ABOUT GLENWHAN GARDENS
Visiting
gardens is always an education and we should always come away having
increased our knowledge in some way. This is certainly the case after
visits to Glenwhan, for this is very much a garden of comparisons.
Comparisons of a garden created out of moorland and certainly comparing
the development of different habitats - one boggy ground, the other dry
rocky knolls. The transformation is quite amazing!
Picture then a landscape of bracken and gorse, mixed through with large
rocky knolls and low lying boggy areas, where bog cotton, sundews,
sphagnum and heath spotted orchids grow in the deep peaty soil with a pH
of 4.5. It was hardly encouraging for farming, far less the development
of a garden. Yet, at 300', sloping to the south and with 40'' of rain
but little in the way of frost or snow, the uncompromising site has been
transformed. From the bleak hillside, an oasis of peace and tranquility;
a garden of great beauty, variety and complexity, with stunning colour
throughout the year, has been made in just 20 years. It is complimented
with beautiful views over Luce Bay to the Mull of Galloway and the Isle
of Man, from the various rocky vantage points.
Like so many of us, having holidayed here for many years, Tessa and Bill
Knott had fallen in love with this peaceful part of Scotland. In 1974,
they bought a delapidated farmhouse and 103 acres of open hillside,
without seeing the property. Once the farmhouse was tenable in 1979,
twelve acres were fenced off and secured against cattle, rabbits and
deer, and the perimeter planting of pine, larch, rowan and oak commenced
to provide shelter, especially from the east wind. These trees are now
being thinned to provide shady planting areas.
The inspiration to develop the garden came initially from visits to
Logan Botanic Garden, some 15 miles to the southwest, where a vast range
of southern hemisphere plants thrive. This provided the challenge which
Tessa Knott needed. Without any formal training in horticulture and
starting as a complete amateur, support came in the form of Hollies from
Lady Ann Palmer; from Hugh McAllister with a large collection of Sorbus
species; from the International Dendrology Society with Tasmanian seed
and with the supply of Eucalypts from Dick Law who holds the Eucalyptus
collection for the NCCPG nearby. Willows, which grow so quickly, thus
providing almost immediate shelter, came from Long Ashton Research
Station.
Today the Gardens are a delight, with its range of seasonal blooms,
exotic plants, rare species and gentle footpaths meandering through the
gardens. For wildlife and pollinating insects it is a fantastic habitat,
whilst fish are now happily at home in our lochs. Wild areas have not
been overlooked either, as our Wilderness area provides a habitat of a
more unstructured kind, allowing those plants and creatures that prefer
more rugged environments a place to live. Glenwhan Gardens have a lot to
offer and to see, whatever the season. So please do come and enjoy the
vistas, the tranquility, the species and the colour. The garden also
offers plant sales across the seasons, which are ideal for those wanting
to take a wee part of the beauty home with them! ~ Bob Mitchell. Former Curator, St
Andrew's Botanic Garden.
Glenwhan Gardens, Dunragit, nr Stranraer, Wigtownshire, (DG9 8PH) are
open from March until October daily, 10.00am - 17.30pm. Visitors are
most welcome, but large parties are advised to book well in advance!
(Telephone: 01581 400222) Our licensed Tearoom is open and ready to
serve you a delicious range of hot and cold meals, snacks, drinks -
alchoholic and non-alchoholic, and seasonal produce. We hope you gain as
much enjoyment from visiting Glenwhan Gardens as we had creating them!