australian pines were given to us by two generous donors in memory of loved ones. We are planting them in a bed in the woodland, cleared after the storms of 2005 brought down several trees.

Originally from Derbyshire, Kevin, who has been at Inverewe for nine years, working his way up the ranks before taking over from John Anderson as head gardener in 2007, is the latest in a succession of talented horticulturists to tend this historic garden. Started in the 1860s on a rocky, windswept coastline by Osgood Mackenzie, and later gifted to the National Trust for Scotland by his daughter, Mairi, in 1953, Inverewe perches above a curved bay in Loch Ewe. The garden is warmed by the North Atlantic Drift and protected by Mackenzie's shelterbelt of trees to produce conditions where Drimys lanceolata and species of pittosporum are merely "aristocratic weeds". Rare species such as the Tasmanian groundsel tree, Brachyglottis brunonis, and the Chinese native, Symplocos pyrifolia, can be found in this unusual micro-climate.

Maintaining a 54-acre garden in current economic conditions is proving challenging. Cutbacks in staff are eroding the team's ability to take care of the whole garden. Kevin is concerned that woodland areas, such as the slopes below the Devil's Elbow viewpoint, will not receive the attention they deserve.

Backed by a dedicated team Kevin, a knowledgeable plantsman, is keen to maintain a high standard of basic maintenance while taking advantage of opportunities to update the planting, such as the gaps created by storm damage both this year and four years ago.

"We want to make it interesting to a wide range of visitors and renew the planting in a way that keeps the garden stimulating and relevant." Children are included in this vision.

Kevin's touch is light but effective. Members of the local community are valued for their contribution as volunteers and for their regular visits. For example, a newly planted Acacia dealbata "Gaulios Astier" on the path overlooking the Walled Garden was donated by the Inverewe gardeners to thank a local couple known as the "biscuit fairies" who ensure the team are always well supplied with treats.

Visitors are engaged from the moment they walk through the visitor centre, where the "must see" plant of the day is highlighted. This might be a meconopsis – Inverewe is home to a rapidly developing collection. Visitors are encouraged to follow a trail in search of varieties of this translucent beauty found here in a range of colours from blue to white to rusty red. Varieties include M. "Mop Head" and M. punicea, set against unusual background planting such as Anthriscus "Ravenswing". Each plant is set in surroundings best suited to its fragile beauty, with some shown off against the natural walls of pink Torridonian standstone, while others are displayed more formally in the Walled Garden.

Homebred M. "Inverewe" is close to the house built by Mairi and her second husband, Ronald Sawyer, in the 1930s replacing the original mansion destroyed by fire in 1914. "Trying to work with plants is like painting with flowers," Kevin points out. "You have to get the structure right and know the plants and their colours. It also helps to know how they work and when they are at their best."

Work in the woodland garden, that extends around the coastline and is threaded by a network of paths opening up to reveal tantalising sea views, is characterised by attention to detail. Here, dotted among stately Scots Pines, is the historic collection of Mackenzie's rhododendrons, which "seed around like mustard and cress". The original species, such as the tree-sized Rhododendron sinogrande and R. arboreum, continue to be grown, though some of the indeterminate hybrids are being replaced by better quality modern varieties. In addition, Inverewe holds National Collections of R. Barbata, Glischra and Maculifera.

Among the woodland plants are those on the recently completed insectivorous island. Intriguing carnivorous plants include Sarracenia Purpurea, S. flava, and the cobra lily, Darlingtonia californica. "These are at the edge of their range here, but manage to survive outside through the winter."

Framed by Inverewe's famous belt of trees, with distant peaks rising beyond the loch, the iconic walled garden is curved to follow the line of the beach. Here, continuing with Mackenzie's tradition, vegetables, soft fruit and fruit trees in terraced beds are backed with a vibrant palate of herbaceous borders. Rows of vegetables are identified with elegant, white-painted handwritten signs, thanks to the calligraphic skills of one of the garden staff.

Now established between Symbol Stones in the area called Bamboosalem, in a glade exposed after the great storms, the Wollemi pine collection is the most northerly British collection of these prehistoric remnants. Kevin and his team took their time to find the right site for these exciting trees.

"We moved between 10 and 12 tons of stone and seven or eight tons of soil," he recalls, adding that he is keen to develop the garden while retaining its original character. "We are keeping the planting naturalistic, but we want a good complement of unusual plants and to increase the diversity. There are a lot of concepts involved. Above all, we aim to give people a day at Inverewe they will long remember." sm

n Inverewe Garden, Poolewe, by Achnasheen, Wester Ross, tel: [phone]. The Garden is open daily. Visit www.nts.org.uk for more details.n For a host of exciting new plant products, visit www.vanmeuwen.com/scotsman