If you go down to the shrubbery today ...

The shrubbery at Brodie Castle is always a favourite with our visitors – with its year-round attractions of trees, shrubs and flowers. In this wonderfully peaceful place, a new addition over the next few months is a collection of amazing and creative wood carvings, including a special Dragon’s Egg Trail for half term.

The shrubbery was originally planted to screen the working areas of the garden from the castle, like the walled garden and bothy. In the mid-19th century it was quite a formal area, but by the early 20th century it became an informal mix of trees, conifers and shrubs.

Today this naturalistic area has something to offer in every season. From February to June multitudes of spring bulbs carpet the ground and over the summer months a profusion of native wildflowers and meadow grass fill the gaps in between the specimen trees and shrubs.

September sees the annual cutting and removal of the meadow grasses and flowers, which helps maintain the diverse mix of flowers and grass there. It also clears the area for the emerging colchicums, which put on the last big flowering display of the year. Then there’s a bit of a lull before the leaves turn and add another splash of colour.

So, popping up week by week till January will be a selection of chainsaw carvings by our very talented First Gardener, Jonathan. There’s no specific theme and most of the carvings are abstract – he feels this fits well with the naturalistic surroundings and will allow people to interpret them as they wish within the environment.

All the carvings are created from estate-grown soft and hard wood from wind-damaged trees and areas of woodland management – a great example of recycling!

Once the first bulbs start to emerge in the new year, the carvings will be removed and relocated around the estate. Some may be used as features elsewhere in the gardens, but most will be placed in the wooded areas of the estate where they will be left to decay, becoming homes themselves to whole host of animals and invertebrate life.