Opinion of Assynt residents sought over future of historic Glencanisp walled garden
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A PROJECT is ongoing in north-west Sutherland to to develop a historic walled garden and promote the greater production of food locally.
Assynt resident Louisa Potter was appointed garden coordinator in December on a short-term basis at the 149-year old Glencanisp walled garden.
Her contract runs until March 31 and has been funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise through the Covid Recovery Fund.
Part of the Assynt Foundation owned Glencanisp Estate, near Lochinver, the walled garden is thought to have been built around 1849, at the same time as Glencanisp Lodge.
According to the Assynt Foundation’s website there have been “various attempts to make a go of using the garden since the estate was bought over in 2005, to varying degrees of success”.
However, it had become overgrown until funding was secured in 2018 from Keep Scotland Beautiful through the Climate Challenge Fund to appoint a gardener on a two-year term.
But in recent years the garden has fallen back again.
Louisa, who hails from Somerset where she says the “growing experience is very different”, has previously created her own gardens from scratch.
“I have a little tradition of always planting currants in a garden, it’s a legacy I leave for future tenants,” she said.
Since starting at Glencanisp, she has mapped the garden, which has a polytunnel, orchard, fruit cage, plots and a picnic area and held “big jobs volunteer afternoons” to tidy up the area.
She has also created a survey in a bid to gauge from Assynt residents how the walled garden could be put to best use. The survey results will be handed on to the Assynt Foundation and Assynt Development Trust with a view to forming a plan and sourcing more funding.
“I am hoping the survey results will show the way forward,” said Louisa. “I don’t have the time to make huge changes. Through my work I have discovered the walled garden has had a series of people working on small bits of short-term funding leading to a bit of a scatter gun approach.”
An important part of her remit is to hold events to share knowledge amongst local gardeners and promote food production.
She said: “I have done this by organising Zoom coffee mornings to chat about various gardening topics, visiting local food growers and writing up reports for social media and the local magazine.”
She has also been working with local schoolpupils, running a lunch-time gardening club.
Last Saturday she held a ‘Pancakes in the Garden” event with pancake races and a decorate a pancake competition. Another community event is scheduled to take place at the walled garden on Saturday, March 26, from 11am to 2pm.
“It will be a celebration of spring with inspiring talks, workshops and fun activities for everyone,” said Louisa.
Are you involved in a community garden or growing project you would like to tell the Northern Times about? Email: editor@northern-times.co.uk
