Dawyck Botanic Garden

Dawyck is one of the three satellite gardens of RBGE. It is located south of Edinburgh near Peebles. The garden is located inland, about 60 miles from either coast, which gives it a much cooler climate than Edinburgh. Temperatures go as low as -20 C in the winter. The gardens also receive plentiful rainfall, about 36-43 inches per year. The gardeners at Dawyck had to close some of the steeper grass paths in the garden which had become too slippery from heavy rainfall.

I was able to go to Dawyck with three staff from RBGE who were checking on the Scottish Rare Plant Trail at the garden. Dawyck’s main focus is on woody plantings, so gardeners from RBGE go down to do the more detailed maintenance and planting of the herbaceous displays. The weather stayed pleasant while we were there, and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering about this very naturalistic and peaceful garden!

Tommy and Natasha replace daffodils with native Trollius europaeus.

Signage on the Scottish Rare Plant Trail is very informative. The Lady’s Mantle is said to be used to treat animals attacked by elves!

Prickly new growth on Oplopanax horridus, which is native to moist woodlands in the northwest US and the Great Lakes area.

Sequoiadendron giganteum, the Giant Redwood, grows well here! One of the oldest of these trees was planted in 1859. 

Beautiful Meconopsis is just beginning to open at Dawyck, a little behind the plants at RBGE.

Flower of the rare Blue Heath, Phyllodoce caerulea, is found on only a few mountains in Scotland. It grows best in cold hollows where the snow cover stays the longest.

Vaccinium myrtillus or Bilberry, is in flower and will later produce edible berries very similar to blueberries.

Just my summer house.. This house on the grounds is not open to the public.

Some of the trees of Dawyck.

A few sheep graze just outside the garden.

Tommy, Heather and Natasha discuss the suitability of this hollow for planting native willows. This is a north-facing slope where the snow will collect and melt late, which will cover the plants and discourage nibbling by rabbits!