AtoZ of GREAT SCOTS

Horticulturalist and land owner Osgood Mackenzie built Inverewe Garden on the shores of Loch Ewe

- LAURA BROWN

I N 1862, only two dwarf willows grew on the Wester Ross peninsula that was gifted to Osgood Mackenzie by his mother in lieu of inheriting the family estate, and he'd picked out a patch of the Highlands where, at first glance, it seemed nothing could thrive.

A salty wind frequently whipped in from the Atlantic, and the ground was barren and rocky. Despite the conditions, Osgood decided to start a garden and set to work.

The early years were devoted to establishing Scots and Corsican pines and creating the walled garden that hugs the shoreline of Loch Ewe. An impressive house was also built.