Garden visit: Logan Botanic Gardens

I’ve long wished to visit Logan Botanic Garden, situated on the most southerly point of Scotland. Thanks to the gulf stream it has a warmer climate than one might expect this far north in the UK, and therefore plants from the southern hemisphere flourish where you least expect it.

Our visit was blessed with the most amazing weather, clear blue skies and sunny, close to 20 degrees. It felt like summer even though it was only mid-Spring.

Upon entering the garden, to the left we were bowled over by the c. 100 year old Magnolia campbellii ‘Charles Raffill’ (campbellii x campbellii ssp. Mollicomata). A magnificent magnolia with flowers larger than both my hands together.

Throughout the garden, Kevin and I were both struck with how Australian it felt. So much like the Dandenong’s outside Melbourne, or many parts of Tasmania. I think the balmy weather helped complement this feeling.

I confess that I’m not normally keen on Cordylines. But seeing them at Logan I realised it was context that mattered, because under the blue sky and amongst the gum trees, they worked. The first photo, with the sun coming through, I recalled hot days and squinting from the sun always in your eyes.

Magnificant Dicksonia antarctica in front of the blooming rhododendron. This is how the Dicksonia is meant to be grown and seen.

Polyepis australis, from Argentina. Gosh I wanted to play with peeling this bark. With intense will power, I did refrain. Ok, maybe I played with a small piece…

Many more gum trees. Eucalyptus subcrenulata

Eucalyptus delegatensis

Eucalyptus pulchella

Not labelled, but magnificent.

Gum trees and ferns in the ‘Tasmanian Creek’ area, though this also could have been the Dandenong’s again.

I’ve rather focused on trees, but there were some flowers too.

Then there were more ferns and a wonderful Gunnera bog.

Not forgetting the Wollemi pine, Wollemia nobilis

And some altogether excellent views such as this one over the formal pond.

We enjoyed a splendid time at Logan Botanic Garden. I’m sure the good weather helped, but I suspect it would still have the wow factor on a day with grey skies. We hope to return some day, during summer perhaps when more flowers will be out as well. However, just the trees in their own right make Logan Botanic Garden well worth the visit. So take a drive down Scotland’s most southerly point and enjoy.

Accessability: much of the gardens are wheelchair accessible and there a lots of seats. They also have wheelchairs and mobility scooters available which you can borrow; the staff are really helpful about this. I used a scooter for part of the visit and enabled me to see more of the site that I would have done otherwise.