Remarkable Trees - Part 2

Looking towards the 18th century Palladian style mansion over what was once a formal garden.
When viewed from the house the monolith was intended to draw the eye out to the
landscape beyond - also controlled by design.

This beautiful estate has been owned by the same family since the 1500s .
The house and grounds are open on designated days in summer.

Young Lime avenue .....

Oak,Chestnut and Beech probably planted about the time the present house was built ..... 

Beech .....

Trees in the designed landscape date from 1700 onward  .....

Tree species include Beech,Larch,Oak,Sycamore .....

Douglas Fir,Giant Redwood,Noble Fir .....

Yew,Cedar of Lebanon,Holly .....

Monkey Puzzle,Sweet Chestnut,Silver Fir .....

North American firs were introduced to Scotland by Scottish botanist and plant collector
 David Douglas, after whom the Douglas Fir is named.
In 1827 the first Douglas Fir seed was germinated on Drumlanrig estate where the tree still stands.
Soon seedlings were planted on country estates around Britain.

Douglas's explorations were done over a ten year period mostly in the Pacific North West of Canada
 and the United States. He died while plant hunting in Hawaii in 1834,aged 35.

Estate farmland .....

Harebells .....

Thank you for visiting


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Childhood Memories

The Poet Reclining by Marc Chagall (1915)

Chagall painted this work remembering the Russian countryside where he and his wife Bella spent their honeymoon.  Whenever I look at this painting I'm immediately transported to my grandparent's farm,where until the age of seven, I spent many happy and carefree holidays. The field where Tommy the horse lived looked much like this,behind
the farm buildings and backing on to a wood of fir, birch and rowan.

   The farmland as it is now. These photos were taken when I visited the area in June.


Click to enlarge

Looking towards the hills.

Birch trees beside the trout burn.

The farmhouse, as I like to remember it.

In front of the house is the sole surviving tree of a copper beech plantation which housed a rookery.

The old hump back bridge over the nearby river. It was originally built to carry horse drawn traffic, but went out of use
 with the introduction of heavy motor transport and is now in a state of disrepair.

Wildflower meadow, glowing with buttercups and clover.

Click to enlarge