Tree festival celebrates the colours of autumn
From towering pines to ancient oaks, Scotland is home to remarkable woodland and from September 28 until December 1 the Scottish Tree Festival will be celebrating this living heritage in all its autumn colours.
Organisers Discover Scottish Gardens have lined up more than 40 live and virtual events, many of them across the Highlands, that will give locals and visitors a chance to get closer to nature’s giants.
At Armadale Castle on Skye, garden consultant Andrew Peters will be leading tours of the estate’s magnificent trees; at Gordon Castle in Fochabers there will be real and virtual tours of the fruit trees in the walled garden and of trees with royal connections; Munro’s Nurseries in North Kessock will be offering advice on heritage fruit trees, while visitors to Attadale Gardens will be able to explore woodlands set against the stunning backdrop of Loch Carron.
Elsewhere in the country, festival-goers will have a chance to explore some of the country’s great designed landscapes, such as Scone Palace in Perth, where head gardener Brian Cunningham will be leading tours amongst the trees that grow on the estate.
Tours
At Hopetoun House on the outskirts of Edinburgh, rangers will take visitors into the past with tours that weave history and folklore and at Blair Castle there will be the chance to discover the legacy of the Planting Dukes of Atholl, who through the 18th and 19th century planted 27 million trees at the very heart of Scotland.
From real life encounters with Rexy, the willow dinosaur at Logan Botanic Garden in Dumfries and Galloway, to virtual tours of Little Sparta in Dunsyre and fairies in New Hopetoun woods, there’s something for everyone, from art lovers to children.
Giant redwoods await visitors to Cluny House Garden near Aberfeldy and Benmore Botanic Garden in Argyll, while at Cambo in Fife there will be wood-fired feasts beneath trees festooned with twinkling lights.
The world-renowned arboretum at Dawyck Botanic Garden near Stobo will be in full autumn regalia during the festival, perfect for forest bathing, while in the heart of the capital, many of the trees that grow at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are waiting to be hugged.
Catherine Erskine, chairwoman Discover Scottish Gardens, said: ‘The festival is a celebration of Scotland’s wonderful trees, their contribution to our landscapes and the part they play in our lives.
‘This year, more than ever, people are feeling a need to connect more closely with nature and the festival will give them to chance to do that.’
A full list of events is available from discoverscottishgardens. org/tree-festival