An unusual lochside garden in the Highlands, filled with vibrant South African plants
Among the dramatic mountains and sea lochs of Wester Ross, in the north west Highlands of Scotland, is a truly extraordinary garden. Blazed across the rugged, grey-green landscape is a scene so unexpected and colourful it stops you in your tracks – yet the exotic South African plants that bring such vibrancy to this garden also feel strangely at home here. Durnamuck is the creation of Will Soos and Sue Pomeroy, who bought a four-acre croft with a tumbledown barn a decade or so ago and started to tame the land. Experienced horticulturists, the couple met when working at Inverewe Garden – Sue as a propagator and Will in charge of the walled garden – and, for many years, they had longed to make a garden of their own.
When Will secured the job of head gardener at Dundonnell (featured in the March 2025 issue of House & Garden), the pair discovered the ideal plot of land a few miles away on the banks of Little Loch Broom. There they started building their own house: a simple, timber-clad building reflecting the Highlands longhouse vernacular, but with a tin roof instead of thatch.
The garden also began to take shape, with two curvaceous borders forming the backbone, framing breathtaking views over the loch to the jagged peaks of Beinn Ghobhlach and rounded crest of Sail Mhòr. A wildflower meadow, orchard and vegetable garden were added over time, along with a flock of chickens and small herd of sheep, following traditional crofting practice.
Finally, the couple had space to home all the plants they had amassed over the years – in particular, their collection of South African plants, many of which Sue had raised from seed brought back from two plant-hunting trips in 2001 and 2004. Near the house, a series of stone-edged raised beds are devoted entirely to these, with dazzling arrays of gladioli, watsonia, kniphofia, dierama, agapanthus, and other species that come to a peak towards the end of summer. ‘There’s nothing subtle about South African plants, but this is what we love,’ says Sue. ‘If you go to many parts of the Cape, the flora is intensely colourful. It’s a bright, vivid and warm mishmash – like an old, worn rug.’
Will points out a drift of vivid orange flowers echoing the rust red of the tin roof – part of their = collection of watsonia grown from wild seed gathered on a South Africa trip. He thinks these tender perennials, with arching flower spikes in orange, pink and crimson hues, may become more popular as temperatures rise. Orange Watsonia pillansii is the species most often found in the UK, while the pink-flowered W. borbonica is less well known.
Anywhere else in the UK, where there is a risk of prolonged frost, these cormous plants should be mulched deeply in order to maximise survival rates, according to Will. ‘Being on the west coast, particularly if you’re near a body of water, it stays that bit warmer with rarely a frost,’ he says. ‘But we are exposed here, so have to plant accordingly – South African plants are fantastic for a windy, open site. They just seem to cope.’ Even tender species such as gazania, diascia and osteospermum, traditionally grown in Britain as bedding plants, will often come through the winter. ‘We thread these half-hardies through the borders and if they survive, they survive,’ observes Sue philosophically. ‘And, each year, I’ll take cuttings, just in case we lose them.’
On the other hand, plants such as the dieramas are much more hardy. At Durnamuck, they can be found draping themselves round the edges of the borders, as well as gracing a circular meadow area in between the two main borders, in conditions that mimic their natural grassland habitats. Having brought seed back from South Africa, Sue started selecting her own hybrids while she was still at Inverewe. ‘Dieramas are promiscuous and naturally cross-fertilise,’ she explains. ‘I collected seed from a few strong-growing plants, grew them on and then lined them up in the nursery to start selecting the colours I liked.’
Today, Sue’s hybrids of species such as D. pulcherrimum and D. reynoldsii thrive in the grass, with tall, arching fronds and delicate flowers in dark plummy purples and vibrant pinks. They need a free-draining soil, but also tolerate quite a lot of rain, making them ideal for the wet Scottish climate.
Inveterate plant collectors, Will and Sue are also talented planting designers and, though they brush away compliments about this, there is no doubt that the schemes at Durnamuck are a triumph, with contrasting colours, shapes and textures creating dynamic, eye-catching displays. Punctuated with grasses such as Chionochloa conspicua and airy perennials like Sanguisorba ‘Tanna’ and Eryngium eburneum, the main borders are full of movement as well as the colour that gives them their unique atmosphere and style. ‘Creating movement is important,’ says Sue. ‘It’s so windy here and we want to harness this. Even in the winter, when everything’s died down, you still have the seed heads and the grasses – we love watching birds eat the seeds.’
Perhaps it is this sense of movement that makes the whole garden feel so natural in its environment – or maybe it is the fact that the planting schemes mimic natural plant communities. Either way, despite the bold colours and exotic origins of most of the plants, this garden sits very comfortably in its setting. An unexpected jewel in a remote outpost of Scotland.
2 Durnamuck Garden is open by appointment, July 1-September 30, and for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme: 2durnamuckgarden.com
Eva Nemeth1/9Galtonia viridiflora is another South African bulb that flourishes in this part of the garden
Eva Nemeth2/9A dazzling combination of colours catches the eye in the bed of South African plants, where tall Kniphofia uvaria tower over vermilion Crocosmia ‘Hellfire’ and drifts of acid-yellow Helichrysum hypoleucum are punctuated by the flowers of blue Agapanthus ‘Stardust’ and a vibrant magenta hybrid dierama.
Eva Nemeth3/9Fiery crocosmia and orange and pink Watsonia pillansii hybrids stand out against the local scenery.
Eva Nemeth4/9In true crofting tradition, the couple try to be mostly self-sufficient with a vegetable garden near the barn, where dahlias and nasturtiums mingle with the flowers of leeks gone to seed.
Eva Nemeth5/9
Eva Nemeth6/9Chickens roam free in the meadow and orchard.
Eva Nemeth7/9Agapanthus line the bed beside the grass-roofed guest bothy.
Eva Nemeth8/9The pale plumes of tussock grass Chionochloa flavicans set off yellow Santolina rosmarinifolia, bright cosmos and Buddleja davidii ‘Adonis Blue’ by the barn.
Eva Nemeth9/9Behind a simple bench, dieramas in rich plums and pinks – all hybrids of species between D. pulcherrimum and D. reynoldsii that were bred by the owners – thrive in the grass. The wooden bench offers views over the meadow, which is planted at the edge with blue Agapanthus campanulatus, to the loch beyond.
