Benmore Botanic Garden
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Benmore Botanic Garden is a large botanic garden situated between Dunoon and Loch Eck, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It features a large square walled gardens, a waterfall, the remains of a fernery, ponds and walks up the hillside to where you can look out across the Holy Loch. A cafe can be found at the entrance as well as a shop.
Benmore features many magnificent trees some of which are over 150 years old. On first entering the garden you are greeted by an imposing avenue of Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) plus several Douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The impressive avenue was planted in 1863 and several of the trees exceed 45m in height.
Benmore contains one of the finest collections of plants from Bhutan including numerous rhododendrons. Many of the garden's original plants were grown from seed collected by famous plantsmen such as Ernest Wilson and David Douglas from their travels to Asia and Pacific North America. Some of these plant collectors were sponsored by the garden's original owners, the Younger family, who largely made their wealth from brewing.
The high rainfall and mild winters suit many of the more unusual species of rhododendrons, magnolias and nothofagus grown.
A river runs through the gardens from Loch Eck to the Holy Loch.
For directions from Dunoon pier: turn right and follow the coast road past the villages of Kirn and Hunter's Quay. Follow the main road through Sandbank and round the head of the Holy Loch. Follow the signs for Glasgow, and you will see the entrance on your left after about 5 minutes on the road. During summer, an open top bus travels from the pier to the gardens.
Benmore is a satellite garden under the management of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, as is its sister garden Logan Botanic Garden.
