Stunning autumn hues at Dawyck Botanic Garden, Peebles

Just as flowers are fading, one garden in the Scottish Borders is putting on a spectacular show. Dawyck Botanic Garden near Peebles contains one of the finest tree collections in Scotland and at this time of the year the leaf colours are a dazzling mix of scarlet and gold.

Set on a steep hillside, at 850ft above sea level, Dawyck provides ideal growing conditions for trees from some of the world’s highest regions and since the 17th century, successive owners followed the fashion of planting the new introductions that were being sent back by the botanists who had set out to explore the Himalayas and the American continent.

Amongst these were Giant Redwoods, Dawn Redwoods and Douglas Firs, grown from seed collected by the great Scottish plant hunter, David Douglas himself and they have flourished in the cool, clear air of Dawyck.

The Dawyck rhododendrons (Image: free) The oldest tree in the collection is a Silver fir (Abies alba), which was planted in 1680, while the original Dawyk Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck), unusual in that it takes on a columnar shape as it matures, is the parent of many that have since been grown in other locations.

Since 1978, when the garden passed into the care of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh the work of caring for these trees and adding to their numbers has continued and there has been a focus too on conserving rare Scottish species, such as the Woolly Willow (Salix lanata) which, for a time persisted in only a few, rocky sites, high in the Cairngorms. Thanks to work by the RBGE, replanting has taken place, helping to ensure the future of the species in Scotland’s mountains.

Dawyck also contains the world’s first Cryptogamic Sanctuary, a place where mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi are allowed to flourish. This Sanctuary, which is located within the garden’s Heron Wood, has been closely studied now for almost 30 years and has proved to be an important resource for scientists who continue to make important discoveries about these intriguing plants.

A guided tour in Dawyck (Image: free) Between the heights of its soaring trees and the mosses that grow at ground level, lie Dawyck’s important collection of rhododendrons and the azaleas which, in spring, fill the garden with scent and colour. Early in the year the banks of the Scrape Burn, which tumbles through the estate as it falls towards the River Tweed, are covered in snowdrops and in May and June, Blue Poppies give the landscape a Himalayan appearance.

Meanwhile there’s just over a month left to catch Dawyck’s autumn show before the garden closes for the season and the final guided tour of the year, will take place on Sunday, 27 October.

Details

Dawyck Botanic Garden is open daily until 30 November, 10am-4pm Tickets: £10/£8.70/£1 (Young Scot card)/free (under 15) Tel: 01796 481207 https://www.rbge.org.uk/dawyck Directions Dawyck is eight miles south of Peebles on the B712

In association with Discover Scottish Gardens www.discoverscottishgardens.org