Poet inspired by spirit of garden at Inverewe

The Spirit of a Garden is a collection of poems by author and actor Lydia Muijen who found herself captivated by the gardens in the care if the National Trust for Scotland there when she first visited in 2016.

Accepting a role of Poet in Residence a year later gave Lydia the platform to write about her love for the garden with the words flowing “like water down a stream”.

Her delight with award-winning Inverewe Gardens and their surrounding countryside was enhanced after further research into the background of those who brought it to life. She said: “One of the amazing things I have learned is that not just the estate and the family that lived at Inverewe appreciated poetry and poets, it is that they actively went out of their way to make poetry part of their life.

“This is continuing the tradition of education and welcoming poets and artists which was started by Osgood Mackenzie to not only offer art residencies, but to offer poetry residencies at Inverewe as well.”

The book invites the reader to go on a treasure hunt and search for some of the most hidden spots inside a beautiful garden.

In the back of the book are three maps of the garden and the surrounding area, each with links to the poems.

Visitors can also experience the Sawyer Gallery exhibition called Tales of a Stranded Piano, an artistic collaboration between a musician, an artist and Lydia as a poet. The exhibition runs until the end of October. Lydia says she is following in the footsteps of many that went before her and has been inspired by what she has seen.

Her Spirit of a Garden poetry book is available from the Inverewe Garden Visitor Centre near Poolewe.

For more information on the book go to www.nts.org.uk/stories/the-spirit-of-inverewe-captured-in-poetry