Despite its remote location, the gardens of Dunvegan Castle, home to the MacLeod clan for 800 years, are home to an important and growing collection of historic species from around the world, writes Caroline Donald. Photo by Paul Highnam for Country Life magazine.
Some might point out that Dunvegan Castle, parts of which date back to the 13th century, has a somewhat gloomy appearance and is in a remote location, but this is a compliment rather than a criticism. Set on a rocky headland overlooking Loch Dunvegan in the north-west of Skye, it sits at the very top of the Inner Hebrides and, apart from North Uist, doesn't go very far west before it hits the Atlantic Ocean.
The journey from the ferries and bridges that connect it to the Scottish mainland intensifies this sense of isolation, followed by a journey through an almost lunar landscape, pastured for centuries by sheep brought from the lowlands. There's natural beauty, but not much to look forward to for those seeking horticultural pleasure.
Dunvegan's five-acre jewel box is home to plant species from all over the world, so beautiful that it has been selected as a Partner Garden of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2022. It also came as a surprise to James Boswell, who, on a visit with Samuel Johnson 250 years ago, agreed with Lady MacLeod that “the situation at Dunvegan leaves very little to be done for horticulture or pleasure”.
A view across the gardens to Loch Dunvegan, past the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Dunvegan Castle Gardens, Isle of Skye. © Paul Highnam, Country Life
They were very wrong. Little did the party that gathered at the castle in 1773 know of the soothing effects of the windbreaks started by the widowed son and 23rd Chief Norman, and the walled gardens created by her grandson and 24th Chief John Norman, or of the future international trade in exotic trees and shrubs from far-flung temperate parts of the world that would provide Dunvegan with many fine species over the generations. These included azaleas from the northwest of North America, the Korean loon with its upright cones often photographed along the water garden paths, metasequoias from Sichuan, and the Chilean firebush, Embossium coccidenum, whose dramatic crimson blossoms light up Springbank. Meanwhile, shrubs such as olearias and griselinias are representative of New Zealand and Tasmania.
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Rhododendrons from a wide range of Himalayas also thrive here: R. cinnabarinum, R. nigroglandulosum, R. vaseyi, etc. Historically, R. ponticum was a good windbreaker but is being removed because it has become a noxious weed and transmits Phytophthora blight. Gradually, R. ponticum is being replaced by beech, western redwood, alder, poplar, Scots pine, hawthorn, blackthorn, understory Aurelia, Escallonia, Elaeagnus, etc.
One of several bridges in the Water Gardens, fed by waterfalls and streams and extensively restored by the 29th Chieftain. The gardens of Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye. © Paul Hynam for Country Life
It is one example of the efforts made to improve the castle and gardens by the current Chief, Hugh MacLeod, who inherited the 41,000 acre estate from his father, John, the 29th Chief, in 2007. John was responsible for many additions and improvements during his 30 years in office, but in his later years he stepped away from Skye balls to concentrate on family affairs.
“The only advice I ever got about running a farm was from my dad when he was in hospital and he said, 'I wish you all the best at Dunvegan,'” says MacLeod, a producer and director in a former life. “That was my complete training and I had to learn on the job.”
MacLeod is up to the challenge. As well as putting a new roof on the castle, he has revamped the planting and design of the grounds for Dunvegan's 170,000 annual visitors. Sometimes it's a simple, common-sense solution that makes a big difference. The dimly lit Ponticum Tunnel, once the formal entrance to the gardens, was so unattractive that visitors sometimes followed it down the path to the toilets. Now the area has been opened up, and the Ponticum has been replaced with a beech hedge, which offers views across to the gardens beyond, helping visitors avoid confusion as to which way to go.
Canna, the walled garden created by the 24th Chief, which also includes the John MacLeod Memorial Gazebo, opened in 2014. The gardens of Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye. © Paul Hynam for Country Life
Skye may benefit from milder winter temperatures; last winter was an exception, with more than two weeks of frost and snow, but temperatures rarely drop below 3°C. But with 80 inches of rainfall per year and regular storm-like winds, people are always surprised when they come to the gardens and see the greenery and the many trees. “It's like an oasis,” says head gardener Una Treanor, who was born in County Monaghan and has worked at Dunvegan since 2017 after stints at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and Had House in Aberdeenshire. “They always say that if you want to start a garden on Skye, throw away all your gardening books and start again. And that's true. I've been here seven years and I'm finally figuring out what works.”
Treanor was fortunate to inherit much that was already established, particularly the work of his previous head gardener, David MacLean, who worked closely with the 29th Chief to restore and landscape the water gardens and historic formal parterres. Now Treanor and MacLeod are planting to address the long-term effects of climate change (more intense storms, hotter summers, more disease) and to make the gardens more resilient by improving the soil and introducing hundreds more specimen trees and shrubs. They're also strengthening wildlife-friendly practices, such as not mowing grass banks and perennials until February.
The walled garden's ponds are filled with floating water lilies, with the spacious Alytex Conservatory at its back. The gardens of Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. © Paul Highnam, Country Life
Though MacLeod doesn't claim to be a plant expert, his work in film and TV has given him a keen eye for design and visual detail. It's as if he sees everything through a camera lens, from altering paths to give visitors Instagram-worthy views to the garden's tiniest notices. “Hugh is so curious,” Treanor says. “He's learning so much, he's always asking questions and wanting to know what the plants are.”
Their work is most visible in the former kitchen garden, where they have removed haphazard additions to create a clear overall design based on a cruciform layout. Previously, visitors through the gates were greeted by a yew hedge that blocked views into the garden and an unattractive gravel bed. The hedge has been removed and the gravel replaced with a long flowering border. “Now when you enter the walled garden it's a huge shock,” says MacLeod.
Entrance to the Round Garden, Dunvegan Castle Gardens, Isle of Skye. ©Paul Highnam (Country Life)
Treanor has created several long grass beds with a colour theme, as well as a row of cherry trees, a vegetable area (with a museum in the former barn, honouring the garden's original purpose), a huge Alitex greenhouse, a formal pond and a play area around the Dunvegan Pebble, a 2 3/4-ton Carrera marble sculpture by David Worthington that children can spin on its axis. Along the back wall there is a border of “purposeful plants” of which Treanor, who studied ethnobotany, is particularly proud. The border includes traditional varieties that may have originally been planted here for medicines, dyes, culinary arts or pest control.
For all his innovations, MacLeod is grateful to have inherited a site with such a long history and such a strong emotional connection to those who have known the place for years, but no garden can remain untouched: “The whole rationale for the design is to ensure it is befitting and thoughtful of a garden of this quality. We want to exceed our visitors' demanding horticultural expectations,” and he is well on his way to achieving that.
To find out more and plan your visit, visit www.dunvegancastle.com
Figure 1: Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye sits on a basalt outcrop and is washed by the tide on three sides. Dunvegan Castle seen from the west side of the cove at sunset ©Paul Highnam for Country Life Credit: Paul Highnam for Country Life
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