Behind the scenes this winter

Uncovering history at Culzean

At Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, specialists have been taking tiny samples of layers of paint from the interior walls. We already have fascinating information about the history of the building, but we know much less about how its rooms were decorated historically. Experts look at cross-sections under a microscope and test the pigments. By combining these results with historical records, we can peel back layers of history.

We will use that information to make decisions about how to decorate the castle rooms to best tell stories about their past. ‘We’ve already redecorated the main entrance where you buy your tickets, and we used previous sampling before the pandemic to choose the greenish colour that’s there,’ explains our curator Sarah Beattie.

Getting ready for spring at Pitmedden

At Pitmedden Garden, north of Aberdeen, there’s plenty to keep the gardeners busy over the winter. Just pruning the hundreds of apple and pear trees takes a few weeks. Coppiced and pollarded dogwoods and willows require special pruning, as do the pleached limes and hornbeams. Benches and fountains are cleaned, glasshouses and polytunnels are sterilised, and tools and lawnmowers are sharpened and repaired.

‘Roughly 30,000 bedding plants go into the gardens, and all of those pots and trays get hand-washed over the winter,’ explains head gardener Scott Smith. ‘We also have to plan and organise what next year’s display will look like, so we order the seeds and plugs. We change the beds every year so they’re different for our visitors. We need a display that will flower consistently over the whole summer. Over the years, we’ve fine-tuned a list of plants that do well in our bedding displays.’

Preparing for a new season on St Kilda

In autumn, the team based out on St Kilda returns to the mainland. Over the winter months, Western Isles manager Susan Bain analyses seabird monitoring reports from the last season and prepares for the next one.

The winter also provides an opportunity to plan for next year, and sometimes even two years ahead – booking tradespeople and ordering materials to be shipped out to the archipelago for necessary repairs. Susan explains: ‘We draw up a list of what we need, and then we tend to go out in late February or early March for what we call a “winter damage visit” to see if anything has changed and have a look at our priorities for the new season.’