Glory of Galloway

Just south of Castle Douglas is one of the National Trust for Scotland’s most important gardens. It spreads out across the west-facing slope of Kelton Hill, flowing around a Baronial mansion once owned by daffodil expert, Major Alan Gordon, whose legacy includes many fine trees and a collection of rare ‘Southern Gem’ daffodils.

In April these delicate little blooms carpet the slopes beneath the house, transforming the grass with a wash of pale yellow colour and filling the air with the scent of spring.

The daffodils may have faded, but Threave is a garden for all seasons and by late summer its densely-packed borders are spilling over with flowers. Trees in the orchard are laden with heritage apples and pear and roses are flourishing on the formal terrace.

In the shrub and herbaceous beds below the visitor centre, lavender and the decorative leek, Allium sphaerocephalon, bask in the sun while, in the Discovery Garden, the wildflower meadow is filled with waving grasses that are taller than the children who play there.

Left: Threave House presides over flower beds and sweeping lawns. Right: The slope above the formal gardens looks out over the rolling countryside

Threave has an arboretum and a collection of majestic conifers. There are woodland areas, a heather garden, a rock garden and broad lawns. Hydrangeas surround a Secret Garden that’s tucked away beneath dense shrubs, while the planting in the Garden of Contemplation, with its winding paths and views over the countryside, includes the soothing green tones of massed ferns and Box balls.

Threave’s ponds are a magnet for the abundant wildlife that lives around the garden. Bats and red squirrels have made their home here, red kites can frequently be seen circling overhead, while frogs and palmate newts live within the ponds themselves.

And then there is the walled garden, which at this time of year is lined with ripening apples and filled with fresh produce that’s just waiting to be picked.

If the cabbages here show few signs of being nibbled and an outdoor vine is heavy with grapes, oblivious to the fact that it grows in Scotland, that’s because Threave is home to the National Trust for Scotland’s School of Heritage Gardening and the 24-hectare garden receives the expert attention of the school’s tutors and its students.

The NTS has been training gardeners at Threave for 60 years, providing them with the skills and knowledge that has allowed them to carve out careers in some of the country’s finest gardens and increasingly that means encouraging the sort of flexible approach that is essential for coping with climate change.

Michael Lawrie is both Head Gardener and Head of School, and he says that today’s gardeners have to take a more dynamic approach than was encouraged in the past.

“If one of our team decides to come in at 5am because conditions are perfect for cutting the grass, and then takes the afternoon off, we are fine with that. We foster the attitude in our students that they have to be in tune with the garden, rather than working to a strict timetable.”

The reason says Michael is that erratic weather patterns are forcing gardeners to rewrite the rule book, making them look again at how and when tasks are undertaken.

“Here at Threave was are a climate monitoring garden and we see the evidence of our climate getting wetter and warmer. Part of my role is to plan 50 years ahead and that is becoming more challenging.”

One way in which Michael ensures continuity into the future is by collecting seed of some of the best trees in the garden and propagating replacements for those that are reaching maturity. Occasionally it also involves making hard decision about what trees to remove.

“All of our trees are surveyed two or three times a year but we may have to remove some in order to improve air flow through the garden.”

Champion specimens of the Dawn redwood  (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) and the  Handkerchief tree (Davida involcrata) are just a few of the many beautiful trees that make up the landscape at Threave and this autumn the garden will be taking part in the annual Scottish Tree Festival, organised by Discover Scottish Gardens, which starts in October.

There will be trails through the woods and visitors will be able to enjoy the acers, birches and oaks as they take on their vivid autumn colours.

They will also get a chance to see some of the 70 different kinds of holly that grow at Threave and these are a particular favourite with Michael.

“You need to look closely at the tiny flowers to appreciate how beautiful they are but holly is a much under-rated tree and offers food and shelter to birds.”

Hollies also help to calm turbulent winds, says Michael, making them invaluable in a garden that’s at the forefront of learning to adapt to new patterns of weather.

WIDER LANDSCAPE
As well as the gardens and the School of Heritage Horticulture, the wider Threave estate also includes a nature reserve and wetlands with ospreys, whooper swans and peregrine falcons. The red kites, which were reintroduced to Dumfries & Galloway in 2001, are a familiar sight and the numbers of march harrier are beginning to multiply. Threave is also Scotland’s first bat reserve, home to eight different species including the Leisler’s bat, which was confirmed to be roosting here just two years ago.

Garden Notebook
Threave Garden and Estate
Castle Douglas, DG7 1RX
Opening times: 10am - 5pm