Scotland’s finest tree collections have been celebrated at Crathes Castle in Banchory.
Site owners, managers, staff and supporters of the National Tree Collections of Scotland (NTCS) gathered at the picturesque venue for their annual networking day.
The NTCS comprises 22 of the most significant historic tree collections from across Scotland, including Crathes Castle, and brings them together in a network to care for and promote what is a unique part of Scotland’s heritage.
The event kicked off with an overview of the landscape at Crathes Castle in the past, present and future.
Expert speakers also shared their experiences of delivering effective tree and designated landscape management plans and wrestling with the unique problems posed by ageing tree avenues with some trees in the collection dating to the 1700s. They also discussed their knowledge of securing funding to help conserve their collections.
NTCS Project Officer, Doug Flint, said: “We had a great variety of NTCS sites represented at this event, some from as far as Ullapool, Bute and East Lothian.
“Networking days like this one are great for sharing knowledge and raising issues that face all of the sites and associates across the country.
“They are about how to best maintain these incredible tree collections for the people who visit these unique sites.”
The day included a tour of Crathes Castle’s spectacular grounds with head gardener, James Hannaford, to experience the garden’s stunning tree collection, topiary, and wider landscape.
Having been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland since 1952, Crathes Castle currently contains one of the trust’s most diverse plant collections, as well as some of the oldest hedging and topiary to be found anywhere in Scotland.
