Journal

Where we are - Loch Lomond National Park

More and more people have been asking me exactly where Snapdragon Online is based so I thought that I would write a short post about the beautiful area of Scotland that we call home.

Snapdragon is right at the eastern edge of the Loch Lomond National Park - the small low hill opposite our gate is the terminal moraine of the Ice Age loch and the boundary of the park runs along our front hedge.

We are about 10 minutes drive from the eastern bank of Loch Lomond where this photo was taken.

Loch Lomond is in Central Scotland - slightly north of Glasgow. It takes us about half an hour to reach the cities of Glasgow and Stirling and about an hour through to Edinburgh.

It is an area of distant hills and green fields, the gateway to the wilder Highlands.

The West Highland Way - a long distance route for walkers - passes the end of our road.

At this time of year the heather is out and the lower parts of the mountains that surround us turn deep vibrant purple.

It rains a lot (hence the green fields).

Snapdragon itself is based in a field behind my home - there is a silver airstream and a wooden workshop perched in wild pasture above a bluebell wood.

We don't cultivate most of this space but are leaving it to become wild - the grass thatch is full of shrews that bring barn owls swooping for prey in the evenings and herons glide through searching for food every morning ...

When we moved here, 13 years ago, the garden was very tidy, close cropped, manicured and there was very little wildlife so we have concentrated on bringing living things back, planting fruiting trees, hedges and leaving well alone.

So far it is working and the whole plot hums with activity from birds and insects.

It is much less maintenance too, useful in what is a ridiculously large space to manage ourselves in the time we have available.

One area that we have planted up is the spoil heap which was created when we built the workshop.

This had a lot of old farm waste in it - quarry spoil, poor soil from other building projects, fence wire and rubble - so we planted it as a perennial meadow, an experiment to see what garden plants would survive.

The area is now thriving - a shaggy delight of a garden with tough cultivars like peonies and astrantia growing through self seeded wild flowers. Many of the photos that I share on instagram and Facebook are of this patch.

It terrifies and confuses people who appreciate a tidy garden but I love it.

This part of the country with its amazing light and shadows, its peacefulness and wild things is my inspiration. If you don't know it already, I would put it on your 'to visit' list.

We don't have a shop here, but if you want to come and visit the workshop (NOT IN DECEMBER) email Jane@snapdragononline.co.uk and we shall put the kettle on.

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