“What can be more alluring than the scent of honeysuckle wafting round your garden after a summer shower? A drop of rain always seems to make the scent more pronounced. Not reason enough in itself to wish for rain, of course – we had plenty of that last year.” Thought it was too early to think about the northern summer? No chance! Mike lets us in on an easy way to get the garden looking (and smelling) its best…
“The North East of Scotland is home to a veritable feast of castles, both restored and in ruins. One which has been restored to its former glory is the Castle of Fyvie.” Mike describes Fyvie Castle, owned and built by five families, including its own stately outhouse…
“It’s winter. At least, it is winter in the northern hemisphere. And I trust that those of you for whom this has no current relevance, will at least bear with me, and at best, translate this offering to your own time and your own place.” It’s a wee bit fresh in the Northern Hemisphere right now, and the birds are starting to feel the pinch. Mike gives some timely advice on how to help them survive the winter.
“What do the adjacent castles of Sinclair and Girnigoe, on the outskirts of Wick, Caithness, have in common with The Valley of the Kings and the Great Wall of China?” How the World Monuments Fund is drawing attention to the imminent collapse of two historic Caithness castles.
“In my new garden, which is in fact a piece of wasteland with a fence round it, I have no trees. I possess only a few stunted and windswept hawthorn and elder. Barely half a mile from the Pentland Firth, whence the north wind blows uninterrupted straight from the Arctic Circle, this is not exactly a horticultural paradise.” Mike tells us about one of Scotland’s most distinctive trees – the Scots Pine – and some of its cousins.
“Juniper berries have long been the traditional base for flavouring gin, as you are no doubt already aware. But the connection with whisky… Patience. Let me talk about the plants first.” As the Northern Hemisphere summer draws to a close, Mike mulls over the juniper – a plant with strong associations with log fires and the dram…