Back to Threave Gardens again and the photo below is close to the entrance, it looks like a newly planted area and the sphere is made up of slate, very trendy at the moment I think. I’m sure they’re also very expensive as there’s obviously a lot of skill and time involved in sculpting something like that.
Giant Gunneras seem to grow well in Scotland, there are quite a lot growing in the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens too. They always remind me of a Beatrix Potter illustration.
There are some really lovely trees growing at Threave and in the distance below there’s a large carved wooden fir cone.
I love walled gardens, they always have a feeling of safety and comfort and of course the walls offer great protection for the plants, the one at Threave is beautiful.
Threave really has a wonderful variety of plants and different types of gardens.
I was quite surprised by the rockery below though as it doesn’t have much in the way of rocks. I thought my rockery was a bit lacking in rocks but it has more than this one at Threave.
Below is another sculpture which is a big lump of rock with carvings of animals on it. I prefer big rocks to be left au naturel as to me you can never improve on the beauty of a natural rock face, but that’s just my opinion. The trees look fantastic though – don’t they?
What a delightful garden. The planning and design are beautiful.
It would never have occurred to me to make slate sculptures like that, but I see from investigating it is indeed a current “thing”.
“Timmy Willie sheltering from the rain” is the image that comes to mind, seeing the Gunnera leaves. It’s a plant that definitely makes a “statement in the landscape”, as they say, but unfortunately flourishes and goes rampant here so is no longer permitted to be sold, propagated or distributed.
I love the grove of conifers and the carved fir-cone.
Those specimen trees in the last photo are lovely.
Valerie,
For me Threave was the highlight of our trip. It was Timmie Willie that I was thinking about, I still have those books in boxes. There were Gunneras growing near here but they were dug up last year although they weren’t anything like as big as the ones that are growing at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. I don’t think they’ve been banned though.
It looked like a perfect day for a walk through a lovely garden. I like the pinecone sculpture. I’m fond of pinecones and acorns.
Joan,
Me too. In fact a country walk often ends up with me taking home an acorn, pine cone or feather that I just couldn’t leave on the ground – like a three year old!
beautiful!
Sandra,
We were lucky to be there when the rhoddies were out, but I imagine it’s good in high summer too.
Oh, I love the walled garden, too!
Is Dumfries in the southern part of Scotland by any chance? I’m trying to keep the parts of Scotland straight in my head.
Judith,
Yes, Dumfries and Galloway is in the south west of Scotland, in fact we got to the furthest s.w point in Scotland at Mull of Galloway.