Lost Garden Of Penicuik

It's an age since we last visited the old walled garden of Penicuik House and took a wander there this morning.

Discovering it for the first time, back in 2012, the low terrace here was under cultivation of Christmas trees which obscured the small ornamental pond, the upper terrace was a ruin covered with invasive shrubs and trees which had established themselves among the collapsed glasshouses and steps. Since then a Friends group has worked hard to clear ground, cutting back or removing trees as necessary and planting of soft and hard fruits, there are beehives in situ, but there is still very much work to be done.

This is the view from the steps on the upper terrace towards the ornamental garden gates. Brian, a volunteer on site, told us that the low terrace, which Mr Flum is admiring, is under a Swedish cultivation system called Hugelkultur, which utilises a ridge-and-furrow technique where the (quite substantial) ridges are constructed of branches and compost to support a distinct layered ecosystem.

My extras are of ice on the small pond in the photo and of some fungi on a small log in the garden.