"Big Tree Country" - Part 6

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Aberfeldy and Kenmore : Part B.

As I strolled around Kenmore village, cold drink and chocolate long since consumed, I learned from an information plaque that the hills immediately north of the village were among the first in Scotland to have been planted up with trees, with a view to making a profit from timber. One of those hills, Drummond Hill, has a nice forest trail leading to a spectacular viewing ledge known as the “Black Rock”. So, it was time to get those walking boots on again and climb, climb, climb. I did get soaked in a torrential downpour on the way, but soon the sun shone again, and I had dried out by the time I got back down to the carpark. The view, even in the rain, was well worth the hike, and the soaking.

Kenmore, viewed from Drummond Hill

I even had a bit of excitement, – a young red deer almost collided with me, when it suddenly burst out from the forest and ran across the track, into the trees on the other side. :-)

The deer startled me at first, because my thoughts were still on the name Menzies,from my visit earlier in the day to Castle Menzies (previous blog).
When I got back to the car, I rummaged through my very dishevelled ring-binder old notes from a few years ago, and found what I was looking for:-

Archibald Menzies (1754 – 1842), born in the parish of Weem, close to Aberfeldy, Perthshire.. Whilst working in botany at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, was encouraged to study medicine, and qualified as a surgeon. He became a ship’s doctor in the Royal Navy, and made several voyages round Cape Horn, to Hawaii, and to the Pacific Northwest. Among the captains he sailed under, was Captain George Vancouver. He introduced many plant specimens to Europe, his most well-known possibly being the “Monkey Puzzle” tree (Araucaria araucana): and the Chilean (sometimes Scottish) Flame Flower/ Flame flower/Flame Nasturtium (Tropaeolum speciosum) – both originally natives of Chile.

Young Monkey Puzzle Tree in a Municipal Park near our Home

Although I knew that there would be nothing much remaining on the ground here, to associate with Archibald Menzies, I wondered if there might be something in a special garden 4 miles east of Weem, which I knew of, but had never visited – and so my daytrip, plant-themed, mystery tour, continued.

Cluny House

Cluny House Gardens (only the gardens are open, the house is privately-owned), as I discovered for myself, is an amazing place!

In the 1950s, Bobby and Betty Masterton bought the house and garden (2.4 hectares). Their main passion was Himalayan plants and trees, and they found that many of these grew well in the local climate. Later on, they added plant species from western North and South America. In 1987, the house and grounds were inherited by their daughter and her husband, who have since maintained and grown the gardens, following organic principles.

Tropaeolum speciosum in Cluny House Gardens

I knew that this rampant vine would be in flower right now, but never appreciated just how tall and wide it can grow. In this garden, it was easily over 15 ft wide, and clambering into the lowest branches of conifer trees, I guess, over 25t above me.

It is interesting to note that Archibald Menzies and David Douglas were contemporaries, both from Perthshire, and both of whom collected plants in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. The Douglas Fir, accredited to Douglas, is actually named after Archibald Menzies – Psuedotsuga menziesii.

I saw many once “exotic” plants, but two, in particular, had the “wow” factor, for me.

The stunning Nepalese Lily (Lilium nepalense)……..

Also, the 10ft tall Giant Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum)……………

What brought me here, however, was another “record-breaking” tree, said to be the one with the widest trunk circumference in the UK.

The big trunk belongs to a Sequoiadendron giganteum/Wellingtonia/Sierra Redwood/“Big Tree”. It has the largest circumference of a conifer in the UK is over 150 years old, and is 132ft tall. But, with images in my mind from Primary School in the ’60s, of slides of cars on roads running through underpasses carved out through the trunks of these great trees, I was not undr any illusion. This tree is still a teenager, and can grow to over 200ft tall, and live for 1000 years.

Gazing upwards

I was in awe of this garden! There is an admission charge for adults in summer, and also plant sales – but, there is noone to take your money. Everything is based on trust, and you just put your money into “honesty” boxes as you go.
I saw 2 people deaheading and weeding, but that was it! In the winter months, admission is free, and all that is asked is a donation to feed the red Squirrels, who visit here. When I read that sightings of these lovely animals was almost guaranteed here, it helped me make my mind up to visit. They are very, very timid, compared to their North American grey cousins, and my dream is to get a good pic of one. I watched, in awe, as as a couple raced each other down the Sequoia to a hanging birdfeeder, and admired how their natural colouring blended in well with the tree bark (have also noted how this is so with the native Scots Pine) – alas, no pics again today, they moved too quickly.

I was thrilled to see, together, the beautiful cones of the Korean Fir (Abies koreana) and the (originally from Chile) Tropaeolum speciosum. I felt that I had just done a gardening world tour!

I feel that I have blogged enough, for now, so (unfortunately?) my account of my day out will have to extend to yet another blog – sorry! It is just my way of combining my old paper notes with pics, now that I can get the occasional chance to see the places I once noted down.

Coming up…….the oldest living thing in the world (a Yew), a mystical mountain, a famous viewpoint, and a garden dedicated to the planthunters of the past.

• 22 Jul, 2009
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