Japanese garden stars in TV show Setting and history of site near Dollar is explored
A Japanese garden near Dollar is to feature in a new series of programmes coming soon to BBC ALBA.
The garden at Cowden features in episode eight of Gàrraidhean Mòra na h-Alba/ Gardens of Scotland, which sees greenfingered Murdo Macdonald visit some of the country’s most important designed-landscapes to reveal the fascinating story of Scotland’s gardening past.
Each programme explores a different garden, with Murdo picking out his favourite aspects of each and talking to the curators and gardeners who look after them today. He’ll learn about their design, plant-life, setting and history.
When Murdo visits the Japanese Garden at Cowden he finds out about the two women who created the garden at the turn of the 20th century - Ella Christie and Taki Handa.
Ella Christie is believed to have been the first western woman to meet the Dalai Lama, and when she returned from a visit from Japan she was so inspired by their gardens that she wanted to create her own at Cowden. She employed Taki Handa from Japan (it was very unusual for a female to work in garden design in Japan), to create this garden of Shã Raku En, ‘the place of pleasure and delight’.
The garden was badly vandalised in the 1960s, so Ella’s great-great niece Sara Stewart tells Murdo what was involved in its reconstruction.
He also learns more about the cultural significance of the
Japanese design of the garden and the essential work that’s being carried out by volunteers and staff to maintain the beauty of the gardens. Part of their work involves creating a ripple effect in the gravel as though a stone has been dropped and raking the leaves from the pond to retain a clean reflection on the water.
Murdo said: “The Japanese Garden is beautiful. It’s a completely different approach to gardening because it’s highly formalised. It’s almost an attempt to create perfection with such a minute approach to everything, even plucking a single weed at a time.
“There’s a lovely circulatory walk around it and each time you see something different. It creates a feeling of Zen-like tranquility.
“There’s also a fantastic back story to this garden because of the involvement of three very formidable ladies who made such a success of it.
Discussing the series, Murdo added: “Scotland is famed for its landscapes, for natural habitats of variety and great beauty. We also have an incredible history and culture of cultivation, of gardening and plant collecting.
“I’ve had a pretty varied career, from army officer to estate factor. I’ve worked across the UK and further afield but it’s only now that I’ve taken a step back from working full-time that I can indulge my hobbies – art and gardening.
“My own garden is my haven, there’s something very therapeutic about the solitary nature of gardening, the rhythm of it and the sights and sounds of nature. Gardening can feed you, heal you and educate. It also teaches you patience.
“With these gardens it’s the vision that’s gone into their creation that’s incredible and the continuing work that staff do to maintain them that surprises and delights.’’
Four new episodes (5 to 8) start on Thursday, September 23 and they will also be available on the BBC iPlayer for 30 days afterwards.