Something old, something new
‘Every generation brings something new’
GARDENERS are always looking ahead, planning their crops, preparing the ground, planting seeds, taking cuttings and dreaming of growth and abundance. They know that they have to wait until the time is right, coping with disappointments and various unexpected developments along the way, but, eventually, when the conditions are perfect, they will reap the rewards.
After a lifetime spent creating and caring for a spectacular family garden, the time will eventually come to hand over the reins to the next generation—and hope that they are up to the challenge.
WHEN Joanna Macpherson received the call to take over the family estate, she had only ever visited Scotland for holidays and her knowledge of plants was limited to working for a gardening magazine and attending the Chelsea Flower Show. Yet she was needed to oversee Attadale in Wester Ross, 30,000 acres encompassing two munros, a train station, an extensive population of deer and 20 acres of woodland gardens. Joanna’s mother, who had been soldiering on through her
