Inverewe Garden is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

. It is located just to the north of

Poolewe Poolewe ( gd, Poll Iù) is a small village in Wester Ross in the North West Highlands of Scotland, about northwest of Inverness, by Loch Ewe. The River Ewe, one of the shortest in Scotland, joins the sea less than from Inverewe Garden, renown ...

Wester Ross Wester Ross () is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to t ...

, and is noted for the breadth of its collection. The garden was created from barren land in 1862 by

Osgood Mackenzie Osgood Hanbury Mackenzie (1842–1922; Scottish Gaelic: Osgood MacCoinnich) was a Scottish landowner and the creator of a famous garden at Inverewe, near Poolewe in Wester Ross. Origins Mackenzie was born on 13 May 1842, at the Chateau de Talh ...

on the estate bought for him by his mother. Initially the challenges were to provide a wind break and soil. To solve the problems, he planted a mixture of large trees and shrubs e.g.

Corsican Pine ''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as wel ...

Douglas Fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three v ...

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

s etc. Having done so his vision was to grow as many exotic plants as possible; this he achieved until his death in 1922. The original Inverewe Lodge was destroyed by fire in 1914 and replaced in 1937 by the current Inverewe House. The Garden covers some and has over 2,500 exotic plants and flowers. There is a further of land managed for recreation and conservation. The garden and estate has been the property of the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...

since it was given to the Trust along with a generous endowment for its future upkeep by Osgood's daughter Mairi Sawyer in 1952. The garden continues to be developed by the small garden team. There are currently 10 full-time gardeners. Inverewe has a noteworthy

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

collection in flower throughout the year. The garden also has a large collection of

Erythronium ''Erythronium'', the fawn lily, trout lily, dog's-tooth violet or adder's tongue, is a genus of Eurasian and North American plants in the lily family, most closely related to tulips. The name Erythronium derives from Ancient Greek () "red" in ...

s. These flower in Spring and in recent years the garden has promoted an Erythronium festival. In summer the walled garden and borders come into their own with many exotic plants from all over the world which grow here thanks to the influence of the

North Atlantic current The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward. The NAC originates from where ...

. Even in winter Inverewe is colourful as the bark of many rhododendrons is beautifully and delicately coloured and the collection of native and non-native trees, including

Wollemi The Wollemi National Park () is a protected national park and wilderness area that is located in the northern Blue Mountains and Lower Hunter regions of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park, the second largest national park in New ...

trees, add to the variety.

Notable staff

Douglas Mackay Henderson Douglas Mackay Henderson CBE FRSE FLS (30 August 1927 – 10 November 2007) was a Scottish botanist, the 12th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1970 to 1987. Life He was born in Blairgowrie on 30 August 1927, the second ...

Administrator from 1987 to 1992

References

External links

Inverewe Garden information at the National Trust of Scotland
National Trust for Scotland properties Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Botanical gardens in Scotland Gardens in Highland (council area) 1862 establishments in Scotland {{UK-garden-stub