The Art of Business

Borders Gardens

Before I left England and went to Scotland, I decided to book a room at a Borders Hotel and take a few days to explore some gardens located on the border of England and Scotland. I thought I would first check out Harmony Gardens, then Dawyck Botanic Garden and last, Abbotsford.

Well, the name really does describe Harmony Gardens. It’s a garden surrounded by walls and hemmed in by trees. Once I entered the Garden, I was immediately overwhelmed with a sense of tranquillity and peace. I leisurely strolled along the lush green lawns strewn with herbaceous and a good mixed border. The fruits and vegetable areas were in bloom and there was a rich display of bulbs. The Garden even offers a magnificent view across Melrose Abbey.

The next day, I made it to Dawyck Botanic Garden. It’s a much cooler environment located right in the heart of the Scottish Borders. Trees at the Botanic are over 300 years old, truly one of the finest arboretum I’ve ever seen. Some conifers date back to 1680′s, like the unique Dawyck Beech tree which are some of the tallest trees I’ve seen in the UK. They have a good collection of lichen, mosses and fungi which is located in the world’s first Cryptogamic Reserve. I loved walking through carpets of bulbs and a splattering of snowdrops which mark the arrival of Spring.

Now, the garden of Abbotsford is the product of Sir Walter Scott. Scott did a smash up job with the aesthetics and composition of the landscape. I walked through three gardens: the Morris Garden, the Entrance Court and the Walled Kitchen garden. Then there was a little walk way beside the River Tweed which went through a woodland. Extremely well done, beautiful in it’s design. Being Spring I walked through a display of daffodils and bluebells. Some many other spring flowers all along the borders were so numerous I couldn’t even begin to figure out what they all were. All I know is I was in garden heaven.

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