Dawyck

The Dutch Bridge in the full blaze of autumn at the Dawyck Botanic Gardens The Royal Botanic Gardens Go to another page.

in Edinburgh has added three complimentary estates over the last few decades: Logan, Benmore and in 1979 Dawyck. Go to another site.

This last was a family estate for 300 years and its oldest surviving tree is a silver fir planted in 1680. It lies in the Tweed valley upstream from Peebles and to the north of Broad Law, seen on Go to another page.

the last page. The grounds were devastated by storms in 1968 and 1973, when some 50,000 trees were lost, and the necessary process of replacement and restoration has taken many years. The garden has a range of upland flowering plants, but its main interest is the trees which come from North America, east Asia and northern Europe. Tweed and Pykestone Woods.

Looking across the tweed valley to Pykestone Woods and the hills behind Dwayck The trees of Dawyck.

Dawyck Botanic Gardens houses an important national collection of trees, including Giant Redwood, Grand Fir and Lawson Cypress Tweed and Dawyck Estate.

The Tweed as it meanders past the Dawyck Estate Douglas fir.

A multi-trunked Douglas Fir - not taking part in the autumn show Larch at garden entrance.

A larch, at the entrance to the gardens, seemingly lit from below Map of the gardens.

The map at the entrance shows the main pathways and types of woodland Saplings.

Saplings in the autumn light Maple being photographed.

Maple (being photographed) These gardens are particularly splendid in the autumn. The pictures on this page were all taken on one (maybe exceptional) fine day in early November. Rowan and grass ride.

One of a number of grass rides - lined by rowan berries dripping with dew White barked birch.

White barked birch Grass ride.

Another ride lined by birch Back lit birch.

Back lighting, low sun and the dew on leaves and stems, turn the colours of autumn into pictures... Dew covered sapling.

...just add a dark background Rowan berries and path.

Rowan berries and lichen seem to compete Sculpture by Rodney Holland.

One of the key figures to contribute to the plants of the garden was David Douglas Go to another site.

who was born in 1799 and whose extraordinary exploits in North America, while searching for new plants, seem almost like a fictional adventure story, ending in his death in a bull pit! This sculpture by Rodney Holland of Moniaive was commissioned in 2012 to commemorate his contribution to plant exploration. River Tweed, pine trees and cloud.