Storm Henry delayed Dawyck Botanic Garden opening for the season. Safety had to come first, both for the visitors and the team members.  ‘Henry’ brought south-westerly gusts that measured over 50mph in the relative shelter of the car park and unfortunately proved fatal for three trees.

A mature Beech (Fagus sylvatica) lost a large scaffold limb and will now need to be felled, it is not vital to the collection, but it is along the edge of one of the vistas, so aesthetically it will be missed.

A 20m western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) broke off two thirds up, and the top landed on a path that runs alongside the scrape burn. The path was cleared and opened up quickly as it acts as a great viewing platform for the snowdrops.

The third tree was a wild collected Armand or Chinese white pine, (Pinus armandii) that failed at the base. The pine was collected in Sichuan, South west China in 1991, it was one of only three in the garden so it will definitely be missed.

The small dedicated team at Dawyck aided by volunteers have worked very hard to clear the debris, rake gravel paths and ensure the garden is safe for visitors.