Time to saddle up...

...we’re off to the North American Prairie at Cambo, Scotland. Whoa! Sorry, could resist the title :-) I also couldn’t resist the trip to see this prairie last September as soon as I heard about it.

Until then I had only associated Cambo with snowdrops and thoroughly enjoyed not just one but two visits to see them last March. Ashamedly, they were my first visits to this very special garden that is just over an hour’s drive from me.

Please do follow my post links above to some absolutely breathtaking displays of snowdrops from my visits. On the subject of Snowdrops, the Snowdrop Festival for 2010, here in Scotland, began on the 1st of February and runs through until March 15th if you wish to visit. The website gives details.


Okay, before I take you on today’s garden tour from Cambo I’d like to chat a moment.

Yep… as the image suggests maybe you’d like to pour a cuppa especially if you follow the links I’m adding today.

If planting combinations with drifts of bold perennials and grasses is your bag then yes… please do saddle up and hold on to your horses :-D

My garden visit this day took me into the walled garden before I came to the prairie area which seriously whetted my appetite. The exciting plantings in the Naturalist Potager just blew me away! Please do follow that link… there’s no chat there just a plethora of inspirational plantings. I really couldn’t stop taking photos and found great difficulty walking away!

I needn’t have worried, as in just a few steps I was walking through more inspiration plantings of cone flowers, sedums, grasses and… I was in the Early Flowering Border. For those following my Cambo weekend you many have seen these photos on Friday but if not please do follow this link too :-D

Okay, I’m keeping the full tour for next weekend… yep… I still have a few more photos to share! For those playing catch-up with my Cambo weekend postings yesterday was the wander through the Cut Flower Area with once again… more inspirational plantings :-D

For the moment, I’m keeping the walk around this ‘traditional’ walled garden back for the full tour so let’s leave it for now. Don’t worry… we will be back :-) Following the path outside the walled garden, in just a few steps, I finally came to the entrance of the NEW Prairie Garden and the main reason for my visit that day.

The planting at the path entrance was lush as you can see above. Remember, clicking on images will enlarge them. The Autumn crocus, ferns and… drew me in and had me rushing up the sloped path. I couldn’t wait to see this area. I also had just 15 minutes before the garden was closing. No time to wait then! However very soon I was to stop sharply in my tracks…



This can’t be it... can it? Few plants could be seen from where I stood. Gosh… what a contrast to where I’d been just a few minutes before. With one eye on the time I headed up the path towards the buildings…



Perhaps I was in the wrong bit? Then I spotted a sign on a post. Before I wandered across to read it my eye was drawn along the stone dyke (wall) and to a structure within it. Oh yes… I love that feature!





Reading this sign, I see… yep... I am very much in the right area for this NEW Prairie Garden. I guess thinking back on it now, I should have considered that the capitalised ‘NEW’ on the entrance sign was getting emphasis for a reason!



Whoa… 7000 plants from seed. Okay… it has my attention now. I’m guessing now that what, at first glance, looked like weeds growing through gravel could be seedlings then? Let’s wander down then and take a closer look…



Walking down the path, I then stop in my tracks once more. Oh yes… wonderful signs of a new garden in the making. Can you see what caught my attention?


Yep… garden twine wrapped around a peg in the foreground. Looking up again and across the many seedlings I see that this white twine is marking out paths through the seedlings. Now… this area is becoming as exciting as the inspiration plantings I had just photographed.



Let’s look down again for a closer look at the young plants. They look strong and healthy don't you think? Let’s hope this very cold winter we have had has not caused any casualties there. That would be a pity. Although, this garden is not far from the coast so fingers crossed all will be fine.



Oh, before we wander off… hold on…what’s this? Some plants are actually in flower. Gosh… I nearly missed this one…



Glancing around the gravel again, I was now noticing bright dashes of colour. To my great surprise, there were actually quite a few plants in flower.



Looking up again, and across this very young prairie to the path I first walked up and the view looks a whole lot better now doesn’t it? The wall from the walled garden is in the distance. I do like the mature trees on the other side and as for the backdrop of the old buildings… I just think they are just perfect.



Once again, my eye was drawn away from the prairie and towards a stone structure. The stone ‘dyke’ seat in the photos below is a great stopping point to look up prairie. I love its simple design too.

Looking up from the seat and to the right I noticed there are more piles of stone. Now, I wonder if they will be used to extend the wall further up or for another garden structure. I guess I’ll just have to make a return visit to see :-D







With just five minutes until the garden closed I had to head away. Yes, I have to say initially I was a tad disappointed at the early stage this prairie was in but that all changed to excitement knowing I had been very fortunate to see it at this stage. I will have my photos to chart this prairie as it grows which is also a huge bonus.



Last glances across this North American Prairie at Cambo reveal the variety of plants growing in it. From the bold, to the delicate and the ones that will attract insects there is a wonderful mix of plants. What did the sign say again… wow… 126 species!











Mossy earth and dock leaves (dockens) were the final (and first) plants that caught my eye in this area. I’m guessing this will be either barked or have gravel covering it on my next visit. Although, perhaps they have other plans for it… we’ll just have to wait and see.



Time up, the garden was closed and I headed away. Now, I wonder what you fav image was from this part of Cambo… mine’s easy. No, its not the seat... your'e on the right lines though! Hands down… it’s the ball of twine and all the promise it holds :-D



Ah… finally you can rest your weary eyes! I’m done now with Cambo until next weekend if you’d like to join me once again. However, if you’ve followed all my links to the inspirational plantings at Cambo and you’ve still enough stamina for more…

I’ve one last (but my no means least) link for you. July 2008, The Millennium Garden at Pensthorpe in Norfolk, England… designer… Piet Oudolf. Enjoy! Oh... forgot to mention... I've video from there too :-D


All photos shown above were taken by me at Cambo during September 2009.