Crarae Garden

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Fall time in Crarae Gardens

Crarae Garden is located on the banks of Loch Fyne in the British part of Scotland , about 15 kilometers southwest of Inveraray in the Council Area Argyll and Bute . Plants specially from the Himalayan region have been planted here on an area of ​​around 40 hectares since 1912 . Today the garden is looked after by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).

description

Clyde Tomb from Crarae Garden

Crarae Garden was laid out in 1912 by Lady Grace Campbell, the aunt of the plant collector Reginald Farrer , who brought her seeds and plants from Nepal , Tibet and China . These plants from the Himalayas are still the focus of collection in the garden today, but, as the NTS humorously writes, one has never seen a Yeti there. In addition to shrubs and perennials in the garden grows an abundance of trees, for example, it is home to the National Collection ( English National Collection ) by illusory beeches of the United Kingdom and a larger number conifer varieties. In the garden there are a total of 50 plant families, 240 genera and over 900 plant species from all over the world, including over 400 species of rhododendrons .

Near the garden entrance are the remains of the Clyde Tomb from Crarae Garden , a megalithic tomb that belongs to the group of the Clyde Tombs , dating from around 3500 BC .

The monument authority Historic Environment Scotland has given the garden in the category Horticultural with the highest level "Outstanding" ( English Outstanding ).

Woodland Garden

Tibetan poppy seeds

In 1932, George Campbell began planting various conifers on 19 parcels of the site. The aim of the project was to research how well the trees would be suitable for forestry use. The Forestry Commission was so convinced of this project that it took over the supervision in 1957, but in the 1980s it had to return responsibility to Ilay Campbell due to economic constraints. The trees planted by the Forestry Commission are now over 50 years old and they can now be used to study how these unusual varieties are suitable for the purpose of the project. Most of the rhododendrons planted in Crarae Garden also grow in these areas of the site.

Walled Garden

Today the kitchen garden is mainly used as a sales point for the seedlings grown in the greenhouses . At the entrance to the garden, strips of roses and Tibetan poppies ( Meconopsis betonicifolia ) ( English Himalayan Blue Poppy ) are laid out. Since its inception, this garden has been completely redesigned and the main focus has been on deciduous shrubs and flowering plants.

Border areas

Smaller and more demanding plants were planted on the edge of the site. Many rare and unusual plants and climbing plants grow up there on the garden walls of the property.

story

The area has been owned by the Campbell family since 1825. In 1898 the widow of Sir George Campbell, 4th Baronet, had a country house built there; the garden was laid out in 1912 by Lady Campbell, wife of the 5th Baronet. In 1925 it was taken over by her son Sir George, 6th Baronet, who lived there until his death in 1967. Subsequently, his son Sir Ilay Campbell, 7th Baronet, inherited the garden, who bequeathed it in 1978 to the "Crarae Garden Charitable Trust" founded that year. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to finance the maintenance. After a public appeal for donations to set up a fund, the NTS was able to acquire the garden area in 2002.

See also

literature

  • Francesca Greenoak: The Gardens of the National Trust for Scotland. Aurum Press, London 2005, ISBN 1-84513-037-5 , p. 43 ff.
  • Land Use Consultants: A Study of gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Countryside Commission for Scotland, Perth 1982, ISBN 0-902226-69-X , p. 134 ff.
  • George Smith: Rhododendron Species in the Great Garden at Crarae. In: Journal - American Rhododendron Society. Volume 49, No. 1, 1995, ISSN  0745-7839 ( online ).
  • Herbert Spady: Crarae Glen Garden. In: Journal - American Rhododendron Society. Volume 42, No. 4, 1988, ISSN  0745-7839 ( online ).
  • James Truscott: Private Gardens of Scotland. Harmony Books, New York 1988, ISBN 0-517-56974-4 , pp. 34-39.

Web links

Commons : Crarae Gardens  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Crarae Garden on the National Trust for Scotland website , accessed August 26, 2021.
  2. ↑ Collection Details Nothofagus , accessed on August 27, 2021.
  3. ↑ Highlight plants at Crarae Garden this September , accessed August 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ Crarae Garden on britainexpress.com , accessed August 26, 2021.
  5. ↑ a b Crarae Garden on the Historic Environment Scotland website , accessed August 26, 2021.
  6. ^ A b Patrick Taylor: Gardens of Britain and Ireland. Dorling Kindersley, London 2008, ISBN 1-4053-3625-0 , p. 287 ( digitized version ).
  7. ^ John M. Hammond: Crarae Glen Garden in Crisis Appeal by the National Trust for Scotland. In: Journal - American Rhododendron Society. Volume 55, No. 1, 2001, ISSN  0745-7839 ( online ).

Coordinates: 56 ° 7 ′ 32.9 ″  N , 5 ° 14 ′ 31.7 ″  W.