Dawyck Botanic Gardens and Arboretum

The basic work on the gardens was started by the Naesmyth family when they acquired the estate in 1691. It was Sir James Naesmyth who laid out the existing overall plans and set about introducing new plants, especially trees. He imported new material from North America and the gardens now boast magnificent specimens of the great North American pines. The gardens have some of the finest specimens of Douglas fir outside of North America, the trees having been grown from seed sent back by Douglas himself in about 1830.

The positioning of some of the trees could be better but it must have been a nightmare in the 1830s trying to visualise the effect of trees growing four times the size of the local trees without the benefit of photographs or confirmed accurate heights.

The major landscaping features were introduced to the gardens in 1832 when a team of Italian craftsmen were commissioned to construct terraces, bridges and steps. Many of these features are graced by urns sited at the time of their construction.

While the largest attractions may be its famous North American conifers, the gardens finest attractions are undoubtedly its large collection of Sino-Himalayan trees and rhododendrons collected by E.H. Chinese Wilson and sent to Dawyck by Prof. John Sargeant of The Arnold Arboretum in Boston. The rhododendrons are complemented by collections of azalea, berberis and cotoneasters.

The garden has recently set aside part of the woodland as a Cryptogamic Sanctuary & Reserve. The Reserve is in an old Beech plantation and it offers a unique chance to view fungi, lichens, ferns, horsetails, mosses and liverworts. It will allow the study of these lower plants and the effect they have on a habitat, particularly the way fungi recycle nutriants back into the soil. It is hoped that as the sanctuary develops new species will colonise the area.

The gardens are open to the public from mid-March to mid-October. In the spring there are carpets of spring flowering bulbs, followed by the rhododendrons. The diversity of the broad leafed trees gives an extensive spectrum of autumn colour. The paths are well laid out and vantage points give glorious vistas over the trees and the surrounding hills. The rural setting of the gardens encourages a wide diversity of wildlife including red squirrel, woodpeckers and a wide diversity of other birdlife.

The gardens are highly commended and well worth the modest entrance fee.

---

-- Duncan McDougall

Contacting Dawyck:

The Assistant Curator Dawyck Botanic Gardens
Stobo
Peebleshire
EH45 9JU
Scotland

Phone: 01721 760254
Fax: 01721 760214

---

The Gardens of the World column is sponsored by the Seed Guild, providers of unusual and rare seeds.

Letters and Comments | Mailing List | Submissions | Technical Problems

Copyright 1997 GardenWeb