Explorers Garden

On Memorial Day in the US, the RBGE garden staff also had off for a bank holiday. To celebrate, I rode the train about 2 hours north to Pitlochry. My destination was the Explorers Garden, a unique garden which celebrates Scottish plant hunters who travelled the world collecting plants from the early 1700s to the early 1900s. The garden was divided into displays from different geographical regions and had abundant signage detailing the lives and discoveries of the explorers. A few of the notable Scottish plant hunters include Archibald Menzies who introduced Araucaria araucana (Monkey puzzle tree) from South America in 1795 and David Douglas who introduced Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) from North America in 1827. 

It was a rainy day, so I was alone as I walked around the garden. 

I also came to Pitlochry to meet Julia Corden, the Garden Manager of the Explorers Garden. Julia was my contact for a grant I was awarded through the Diana Aitchison Fund of the Scottish Rock Garden Club. Julia graciously took time out of her busy day to present me with my award and chat!

The garden entrance was modeled after a compass and sold plants found in the garden.

In the North American section, I discovered the delicate purple flower spikes of one of my favorite bulbs, Camassia.

Phlox among the rocks.

The David Douglas Pavilion is a tribute to the plant explorer David Douglas. The roof is meant to resemble a folded leaf, with the shingles representing a fir cone.

My favorite area was the Himalayan Glade. Meconopsis was flowering in abundance and made a striking contrast against the dry stack walls.

A view of the David Douglas Pavilion from below. The balcony is meant to resemble the bow of a ship, referring to Douglas's ocean journeys to the US, Hawaii, and the Galapagos.

A unique wind chime.

One of the reasons I love rock gardens is the contrast of plants and rocks. The new bright green foliage of this fern provides a stunning example!