The Garden is Remembering Itself

From Victorian ornamental garden to living landscape

There is something satisfying about seeing a place reveal a little more of itself.

At Re-Inversnaid, the land around the Lodge was once a Victorian ornamental garden, planted with Rhododendron ponticum, azaleas, gunnera and exotic evergreens. Many of these plants were introduced for their beauty, but rhododendron in particular can spread aggressively and make it difficult for native woodland to regenerate.

Over the past couple of years, we have been gradually clearing some of these areas. With the help of volunteers and plenty of muddy boots, we have cut rhododendron, cleared branches, chipped material and built dead hedges. Along the way, we have uncovered old paths, boulders and patches of native woodland that had been hidden beneath the growth.

The work is physical and sometimes slow. It is also revealing.

Once some of the shade and dense growth is removed, you start to see what was already there. Birch, oak, hazel and other native plants are beginning to establish in different parts of the site. We are watching closely to see what regenerates naturally and where we need to intervene.

That is an important part of our approach to rewilding. It isn't simply about leaving a place alone, and it isn't about following a fixed planting plan either. Sometimes the first job is to remove what is getting in the way. Then we can step back, watch what happens and decide what to do next.

We are still learning what works best at Re-Inversnaid.

Some approaches have worked better than others. We have changed what we do when the landscape has given us a reason to. Advice from people with relevant expertise, practical experience and what we see happening on the ground all feed into the next decision.

The garden is becoming part of a much bigger project to restore the wider landscape around Re-Inversnaid. Woodland, wetland, open ground and the people who spend time here are all part of that story.

And perhaps that is what makes the work interesting. You don't quite know what a place will show you until you start making space for it.

There is still plenty to do.

And plenty to learn.