The herbaceous border in front of Inverewe House comes into its own in mid-summer. At one end, the two metre tall, ‘daisy flowered’ Inula magnifica may be battered and bowed by unseasonal gales, but still impresses.
Outside the Visitor Centre, along the Drive and in America can be found the South American bromeliad Fasicularia pitcairnifolia. It has spiny-toothed leaves which turn bright red as the flowers form, deep inside, first pink then blue with yellow. Sadly, there are no humming birds to pollinate!
The delicate, tall Dierama, or Angel’s Fishing Rods, grace South Africa and the renovated pond at the Peat Bank.
. … the magnificent ‘Robert Swanson’ with its bronzy-red petals, gold edged.

The unusual Kirengeshoma palmatum, from Korea and Japan, loves the shadier, cool conditions of Inverewe. It is to be found in the Walled Garden, along Niveum Walk and in Bambooselem. Sometimes called the ‘shuttlecock flower’, the pale yellow flowers are twisted into fascinating bonnets.


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For enlarged versions of these images go to Photo Album
Osgood boasted how he could keep Agapapanthus out-of-doors all year round; Mairi loved the deep blue. They continue to feature on the slopes beyond the Visitor Centre lawn, on the Drive and in the Rock Garden.
In the Walled Garden there are several long rows of exotic lilies, like the strongly fragranced white ‘Casablanca’ (auburn anthered and greenish throated) and …
Trees that flower in late summer are a bonus. Throughout the Garden various species of Eucryphia are smothered with the white ‘anemone’ like flowers. Some varieties come from New Zealand, others from South America, but all seem to flourish here.
Given its acidic soil it is not surprising that the Inverewe hydrangeas, both mopheads and lacecaps, are generally strong blue to mauve. The colour of those in America is remarkable and eventually fades to dusky, greenish-turquoise hues.
The stunning shot-silk green flowers of Puya alpestris, (a native of the Chilean Andes), always attract wasps … and amazed visitors. There are just two flower spikes on the single plant on the Rock Garden.