Crathes Garden blog #8: homage to trees

But we mourn our recent losses. We know the worth of trees and woodlands: they provide homes for countless animals and plants; they act as a carbon sink; they help to reduce flooding; they provide food and shade; they are good for climbing; they are simply beautiful. And we are beginning to understand more about their role in nurturing our mental health – a newly published report by Forest Research (4 December 2021) suggests that ‘visits to woodlands for recreation could save around £26 million a year in treating mental health in Scotland’. [2] Even urban trees apparently reduce the use of antidepressants. For me, the scent released by the sun on a Scots pine is a sensory high.

With the estate closed, it was over a week after the gale before I managed to see the damage at Crathes. James tells me they had power loss over four days, with intermittent relief, and some water problems. I had heard from Joanna that the glasshouses were not damaged and that the standby generator behaved well. That the arbutus tree (Arbutus menziesii) had fallen surprised no-one; it was due to be removed in the near future. Fortunately, its daughter, only a few yards away, is thriving and so the fieldfares, blackbirds and bullfinches will not have to forgo all the fruity feasts. I wrote about the history of this tree early last year in my What’s in a name? blog post.

The other big tree to fall was the conifer in the Golden Garden. Luckily, neither it nor the arbutus damaged the walls as they fell. There is relief that the central Portugal laurel has survived; it is so much a part of the garden design. A few trees were blown over in the Woodland Garden, but all the big oaks and sycamores pulled through. I was sad to see that the ancient Chinese rowan (Sorbus hupehensis) beside the gate had gone; I remembered the waxwings that flew in one year to gorge on its bounty.

One week later, I saw some of the damage caused by Storm Barra. Particularly upsetting was the big ash tree that fell across the fire yard breaking the fence, knocking the top off the ancient sweet chestnut and making a big hole in the laurel hedge. This sweet chestnut is one of my favourite trees; it maybe dates from the 18th century and has been much depleted over the years. I think it will survive this latest attack. Another tree, a Lawson’s cypress I think, fell across the car park.

The gardeners are all exhausted. The chainsaws have been going all the time and everyone had to join in with pulling all the debris away to the bonfire. There was an urgency to get the garden safe and reasonably tidy so that the Christmas light show could go ahead, if not quite as early as planned. Fortunately, a team from Brodie Castle came down to help out at Crathes and Drum for a while.

Dangerous hanging branches have been removed from the main drive and the policies immediate to the castle, but the trails remain closed. Various contractors will be helping with work on the trails, but they have many demands to meet across the North-East just now and the commercial forestry damage will have to wait.

In our climate crisis, replanting programmes are crucial. We are now always told to consider the right tree in the right place, and so there is opportunity to be gleaned from the storm. It was years before the 1953 replanting was completed, partly because much of the clearing was done with saws and axes. With time at a premium, I take heart at the thought of the way nature fills the gaps created by storms. Maybe the pioneering birches will spring up in profusion; I do love a birch tree.

From a global perspective, Storm Arwen may seem insignificant – the latest news of tornadoes in America is appalling, with large loss of life. Trees are part of the answer to mitigate the effects of climate change, but across the world they are disappearing through illegal logging, through forest fires, through rampant diseases and through extreme weather events. It’s time to plant a tree – the right tree; an apple tree as a Christmas present might be appropriate just now.

Updates

• For the meantime, the estate remains closed except for those who have tickets for the light show. Visitors to the light show will be able to enter safely through the regular garden gate, but the Welcome Building is not finished; Storm Arwen has put many plans astray.
• After working in the garden for 29 years, Cecilia has retired. Happily that does not mean we won’t see her ... because she now comes to help as a volunteer. She first started working at Crathes when David Maclean was head gardener. Her children were young and she worked part time during school hours. A small celebration was held by the gardeners to mark her formal retirement.
• In the glasshouses Joanna has been working in the vinery as the vines were not doing so well. The black grape has been removed and the green one has been cut hard back. The soil has also been removed. The house has been cleaned and is now being painted. New soil will be brought in and a new vine will be planted in the centre of the bed. The pelargoniums (a previous feature) will return.
• The bodnantense viburnums are enjoying the relatively mild weather; they give off a lovely scent.
• The Dee Catchment Partnership has won the Nature and Climate Action Award at the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards, for the Easter Beltie restoration project that I wrote about in July (The mysteries of time). This award for outstanding achievement for nature conservation is one of the positive stories of 2021.

Crathes garden and estate may have had some setbacks over the last year, but it too represents a positive story. Resoundingly, it is a tale of optimism and progress. Here’s to the gardeners and a good 2022!

A happy and safe Christmas to you all.

[1] See Susan Bennett’s The Gardens and Landscape of Crathes Castle (Spey Books, 2019) for more information about the 1953 gale at Crathes.

[2] Forest Research is part of the Scottish government agency responsible for forestry policy, support and regulations.