The Gardens
It is believed that the walled garden was built in 1835 at the same time as the house to grow vegetables and fruit for the residents of the Lodge and their servants. However, we know that it was also an ornamental garden from an early date. In 1851, seeds of a New Zealand Cabbage Palm Tree were sent in a letter to one of the Scourie gardeners from a relative who lived in New Zealand. They took more than six months to reach Scotland by boat. The seeds were planted, and the resulting trees can still be seen in the garden today. These trees, nearly 150 years old, are amongst the most northerly of their kind in the world.
Around the time of the Second World War, the Lodge and Gardens fell into ruin. During the 1970’s, a Swiss gentleman named Mr Halfner bought them. He completely re-designed the garden, retaining, of course, the famous Cabbage Trees. A very keen gardener, Halfner spent virtually all his time in the garden during the twelve years he lived at Scourie.
Gerald and Penny Klein maintained Halfner's design of the gardens, and kept them in a beautiful condition throughout their 22 years here. They opened them to the public, and donations from visitors resulted in annual gifts of many hundreds of pounds to Cancer Research.
Angus and Elisabeth look forward to continuing the garden's development through organic husbandry and the principles of Permaculture design. They are also creating nature trails in the woodland to enhance the diversity and beauty of Scourie Lodge and the quality of its offering to visitors and guests.